2026 UTME: JAMB registers over 2.24 million candidates, see top 10 states

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has announced that a total of 2,243,816 candidates have registered for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

The figures were disclosed in the latest bulletin released by the Board and signed by its Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin.

This comes as registration for the 2026 UTME approaches its final deadline on March 26, with the examination scheduled to hold nationwide from April 16 to April 25, 2026.

What JAMB said

The Board confirmed that a total of 2,243,816 candidates successfully completed registration for the 2026 UTME exercise across the country.

At a separate press briefing, the Registrar of JAMB, Is-haq Oloyede, disclosed that the Board uncovered syndicates using AI-generated fake images and videos of senior officials to defraud candidates.

He revealed that with the approval of the Minister of Education, the Board would delete no fewer than 100 UTME registrations of candidates found to have solicited score inflation through the syndicate.

• “Any candidate found to have paid, solicited, or collaborated with examination fraudsters will face sanctions. The Board will not succumb to public appeals for clemency or emotional blackmail,” he said.

The Registrar added that investigations showed over 120 candidates had already paid the fraud network, which operated under the guise of an online platform promising direct system package and VIP assistance.

Top ten states by UTME registrations: 

• Lagos – 321,814
• Kaduna – 303,498
• FCT-Abuja – 302,963
• Ogun – 137,156
• Oyo – 122,662
• Rivers – 105,584
• Kano – 83,167
• Delta – 77,670
• Ondo – 66,270
• Nassarawa – 65,739

More details  

Across other states, Kwara: 64,988, Plateau: 62,440, Benue: 60,860, Edo: 59,605, while Enugu registered 50,305 candidates.

• Niger recorded 47,679, Akwa-Ibom: 47,079, Kogi: 46,783, Abia: 44,394, Imo: 42,170, Taraba: 38,093, Katsina: 37,973, Kebbi: 36,533, Anambra: 34,787, Cross-River: 34,605, Borno: 33,483, Ekiti: 31,643,
• Adamawa registered 31,321, Jigawa: 28,166, Bauchi: 27,963, Bayelsa: 27,245, Gombe: 23,012, Yobe: 20,583, Sokoto: 20,243, Ebonyi: 19,662, Zamfara recorded the lowest figure at 14,841.
• Foreign country registrations were also recorded, with Cote D’Ivoire leading at 32 candidates. Equatorial Guinea followed with 16, Burkina Faso 14, and the United Kingdom 12. Cameroun recorded 11 registrations, Saudi Arabia 10, the Republic of Benin 7, while Ghana and South Africa posted five each. The Gambia recorded three candidates.

What you should know 

The UTME is the annual entrance examination for admission into universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in Nigeria. The 2026 total reflects continued high demand for tertiary education nationwide.

• The board disclosed that it has projected N23.8 billion in internally generated revenue for 2026, an increase of N4 billion from its 2025 target, with N6 billion to be remitted to the Federation Account as operating surplus.
• Ahead of the 2026 UTME, JAMB created 1,000 examination centres nationwide, up from fewer than 800 in 2025, to improve access and logistics for candidates. As of February 17, over 1.5 million candidates had successfully registered, and the examination is scheduled nationwide from April 16 to April 25, 2026.

The Board also mandated the use of Microsoft Camera systems at accredited CBT centres to strengthen identity verification and prevent impersonation and image-blending malpractices observed in previous exams.

2026 UTME: JAMB registers over 2.24 million candidates, see top 10 states - Nairametrics