The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that the sale of e-PIN for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) will close on Thursday, February 26, 2026, as the board revealed that over 1.5 million candidates have been successfully registered so far.
In a statement signed by JAMB Public Communications Adviser Fabian Benjamin, the board said the sale of e-PINs that enable candidates to visit accredited centers for registration will end at 12:00 midnight of February 26.
The Board further clarified that while e-PIN vending will close on that date, actual registration at recognized Computer-Based Testing (CBT) centers for candidates who have already obtained their e-PIN will continue till Saturday, February 28, 2026.
As of Tuesday, February 17, 2026, JAMB said it had registered over 1.5 million candidates for the 2026 UTME. Despite having a daily registration capacity of 100,000 candidates across the country, the board said the centers are currently operating at barely 30 per cent of their capacity.
“The sale of e-PIN which enables the candidate to travel to the center for registration will end at 12:00 midnight on Thursday, February 26, 2026, while the actual registration at the recognized centers for those who have already obtained the e-PIN will close on Saturday, February 28, 2026.
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“As of Tuesday, February 17, 2026, the Board has successfully registered more than 1.5 million candidates. The Board has a daily registration capacity of 100,000 candidates, yet registration centers across the country are currently operating at barely 30% of that capacity. This indicates that a large number of potential candidates have not yet availed the opportunity to register,” the statement said.
According to the Board, this indicates that a large number of potential candidates have not availed the opportunity of registration even as the deadline approaches.
JAMB stressed that there will be no extension of the registration deadline, explaining that it operates within the nationally coordinated examination calendar agreed by all examination bodies in the country.
The board said its registration timeline has been strategically structured to allow other examination bodies to conduct their exercises soon thereafter, leaving no room for any extension.
Therefore the Board has urged all the prospective candidates to immediately visit the recognized centers to obtain their e-PIN and complete their registration before the deadline of 26th February.
It warned that waiting until the final days could lead to avoidable challenges and made it clear that it would not consider appeals for an extension after the deadline had passed.
“The Board wishes to state clearly that there will be no extension of the registration deadline. JAMB operates within the nationally coordinated examination calendar agreed upon by all examining bodies in Nigeria. The Board's registration window has been strategically determined to allow other examining bodies to conduct their own exercises shortly thereafter. As a result, there is no window available for any extension, even if the Board were willing to consider one.
“Waiting until the last few days may result in avoidable challenges, and the Board will not consider any appeals for extension after the deadline,” the statement said.
