JAMB debunks increase in 2026 UTME fees claims, lists approved charges

2026-02-27 13:25:53

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has dismissed reports alleging that it increased registration fees for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

This was disclosed in a statement by Fabian Benjamin, Public Communication Advisor of the Board.

The clarification follows a publication suggesting that the examination body had reviewed its fees upward.

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What JAMB is saying

According to JAMB, the claim of a fee increase is false, misleading and entirely unfounded. The Board disclosed that the approved registration fees remain as follows:

Direct Entry (DE): N5,700
UTME Only (without Mock): N7,200
UTME with Mock: N8,700

It provided a breakdown of the charges as follows: N3,500 application fee, N1,000 reading text, N700 CBT centre registration service charge, N1,500 CBT centre UTME service charge, N500 bank charges and N1,500 CBT mock-UTME centre charge.

More details

JAMB noted that the fees have remained the same since 2019, recalling that in 2018, the Federal Executive Council approved a reduction of the UTME application fee from N5,000 to N3,500, effective from the 2019 registration exercise.

The Board urged candidates and parents to disregard the publication and rely only on official information released through its verified platforms and advertisements

It also advised candidates who may have paid above the approved fees to report such centres with credible evidence, assuring that appropriate disciplinary action would be taken against any centre found culpable.

What you should know

JAMB recently projected N23.8 billion in internally generated revenue for the 2026 fiscal year, a N4 billion increase from its 2025 target, as presented to the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund.

Out of the proposed N30.6 billion budget profile for 2026, the Board said N6 billion would be remitted to the Federation Account as operating surplus. The Board has expanded its examination centres to 1,000 nationwide, up from fewer than 800 in 2025, to improve access and logistics.
As of February 17, 2026, more than 1.5 million candidates had registered for the 2026 UTME, which is scheduled to be held nationwide from April 16 to April 25, 2026.

The Board also dismissed widespread claims suggesting that undergraduates are barred from registering for the 2026 UTME. They, however warned candidates registering for the 2026 UTME to disclose any existing admission status, noting that failure to do so could result in forfeiture of both the previous and new admission offers.

It also stressed that there will be no extension of the registration deadline and announced the mandatory use of Microsoft Camera systems at accredited CBT centres to strengthen identity verification and curb impersonation.

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