How to register for the 2026 UTME: A step-by-step guide

Registration for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME)  began with the sale of e-PINS on Monday, January 19, 2026. Full registration opened on Monday, January 26, 2026 and will end on Saturday, February 28, 2026. The five-week window covers nearly two million candidates who must create online profiles and complete biometric capture at accredited computer-based test (CBT) centres.

Several new rules apply to this year’s exercise under the “No Vision, No Registration” policy introduced by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Registrar, Professor Is-haq Oloyede. Every computer-based test centre must livestream all registration activities to the board’s headquarters in Abuja, a measure aimed at curbing extortion, impersonation, and data breaches.

 Candidates must also be at least 16 years old by September 30, 2026, to qualify for university admission, a requirement which JAMB says helps ensure students are ready for higher education.

Here is everything you need to know about registering for the 2026 UTME.

How to register for the 2026 UTME online

You can start your 2026 UTME registration online before going to any CBT centre. This step links your identity, phone number, and NIN to JAMB.

What to check before you start

• Your details on the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) database must be correct, including your name, date of birth, gender, and state of origin
• JAMB pulls this data directly, so you cannot change it at a CBT centre

Use your own phone number

• You must use one personal number for the whole process
• This number receives your profile code, your ePIN, and all JAMB messages

Get your profile code

• Send your 11-digit NIN by SMS to 55019 or 66019
• Use this format: NIN 00123456789
• You will get a 10-character profile code by SMS
• If you used UTME before, send RESEND to 55019 or 66019 to reactivate your old code

Choose your exam and pay

• Pick UTME with mock, UTME without mock, or Direct Entry
• The cost is N8,700 for UTME with mock, N7,200 for UTME without mock, and N5,700 for Direct Entry
• Pay through bank apps, POS, or fintech apps like OPay, PalmPay, or Kuda
• You can also use BuyCard with your profile code

Get your e PIN

• After payment, JAMB sends your ePIN by SMS to your phone
• If you lose it, send UTMEPIN or DEPIN to 55019 or 66019

Keep your SIM active

• If you bought a new SIM, ask your network to activate the Keep My Number service
• This keeps your number active for up to three years

Set up your email

• Create a personal email address
• You will use it for your JAMB e-facility account, exam slips, and CAPS admission checks

How to register for the 2026 UTME offline

You must go to a JAMB-approved CBT centre to finish your 2026 UTME registration. This is where your biometrics and exam choices are confirmed in person.

Where to go

• Visit only JAMB-approved CBT centres, professional registration centres, or JAMB state and zonal offices
• Do not use private cybercafés or unapproved places because your registration can be canceled

What to take

• Your 10-character profile code
• Your e PIN
• You do not pay any extra fees at the centre because it is already included in the e PIN

What you will do at the centre

• Fill a paper template with your first, second, third, and fourth choices of schools and courses
• Give your fingerprints for all ten fingers to stop impersonation
• Take a live photo using approved Microsoft or Digitech cameras, which links to the NIMC database
• Your centre must stream this live to JAMB under the No Vision policy

Upload and exam location

• If you have WAEC or NECO results, the operator uploads them
• If your result is not ready, choose Awaiting Result and upload later
• Choose your exam town, and JAMB will place you in a centre within that zone

Final checks

• Use the dual screen to see everything being typed
• Check your name and subject choices before you approve
• Confirm with your thumbprint

After registration

• You will get a printed registration slip with your details and subject combination
• Collection of Mandatory Reading Materials: After successful registration, you are entitled to collect the prescribed reading text, “The Lekki Headmaster” by Kabir Alabi Garba and the JAMB CD containing the brochure and syllabus

Comprehensive 2026 UTME/DE registration and examination timeline

The table below shows the key dates for the 2026 cycle. You must follow these dates because the system will shut down vending and registration at the end of each period.

Important things to know before and after you register

The 2026 UTME is strict, and small mistakes can prevent you from gaining admission, even if your score is high. You need to get your details right from the start and check your JAMB account regularly after you register.

What you must have before you register

• Your 11-digit NIN that matches the NIMC database
• One personal phone number that no other candidate has used
• Your O Level results with grades and dates, or for Direct Entry, your previous matric number and school details
• Money to pay for the ePIN, because once you buy it, JAMB does not give refunds

Common mistakes that cause problems

• Using henna or laali on your fingers, which can stop the scanner from reading your fingerprints and get you blocked from the exam
• Picking the wrong subject combination, such as leaving out Mathematics for Science or Technology courses
• Using more than one NIN to create multiple profiles, which the JAMB software will detect and cancel
• Having different names on your NIN and O Level result, which schools can reject unless you fix it at NIMC before getting your profile code

What to do after you register

• Print your exam slip seven to ten days before the exam to see your date, time, and session
• Log in to the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) to accept or reject admission offers, because any offer not accepted within four weeks can be taken away
• Use TEMPL007 re-query process if you updated your NIMC details after creating your JAMB profile, so JAMB can pull the new data
• If you are a Direct Entry candidate, watch your e facility page to see when your National Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data System (NIPEDS) check shows CLEARED