The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has fixed Saturday, June 13, 2026, for the conduct of the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) mop-up examination for affected candidates.
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The announcement was made in a statement issued by the Board’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, on Monday.
The examination is meant for candidates who presented themselves and were biometrically verified during the main UTME exercise but were unable to sit the examination due to technical challenges, withdrawn results over examination infractions, or biometric verification issues.
What they are saying
JAMB stated that the mop-up examination represents the final phase of the 2026 UTME exercise and is intended to resolve all outstanding issues involving candidates who encountered difficulties during the main examination.
- “The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has fixed Saturday, 13th June, 2026 for the conduct of the UTME mop-up examination for all candidates who presented themselves and were biometrically verified for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) but were unable to sit the examination for one reason or another,” the statement read in part.
- According to the Board, the 2026 UTME was conducted between April 16 and April 29, 2026, but some centres experienced technical problems that prevented several candidates from taking the examination.
- The Board also noted that some results were later withdrawn over examination infractions, while other candidates who presented themselves for the examination could not be verified biometrically. All such candidates have been listed for the mop-up examination.
- JAMB advised affected candidates to begin printing their Examination Notification Slips from Saturday, June 6, 2026, ahead of the examination date.
The Board further urged candidates to familiarise themselves with their examination centres and make necessary arrangements ahead of time, stressing that there would be no further opportunity to sit the 2026 UTME after the mop-up exercise.
Get up to speed
The 2026 UTME was conducted between April 16 and April 25 across accredited Computer-Based Test centres nationwide.
JAMB had initially released 632,752 results for candidates who sat for the examination on April 16.
- It later published another 1,264,940 results for candidates who wrote the examinations on April 17 and 18, bringing the total number of released results from the first three days of the exercise to 1,897,692.
- In May, JAMB began the process for change of institution and course for candidates who sat for the 2026 UTME.
- Also in May, JAMB released 279 results from the 2026 UTME that were previously withheld for investigation.
JAMB had begun releasing the results of the 2026 UTME on April 20 after conducting the examination for over 2.2 million candidates nationwide. However, the Board withheld some results over suspected cases of examination malpractice pending further investigations.
What you should know
JAMB has retained the existing minimum admission benchmarks for the 2026 admission exercise while also unveiling a new policy that will take effect from 2027.
- Under the current arrangement, universities and Colleges of Nursing Sciences will continue to admit candidates with a minimum UTME score of 150, while polytechnics will accept candidates who score at least 100.
- The Board also maintained 16 years as the minimum admission age for entry into tertiary institutions.
- In addition, JAMB announced that from the 2027 admission cycle, candidates seeking admission into Colleges of Education for education-related and agriculture non-engineering programmes would no longer be required to sit for the UTME.
According to the Board, the policy is designed to expand access to teacher education and agriculture-focused programmes, although universities and polytechnics offering similar courses will still require UTME participation.
