NIGERIA: JAMB Dismisses Claims Barring Undergraduates From Writing UTME

By Ameenat Hamzat, Lagos, Nigeria

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has dismissed claims suggesting that students already enrolled in tertiary institutions are prohibited from registering for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

In a statement issued on Wednesday signed by Fabian Benjamin, Public Communication Advisor of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, the examination body described the reports as misleading and a distortion of its guidelines for the 2026 UTME and Direct Entry registration exercise, warning candidates and parents against false narratives circulating on social media.

The statement reads: “The attention of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) 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. This deliberate misrepresentation is being propagated by some unscrupulous self-styled education advocates for parochial interests.”

JAMB explained that candidates currently in universities or other higher institutions are allowed to register for UTME or Direct Entry examinations, provided they disclose their matriculation status during registration.

The Board said the directive aligns with its statutory responsibility to prevent multiple admissions, noting that the law does not permit any candidate to hold two admissions concurrently.

The statement further added: “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. 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.”

JAMB warned that disclosure simply ensures that once a candidate secures a new admission through the current registration, any previous admission automatically ceases to exist.

The examination body also raised concerns over findings that some matriculated students engage in examination malpractice by acting as professional examination takers, adding that mandatory disclosure helps the Board take timely action when such cases are detected.

JAMB warned that although its system can identify candidates with prior matriculation records, failure to disclose such status could result in the forfeiture of both existing and prospective admissions.

The Board urged members of the public to carefully read official guidelines and disregard distorted interpretations promoted by individuals it described as self-styled

education advocates.