‘It’s An Offence To Hide Your Matriculation Status’, JAMB Warns Tertiary Students Registering For UTME, DE

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has clarified that candidates already enrolled in tertiary institutions were eligible to register for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry (DE), provided they disclose their existing matriculation status.

The Board warned that failure to make such disclosure could lead to the forfeiture of both the old and new admissions.

In a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by its Public Communication Adviser of JAMB, Dr Fabian Benjamin, the placement examination body said some “self-styled education advocates” had misrepresented its directives in the 2026 UTME/DE advertisement, thereby misleading candidates and parents.

“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.

“This deliberate misrepresentation is being propagated by some unscrupulous self-styled education advocates for parochial interests,” Benjamin said.

He noted that such individuals often emerge at the start of every registration cycle, spreading inaccurate information.

“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 added.

Benjamin stressed that registering for UTME or DE while still enrolled in an institution does not constitute an offence, but concealing such status does.

“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,” he said.

He explained that disclosure simply ensures compliance with the law, which prohibits candidates from holding two admissions simultaneously.

“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.

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,” Benjamin said.

The JAMB spokesman also revealed that investigations had shown that some matriculated students were being used as professional examination takers.

“Mandatory disclosure, therefore, expedites appropriate action whenever such candidates are apprehended,” he said.

Although JAMB’s system is capable of detecting prior matriculation, Benjamin warned that candidates who deliberately withhold such information risk losing both admissions.

“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. Members of the public are advised to carefully read official guidelines and avoid accepting distorted interpretations wholesale,” he said.

Meanwhile, JAMB had earlier announced that registration for the 2026 UTME commenced on January 26.

The Board also ruled that any Computer-Based Test (CBT) centre whose registration activities cannot be monitored remotely will be barred from participating in the exercise.

According to JAMB, the policy—tagged “No Vision, No Registration, No UTME”—is part of measures aimed at curbing registration infractions and restoring the integrity of its examination processes.