• The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has extended the 2026 Direct Entry registration deadline to May 8, 2026
• The extension is aimed at ensuring no eligible candidate is excluded from tertiary education access
• Five new Direct Entry registration centres has also been approved in Kwara, Ogun, Oyo and Lagos to reduce congestion in high-demand registration locations

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has extended the 2026 Direct Entry registration deadline to May 8, 2026, and approved five additional registration centres across Nigeria to improve access for prospective candidates.

The extension was announced in a statement issued by JAMB’s Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, as part of efforts to reduce registration pressure and make the process easier for applicants ahead of the 2026 admission cycle.

According to the Board, the extension and expansion of registration centres are part of broader measures designed to ensure more candidates can access tertiary education opportunities without unnecessary delays or exclusion.

The statement explained that the decision was taken to improve accessibility and reduce congestion at existing registration points nationwide.

“As part of measures aimed at ensuring that no Direct Entry prospective candidate is denied the opportunity to access tertiary education in the country, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has extended the sale of Direct Entry (DE) application documents to 8th May 2026 from the earlier closing date.

“In furtherance of its objective of expanding access to tertiary education, the Board had also approved five additional centres to register applicants for the Direct Entry exercise in areas with much pressure.”

JAMB noted that the extension is intended to give candidates more time to complete their registration smoothly and avoid disruptions that could prevent eligible applicants from participating in the 2026 admission process.

To support the extension, the Board also approved five new registration centres in high-demand locations across the country to ease congestion and improve access for Direct Entry applicants.

The newly approved centres are:

• 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 (operations begin April 30, 2026)

JAMB added that its zonal and state offices, as well as Professional Registration Centres and Professional Testing Centres, remain fully operational for ongoing Direct Entry registration.

The Board said the addition of new centres is expected to reduce bottlenecks and ensure more equitable access to registration services nationwide.

The development comes shortly after the conclusion of the 2026 UTME, which was held from April 16 to April 25, 2026, at Computer-Based Test centres across the country.

JAMB had earlier released performance data from the first three days of the examination, showing a strong pace in result processing.

A total of 632,752 results were released for candidates who sat the examination on Thursday, April 16, 2026, while 1,264,940 results were released for candidates who wrote the April 17 and 18 examinations.

This brought the total number of results released within the first three days of the 2026 UTME to 1,897,692.

To further strengthen the system, the Federal Government allocated more than N1.3 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Bill for CBT and ICT-related projects aimed at improving registration and examination infrastructure nationwide.

The allocation includes:

• N420 million for ICT centres in Igbotako, Ondo State
• N336.7 million for CBT centres and ICT services in Lagos (Eric Moore and Epe Grammar School)
• N280 million for a CBT centre in Emohua, Rivers State
• N175 million for ICT and CBT centre development in Gombe State
• N87.15 million for ICT infrastructure upgrades for registration systems
• N28 million for CBT centre construction in Abia State

The investment is part of wider efforts to improve examination capacity, strengthen digital infrastructure, and reduce operational challenges during registration and testing periods.

JAMB delists 23 CBT centres over technical failures ahead of 2026 UTME

Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) had delisted 23 Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres across Nigeria following technical failures recorded during the 2026 mock Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

According to JAMB, the mock UTME serves as a critical assessment tool to identify centres that do not meet the required operational and technical standards before the main examination.

The Board revealed that its internal review uncovered several centres with significant shortcomings during the mock exercise.