Dare Babalola
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has issued a statement debunking claims that it is an offence for candidates to register for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry (DE) while still in university.
In a statement signed by Fabian Benjamin, JAMB’s Public Communications Adviser on Wednesday, the board clarified that it is not an offence to register for the UTME/DE while still enrolled in an institution, but candidates must disclose their matriculation status.
“The attention of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has been drawn to a misleading and unfortunate distortion of a portion of the Board’s clear directives to candidates registering for the 2026 UTME/DE, as contained in the 2026 UTME/DE advertisement,” the statement read.
According to JAMB, the directive is aimed at preventing multiple matriculations and cracking down on professional examination takers who exploit the system.
The board stated, “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.”
The statement further explained that disclosure simply means that once a candidate secures admission through the latest registration, the former admission automatically ceases to subsist.
“The law is explicit that no candidate is permitted to hold two admissions concurrently,” JAMB emphasized.
The board also warned that recent findings indicate that many matriculated students are engaged as professional examination takers, and mandatory disclosure would expedite appropriate action whenever such candidates are apprehended.
JAMB assured candidates that its system has the capacity to detect prior matriculation, and any candidate discovered to have failed to disclose such status stands the risk of forfeiting both opportunities.
The board warned candidates to be cautious of self-styled education advocates spreading misinformation, saying, “The Board therefore urges the public to be cautious of these so-called education advocates who are perpetually eager to mislead candidates and parents for selfish gain.”
JAMB advised candidates and parents to rely on official guidelines, stating, “Members of the public are advised to carefully read official guidelines and avoid accepting distorted interpretations wholesale.”
