Candidates Can Take UTME Anywhere in Nigeria – JAMB Clarifies

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has confirmed that candidates are free to take the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) anywhere in Nigeria, regardless of their state of registration.

This clarification follows a misleading report that falsely claimed candidates must sit for the examination only within the state where they registered. In a statement released on Wednesday, JAMB’s Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, described the report as incorrect and urged the public to disregard it.

Benjamin explained that candidates have the freedom to register from any location in the country and can select any town nationwide as their preferred examination centre. He emphasized that the board clusters Computer-Based Test Centres according to towns for convenience, allowing candidates to choose where they want to take the exam.

“For example, if a candidate selects Garki as their examination town, they must take the exam there and cannot be posted to a different town,” he stated.

He further stressed the need to correct the misinformation to prevent unnecessary confusion, noting that candidates who have selected towns outside their state of registration are indeed allowed to take the exam in those towns.

“This flexibility is designed to accommodate candidates’ preferences and ensure they can choose a location that is convenient for them. A candidate can register in Lagos and still choose to take the exam in Sokoto or any other location,” he added.

JAMB called on the public and prospective candidates to disregard the false report and rely only on official communications from the board.