The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has begun the process for change of institution and course for candidates who sat for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
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The announcement was made by the Board’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, in a statement shared via his X account on Friday.
The development comes ahead of key admission timelines as candidates prepare for tertiary institution screening processes across Nigeria.
The exercise allows candidates to adjust their originally selected institutions and programmes after registration.
What they are saying
JAMB confirmed that the change of institution and course process is now active for eligible candidates under the 2026 UTME cycle.
Candidates can now modify their institution or programme choices following official UTME updates.
- All changes must be carried out strictly through accredited Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres approved by JAMB. Applicants are warned against using unauthorised channels to avoid errors or fraud
- “Candidates wishing to change their institution or programme of choice may now proceed to do so visiting any of the Board’s approved CBT,” the statement read.
- JAMB further noted that candidates are expected to visit only accredited CBT centres to effect any changes, reinforcing its centralised system for managing admissions-related adjustments.
The Board also announced that printing of original 2026 UTME result slips will begin on Monday, May 18, 2026, allowing candidates to access official documents required for admission screening processes.
Get up to speed
The 2026 UTME was conducted between April 16 to April 25, 2026, across Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres nationwide.
- JAMB released 632,752 results for candidates who sat the examination on Thursday, April 16, 2026.
- It subsequently released 1,264,940 results for candidates who wrote the April 17 and 18 examinations.
- A total of 1,897,692 results were released from the first three days of the UTME
- Over 2.2 million candidates registered for the 2026 UTME exercise.
The examination was conducted across more than 1,000 CBT centres nationwide.
What you should know
JAMB has retained its minimum admission thresholds for the 2026 admission cycle while also introducing a policy shift that will take effect from 2027.
- The minimum cut-off mark remains 150 for universities and Colleges of Nursing Sciences, while polytechnics will admit candidates from 100 and above
- The minimum admission age is still pegged at 16 years for all tertiary institutions
- Candidates seeking admission into Colleges of Education for education and agriculture non-engineering programmes will be exempted from writing the UTME from the 2027 admission cycle
- The new policy is aimed at widening access to teacher training and agriculture-related programmes, while universities and polytechnics offering similar courses will continue to require UTME participation
The policy has sparked debate nationwide, with Nigerians divided over whether the exemption will improve access to education or weaken academic standards in key professional fields.
