The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has announced that results for candidates who sat the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination on Thursday will be released before midnight today.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Board’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, reassured candidates that the release process is on course and will be concluded promptly. He added that an official public announcement would follow immediately after the results are made available.
According to the Board, candidates who participated in the examination on Thursday, April 16, 2026, will be able to access their results as soon as processing is completed.
A total of 2,243,816 candidates registered for this year’s UTME, reflecting a 10.5 per cent increase from the 2.03 million recorded in 2025, underscoring the growing demand for tertiary education across the country.
A state-by-state breakdown shows that Lagos State recorded the highest number of registered candidates with 381,814. This is followed by Ogun State with 137,156 and Oyo State with 122,662. Kaduna State and the Federal Capital Territory posted 103,498 and 102,961 candidates respectively.
Other notable figures include Rivers State with 105,584 candidates and Kano State with 83,167. The lowest registrations were recorded in Borno State with 13,483 and Zamfara State with 14,861 candidates.
Participation outside Nigeria remains limited, with Côte d’Ivoire leading with 32 candidates, followed by Equatorial Guinea with 16, and Burkina Faso with 14. The United Kingdom recorded 12 candidates, while countries such as Gambia, Ghana, and South Africa had fewer than ten candidates each.
To enhance accessibility and improve logistics, the Board expanded the number of Computer-Based Test centres to about 1,000 nationwide. However, it also delisted 23 centres across several states, including the Federal Capital Territory, Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Delta, Edo, and Plateau, following technical deficiencies observed during the mock examination.
The Board says further details on how candidates can access their results will be communicated through its official channels.
Candidates who sat for the first day of the nationwide examination are advised to stay informed and rely only on verified platforms for accurate updates.
