JAMB to Reschedule 2026 UTME Candidates Affected by Technical Issues at CBT Centres

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has confirmed that candidates who were unable to sit for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination due to technical disruptions at some computer-based test centres will be given another opportunity to write the examination.

This assurance was given by Fabian Benjamin during the monitoring of the ongoing UTME by the Senate Committee on Tertiary Education in Abuja.

According to the examination body, more than 2.2 million candidates are expected to participate in the 2026 UTME across 966 accredited CBT centres nationwide. However, the first day of the examination was affected by reports of system failures and delays at some centres, leaving several candidates unable to complete or even begin their exams.

Benjamin explained that occasional challenges are expected in a nationwide examination of such magnitude, but stressed that no registered candidate would lose the chance to sit for the examination because of technical problems.

He stated that any candidate affected by a failed centre would be rescheduled to another date and assigned to a different examination centre. He also noted that even candidates who miss a rescheduled date due to circumstances beyond their control could still be considered for another opportunity.

JAMB said it has already made arrangements for a mop-up examination that will accommodate candidates affected by disruptions during the main examination period. The board maintained that this process is part of its strategy to ensure fairness for every registered candidate.

Benjamin added that the board remains focused on handling operational issues quickly whenever they arise, especially in an exercise involving hundreds of centres across the country.

Meanwhile, Mohammed Dandutse, chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, acknowledged the complaints from candidates and pledged that efforts would be made to improve the efficiency of CBT centres.

He said candidates who travel long distances should not be left stranded because of preventable technical failures, adding that steps would be taken to ensure centres operate more efficiently in future examinations.

The 2026 UTME remains one of Nigeria’s most important admission examinations, and many candidates are now waiting for further updates from JAMB regarding new examination dates for those affected.