The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has clarified that candidates already enrolled in tertiary institutions are eligible to register for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry (DE), but must formally declare their matriculation status or risk losing both their current and prospective admissions.
The clarification was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by JAMB’s Public Communication Adviser, Dr Fabian Benjamin, following what the board described as widespread misrepresentation of its guidelines by “self-styled education advocates.”
“The attention of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board 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,” Benjamin said.
“This deliberate misrepresentation is being propagated by some unscrupulous self-styled education advocates for parochial interests,” he added.
Benjamin said the controversy, which typically resurfaces at the beginning of every registration cycle, stems from a failure by some commentators to properly read and understand JAMB’s official guidelines.
“Many of them do not take the time to read or properly understand the guidelines, yet hastily rush to the public space with false narratives aimed solely at attracting traffic to their social media platforms,” he said.
He stressed that JAMB regulations do not prohibit already-matriculated candidates from registering for UTME or DE, but make disclosure of such status mandatory.
“For the avoidance of doubt and for record purposes, and in line with its statutory mandate to prevent multiple matriculations, the board directed that all candidates registering for the 2026 UTME/DE must disclose their matriculation status, where applicable,” Benjamin explained.
“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 a status constitutes an offence,” he added.
Benjamin further clarified that disclosure simply ensures that once a candidate secures a new admission, any previous admission automatically lapses, in line with the law.
“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,” he said.
According to him, the policy has become increasingly important following the discovery that some already-matriculated students have been involved in examination malpractice as hired test takers.
“Mandatory disclosure, therefore, expedites appropriate action whenever such candidates are apprehended,” Benjamin noted.
While acknowledging that JAMB’s systems can detect existing matriculation records, he warned that candidates who fail to comply with the disclosure requirement risk forfeiting both their existing admission and any new one secured through the examination process.
“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,” he said.
“Members of the public are advised to carefully read official guidelines and avoid accepting distorted interpretations wholesale,” Benjamin added.
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