JAMB registers over 300,000 candidates for UTME

The Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) says it has registered 316,132 candidates for the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

NAN reports that the board broke the news in the latest edition of its weekly bulletin on Monday.

The exam body also disclosed that it has registered 8,490 Direct Entry (DE) candidates.

“Total profile code generated so far is 497,528. Total UTME pin vended is 344, 115, while total pin vended for DE is 10,848. Total registered candidates for UTME, 316,132 and total registered candidates for DE is 8, 490,” it read.

“Total candidates who have indicated interest in sitting for the mock UTME are 126, 402.”

The board had earlier fixed April 8 for the commencement of registration for this year’s edition of the exam.

JAMB, however, announced an adjustment in the initial date, citing some hitches in the process.

On April 11, Fabian Benjamin, the board’s head of public affairs, confirmed to TheCable Lifestyle that registration for this year’s UTME has commenced.

According to the bulletin, candidates can send their National Identity Number (NIN) from any SIM of their choice provided the SIM had not been used by another candidate to register for UTME/DE in the past.

JAMB said that this was contrary to its earlier statement that only the SIM that was linked to a candidate’s NIN could be used to send their NIN to 55019.

The board had on Sunday said that candidates could only generate their profiles by sending their details to 55019 on the SIM linked to their NIN.

However, JAMB advised them to follow the right process to be successfully registered.

“The right process is to send the word `NIN’, allow one space in between, and then insert the eleven digits NIN number and send to 55019. Any other process is wrong and would not generate the profile code for the candidate,” it said.