Admission Policy
Published: February 1, 2026
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By Emmanuel Iweh
JAMB Mandates Disclosure of Status for Undergraduates Seeking 2026 UTME Re-entry
"A new directive from JAMB requires students currently enrolled in tertiary institutions to declare their status when registering for the 2026 UTME to avoid forfeiture of all admissions."
In a major policy clarification issued in late January and reinforced this February, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has addressed the growing trend of currently enrolled university students sitting for the UTME to switch courses or institutions. According to Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the board's Public Communication Adviser, JAMB does not prohibit matriculated students from taking the 2026 UTME, but it now mandates a formal disclosure of their current admission status during the registration process. This directive is designed to prevent the 'clogging' of the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) where a single individual holds multiple active admission slots, thereby denying other qualified candidates a chance at tertiary education. For the 2026 cycle, any student who fails to disclose that they are already enrolled in a university, polytechnic, or college of education risks the immediate forfeiture of both their old and new admission if discovered. This policy is supported by the board's enhanced data integration with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and individual university portals, making it easier to detect duplicate profiles. For many students, the desire to change from a less competitive course to a professional one like Medicine or Law often drives them to retake the JAMB exam. However, this new 'Mandatory Disclosure' rule adds a layer of risk; if a candidate is admitted into a new program but the board discovers a non-disclosed prior enrollment, they could be expelled from their current institution and barred from the new one. This ensures that the admission process remains transparent and that the limited available slots in high-demand departments are allocated to those who are not already occupying a space in the tertiary system. Candidates are urged to follow the 'Change of Admission' or 'Inter-University Transfer' protocols where possible, rather than bypassing the system through fresh UTME registration without disclosure.
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