The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has clarified that candidates already enrolled in tertiary institutions are allowed to register for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and Direct Entry, provided they disclose their matriculation status, warning that failure to do so could lead to the forfeiture of both admissions.
The clarification was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by the Board’s Public Communication Adviser, Dr Fabian Benjamin, following what he described as misrepresentation of the Board’s directives by some “self-styled education advocates”.
“The attention of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has been drawn to a misleading and unfortunate distortion of a portion of the Board’s clear directives to candidates registering for the 2026 UTME/DE, as contained in the 2026 UTME/DE advertisement,” Benjamin said.
He added that, “This deliberate misrepresentation is being propagated by some unscrupulous self-styled education advocates for parochial interests.”
Benjamin explained that such individuals usually emerge at the start of every registration exercise, spreading inaccurate information that confuses candidates and parents.
“Many of them do not take the time to read or properly understand the guidelines, yet hastily rush to the public space with false narratives aimed solely at attracting traffic to their social media platforms,” he said.
According to him, it is not against the law for a candidate to register for the UTME or Direct Entry while still enrolled in a tertiary institution, as long as the required disclosure is made.
“For the avoidance of doubt and for record purposes, and in line with its statutory mandate to prevent multiple matriculations, the Board directed that all candidates registering for the 2026 UTME/DE must disclose their matriculation status, where applicable,” he said.
Benjamin clarified that disclosure does not mean a candidate can hold two admissions at the same time.
“It is not an offence for a candidate to register for the UTME/DE while still enrolled in an institution. However, failure to disclose such status constitutes an offence,” he said.
He added, “Disclosure simply means that once a candidate secures admission through the latest registration, the former admission automatically ceases to subsist. The law is explicit that no candidate is permitted to hold two admissions concurrently.”
The adviser revealed that recent findings showed that some already matriculated students were being used as professional examination takers.
“Mandatory disclosure, therefore, expedites appropriate action whenever such candidates are apprehended,” he said.
Benjamin noted that although the Board’s system can detect prior matriculation, candidates who fail to disclose risk losing both opportunities.
The Board said candidates should follow instructions throughout the registration process.
As part of efforts to protect examination integrity, JAMB earlier announced that registration for the 2026 UTME officially commenced on January 26.
It also ruled that any Computer-Based Test centre whose registration activities cannot be monitored remotely would not be allowed to participate.
According to the Board, the policy tagged “No Vision, No Registration, No UTME,” is aimed at curbing registration infractions and restoring confidence in its examination processes.
