Chidimma Uchegbu -Abuja
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has clarified that it is not an offence for candidates currently enrolled in tertiary institutions to register for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, (UTME) or the Direct Entry, (DE).
The examination body said that all candidates registering for the 2026 UTME/DE are mandatorily required to disclose their matriculation status, where applicable.
In a statement signed by the Spokesperson, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, JAMB explained that the directive aligns with its statutory responsibility to prevent multiple matriculations in Nigerian tertiary institutions.
“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,” Benjamin stated.
He explained that disclosure simply means that once a candidate secures admission through a fresh UTME or DE application, any previous admission automatically ceases to subsist.
“The law is explicit: no candidate is permitted to hold two admissions concurrently.
Furthermore, recent findings have revealed that many matriculated students are being used as professional examination takers,” he added.
According to him, mandatory disclosure enables the Board to take prompt and appropriate action whenever such candidates are apprehended.
The clarification, JAMB noted, became necessary following what it described as a “misleading and unfortunate distortion” of its clear directives to candidates registering for the 2026 UTME/DE, as contained in the official advertisement.
The Board accused some self-styled education advocates of deliberately misrepresenting its guidelines to advance parochial interests.
“This development is hardly surprising, as such individuals routinely surface at the beginning of every registration cycle. Many do not take the time to read or properly understand the guidelines, yet rush to the public space with false narratives aimed solely at driving traffic to their social media platforms,” the statement said.
JAMB maintained that its instructions are clear and unambiguous, adding that while its system can detect prior matriculation, any candidate who fails to disclose such status risks forfeiting both the old and new admissions.
The Board urged candidates, parents, and the general public to be wary of misleading commentaries and to rely solely on official guidelines and communications, rather than distorted interpretation circulated online.
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