The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has disclosed that more than 1.5 million candidates have so far registered for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), stressing that there will be no extension of the registration deadline.

The Board announced that the sale of e-PINs for the 2026 UTME will end at midnight on Thursday, February 26, while registration at accredited centres will officially close on Saturday, February 28, 2026.

This was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja and signed by JAMB’s Public Communication Advisor, Dr. Fabian Benjamin.

According to the statement, as of Tuesday, February 17, 2026, over 1.5 million candidates had successfully completed their registration for the examination, which is scheduled to hold between April 16 and April 25.

JAMB noted that although it has a daily registration capacity of about 100,000 candidates, centres nationwide are currently operating at barely 30 per cent of that capacity, indicating that many prospective candidates are yet to commence the registration process.

“The sale of e-PINs, which enables a candidate to proceed to the centre for registration, will end at 12:00 midnight on Thursday, 26th February 2026, while actual registration at accredited centres for those who already procured the e-PIN will cease on Saturday, 28th February 2026,” the statement said.

The Board emphasised that the registration deadline would not be extended under any circumstance, explaining that JAMB operates within a nationally coordinated examination calendar jointly agreed upon by all examination bodies in the country.

It added that its registration timeline is deliberately structured to allow other examination bodies to commence their own exercises immediately after, leaving no room for any extension.

JAMB therefore urged candidates to obtain their e-PINs early and complete their registration promptly, warning that waiting until the final days could lead to avoidable difficulties.

“The Board will not entertain any appeals for extension after the deadline,” the statement warned, adding that the measure is aimed at ensuring that no serious candidate is excluded from sitting for the 2026 UTME due to delay or complacency.