The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the payment of ₦1,570,671,200 to accredited Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres that participated in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) registration exercise.
According to a bulletin signed by the Board’s Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, the amount represents the ₦700 registration charge collected from candidates on behalf of CBT centres during the registration process.
JAMB explained that the board collects the ₦700 fee alongside the UTME ePIN registration payment and remits it directly to accredited CBT centres weekly. The arrangement was introduced to prevent exploitation of candidates and eliminate multiple payments during registration.
The board also highlighted its “No View, No Pay” policy, under which payments are only made to centres after confirming that the candidates registered are valid and visible in JAMB’s system. The policy aims to curb registration infractions and ensure transparency.
For the 2026 UTME, scheduled to hold April 16–25, 2026, a total of 2,243,816 candidates registered nationwide. The highest registrations came from Lagos (321,814), Kaduna (303,498), FCT-Abuja (302,963), and Ogun (137,156).
JAMB also disclosed plans to increase examination centres to about 1,000 nationwide, up from fewer than 800 in 2025, to improve accessibility for candidates.
