The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has extended the 2026 Direct Entry registration deadline to May 8, 2026, and approved five additional centres to ease congestion and improve access for prospective candidates nationwide.
The announcement was made in a statement by Fabian Benjamin, Public Communication Advisor to the Board, as part of efforts to ensure no eligible candidate is excluded from the admission process.
According to JAMB, the extension is designed to reduce pressure on existing registration centres and give candidates more time to complete their applications.
“As part of measures aimed at ensuring that no Direct Entry prospective candidate is denied the opportunity to access tertiary education… the Board has extended the sale of application documents to 8th May 2026,” the statement noted.
To complement the deadline extension, JAMB approved five new registration centres in high-demand locations across the country. These include facilities in Kwara, Ogun, Oyo, and Lagos States:
- Centre for Open and Distance Learning (CODL), Mini Campus, University of Ilorin, Kwara State
- Bells University of Technology, Ota, Ogun State
- Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State
- Prof. Usman E-Learning Centre, Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo State
- Human Development Initiatives (Grace House), Iwaya, Sabo, Onike, Lagos State (operational from April 30, 2026)
The Board added that its zonal and state offices, alongside Professional Registration Centres (PRCs) and Professional Testing Centres (PTCs), remain active for ongoing Direct Entry registration.
The development follows the successful conclusion of the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), which held from April 16 to April 25 across more than 1,000 Computer-Based Test centres nationwide.
JAMB reported that over 2.2 million candidates registered for the exercise, with 1,897,692 results released within the first three days of the examination.
The Federal Government has also increased investment in JAMB’s digital infrastructure, allocating over ₦1.3 billion in the 2026 budget for CBT and ICT-related projects across several states.
The funding is aimed at expanding examination capacity, improving registration systems, and reducing operational bottlenecks during peak periods.
With the extended deadline and additional centres, JAMB says it is strengthening access to tertiary education while improving efficiency across Nigeria’s admission process.
