• Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board fixed June 13, 2026, for the UTME mop-up examination
• The mop-up exam is for candidates who were biometrically verified but could not sit the main examination
• Candidates affected by technical glitches, biometric issues, and withdrawn results over examination infractions are eligible

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has scheduled Saturday, June 13, 2026, for the conduct of the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination mop-up exercise for candidates affected during the main examination.

The announcement was contained in a statement issued on Monday, May 25, by the Board’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin.

According to JAMB, the mop-up examination is specifically for candidates who were successfully biometrically verified during the main UTME but could not take the examination because of technical issues, biometric verification complications, or cases involving withdrawn results linked to examination infractions.

“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 partly read.

JAMB explained that the 2026 UTME was conducted between April 16 and April 29, 2026, across accredited Computer-Based Test centres nationwide, but some centres experienced technical difficulties that disrupted the exercise for several candidates.

The Board further disclosed that some candidates whose results were withdrawn due to examination malpractice allegations, as well as candidates who encountered biometric verification problems, have also been included in the mop-up exercise.

Affected candidates have been advised to begin printing their Examination Notification Slips from Saturday, June 6, 2026, ahead of the examination date.

JAMB urged candidates to familiarise themselves with their assigned examination centres and make adequate travel and logistical arrangements before the examination day, noting that the mop-up exercise would serve as the final opportunity for candidates to participate in the 2026 UTME.

The Board had earlier released 632,752 results for candidates who sat for the examination on April 16, before publishing an additional 1,264,940 results for candidates who wrote the exams on April 17 and 18.

This brought the total number of released results from the first three days of the exercise to 1,897,692.

JAMB also commenced the process for change of institution and course in May, while subsequently releasing 279 previously withheld UTME results after investigations were concluded.

The Board had started releasing the 2026 UTME results on April 20 after over 2.2 million candidates participated in the examination nationwide, although some results were withheld over suspected examination malpractice.

Meanwhile, JAMB retained the existing admission benchmarks for the 2026 academic session. Universities and Colleges of Nursing Sciences will continue to admit candidates with a minimum UTME score of 150, while polytechnics will maintain a minimum score requirement of 100.

The Board also sustained 16 years as the minimum admission age into tertiary institutions.

In addition, JAMB announced a new policy expected to take effect from the 2027 admission cycle, stating that candidates seeking admission into Colleges of Education for education-related and agriculture non-engineering programmes would no longer be required to sit for the UTME.

According to the Board, the policy aims to widen access to teacher education and agriculture-focused programmes, although candidates applying to universities and polytechnics for similar courses would still be required to participate in the UTME.

JAMB exempts Education, Agriculture candidates from UTME requirement

Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board had announced a major reform to Nigeria’s tertiary admission process, revealing that candidates applying for Education programmes and Agriculture-related non-engineering courses will no longer be required to sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

According to the examination body, the new policy is aimed at creating alternative admission pathways for students seeking entry into selected academic disciplines.