JAMB Opens Portal for Printing 2026 UTME Original Result Slips
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has activated the portal for printing 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination original result slips, a step that formally clears the way for millions of candidates to begin chasing admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions for the 2026/2027 academic session.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by JAMB’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, the board said the 2026 UTME Original Result Slip would be available for printing within two hours that same day. The board explained that the document carries the candidate’s photograph, national ranking, and other security features, and forms part of the official requirements for post-UTME screening and admission consideration by tertiary institutions.
Benjamin advised candidates to print the slip from any internet-enabled device or accredited business centre and urged them to verify their details and retain copies for future admission use. The original slip differs from the SMS score alert, as it is the certified document institutions demand for screening.
The release follows weeks of delay. JAMB had earlier said printing was suspended to allow completion of all outstanding examination processes, including foreign-based examinations and a mop-up exercise. The 2026 UTME held in April, the mop-up exercise took place on June 13 for candidates affected by technical glitches and biometric challenges, and the mop-up results were released on June 16.
The scale of this year’s exercise underscores the stakes. A total of 2,243,816 candidates registered for the 2026 UTME, representing a 10.5 per cent increase from the 2.03 million recorded in 2025. JAMB stated in an earlier bulletin that 1,897,692 results had been released out of the 2,243,761 candidates who registered.
Performance data points to a familiar pattern of intense competition. According to figures attributed to the board, only a small fraction of candidates crossed the higher score bands, while a large share clustered below the 200 mark, which many institutions treat as a competitive threshold. At the 2026 policy meeting in Abuja, JAMB named Owoeye Daniella Jesudunsin, who applied for Medicine and Surgery at the University of Lagos, as the highest scorer nationwide with 372 out of 400.
The slip release also activates a tightly scheduled admission calendar. JAMB has directed public universities to conclude admissions by October 31, 2026, with private universities given until November 30 and polytechnics, monotechnics, and colleges of education until December 31. Candidates have been warned to accept admission offers within four weeks or risk cancellation, while institutions that miss the deadlines may lose access to the Central Admissions Processing System.
The development connects to wider reforms under the Professor Ishaq Oloyede-led board, which has pushed steadily toward digital integrity in the examination process. JAMB recently announced plans to introduce a “Bring Your Own Device” policy from 2027, allowing candidates to use personal computers during the UTME under strict anti-malpractice monitoring. With post-UTME registration already opening across several campuses, candidates now move into the decisive phase of the admission race, where screening scores and O’Level results will weigh as heavily as the UTME figure printed on the new slip.