The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has scheduled Saturday, June 13, 2026, for the conduct of the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) mop-up exercise for candidates affected by various challenges during the main examination.
The announcement was contained in a statement issued on Monday by the Board’s Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin.
According to JAMB, the mop-up examination is designed for candidates who had successfully presented themselves and were biometrically verified during the main UTME but were unable to sit the examination due to technical disruptions, withdrawal of results over alleged examination infractions, or biometric verification failures.
“The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has fixed Saturday, 13th June, 2026 for the conduct of the UTME mop-up examination for all candidates who presented themselves and were biometrically verified for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) but were unable to sit the examination for one reason or another,” the statement read in part.
JAMB explained that the 2026 UTME was conducted between April 16 and April 29, 2026, noting that some centres recorded technical challenges which prevented a number of candidates from completing the exercise.
It further stated that some results were later withdrawn following alleged examination infractions, while others could not be verified biometrically at the point of examination. All affected candidates, the Board confirmed, have been captured for the mop-up exercise.
“The Board also noted that some results were later withdrawn over examination infractions, while other candidates who presented themselves for the examination could not be verified biometrically. All such candidates have been listed for the mop-up examination.”
JAMB advised affected candidates to begin printing their examination notification slips from Saturday, June 6, 2026, ahead of the scheduled mop-up date.
“The Board further urged candidates to familiarise themselves with their examination centres and make necessary arrangements ahead of time, stressing that there would be no further opportunity to sit the 2026 UTME after the mop-up exercise.”
The Board reiterated that the mop-up examination marks the final phase of the 2026 UTME cycle, aimed at resolving all outstanding issues affecting candidates who experienced difficulties during the main exercise.
“The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has fixed Saturday, 13th June, 2026 for the conduct of the UTME mop-up examination for all candidates who presented themselves and were biometrically verified for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) but were unable to sit the examination for one reason or another.”
JAMB also confirmed that the 2026 UTME was conducted across accredited Computer-Based Test centres between April 16 and April 25 nationwide, with over 2.2 million candidates participating.
It said it initially released 632,752 results for candidates who sat for the examination on April 16, followed by 1,264,940 results for those who wrote the examination on April 17 and 18, bringing the total released from the first three days to 1,897,692 results.
In May, the Board commenced the process of change of institution and course for candidates who participated in the 2026 UTME, and also released 279 previously withheld results after further review.
JAMB had begun releasing the 2026 UTME results on April 20, while withholding some over suspected cases of examination malpractice pending investigations.
Meanwhile, the Board has retained existing minimum admission benchmarks for the 2026 admission exercise while introducing a new policy set to take effect from 2027.
Under the current guidelines, universities and Colleges of Nursing Sciences will continue to admit candidates with a minimum UTME score of 150, while polytechnics will accept a minimum score of 100.
The Board also maintained 16 years as the minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions.
However, from the 2027 admission cycle, candidates seeking admission into Colleges of Education for education-related and agriculture non-engineering programmes will no longer be required to sit for the UTME.
JAMB explained that the reform is aimed at expanding access to teacher education and agriculture-related disciplines, while noting that universities and polytechnics offering similar courses will still require UTME participation.
