The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has moved to shut down confusion around the 2026 UTME, dismissing viral claims of a postponement as fake and deliberately misleading.
The clarification comes after a false press release began circulating, suggesting that the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination had been rescheduled. JAMB says the notice did not originate from the board and warned candidates not to fall for it.
“Our attention has been drawn to the malicious press release stating that the 2026 UTME has been postponed,” the board said in an official statement. “The general public, particularly candidates, should disregard it. All activities remain on schedule.”
JAMB reaffirmed that the main 2026 UTME will hold from April 16 to April 25, 2026, as earlier announced, urging candidates to stay focused and rely only on verified information from official channels.
The board’s response comes shortly after the 2026 UTME mock examination held on March 28, which exposed technical lapses at some Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres nationwide.
Out of 224,597 candidates who registered for the mock exam, only 152,586 were able to successfully complete it across 989 centres. JAMB confirmed that more than 20 CBT centres affected by technical issues have since been delisted.
Beyond addressing the postponement rumour, the board also raised concerns over emerging fraud schemes targeting candidates. It warned against individuals and WhatsApp groups claiming to manipulate or inflate UTME scores.
JAMB described such claims as criminal, stressing that any candidate found engaging in such activities risks serious penalties, including cancellation of registration or withholding of results.
The board maintained that it remains committed to ensuring a credible and transparent examination process, while urging candidates to stay vigilant and avoid misinformation as the exam period approaches.
