You Must Disclose Admission Status, JAMB Tells Prospective Candidates

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has directed its relevant departments to ensure that the registration template for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) includes a mandatory field requiring all candidates to declare their current admission status, that is, whether or not they are already students of any tertiary institution in Nigeria or elsewhere.

This move, THE WHISTLER reports is likely a response to a recent discovery by JAMB that Chinedu Okeke, the best candidate in the 2025 UTME, had been admitted to study Medicine at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) a year ago, despite applying for Mechanical Engineering at the University of Lagos.

JAMB said that the measure of disclosing admission status is part of the Board’s renewed efforts to curb impersonation and other forms of examination malpractice observed during the 2025 UTME cycle.

“According to findings from the Board’s 2025 UTME Infraction Report, over 90 per cent of candidates involved in various forms of examination malpractice were already students of tertiary institutions who sought to manipulate the system for illegitimate gains.

“Consequently, beginning with the 2026 UTME registration, every candidate will be required to make a clear declaration regarding their current studentship status.

“Any candidate who fails to disclose such information or is found to have provided false details will face appropriate sanctions, including the withdrawal of any earlier admission, cancellation of current registration, and possible prosecution in line with existing laws and regulations,” JAMB stated in its Weekly Bulletin.

The Board noted that the directive serves as an early notice to all prospective candidates and the general public that the Board will not tolerate any attempt to undermine the integrity of the admission process.

“The UTME is designed primarily for fresh admission seekers, and candidates who are already admitted into tertiary institutions must not, under any guise, participate in the examination without proper disclosure.

“The Board remains committed to ensuring that the admission process in Nigeria remains transparent, fair, and credible, while upholding the highest standards of integrity and accountability,” the JAMB said.