When Does JAMB 2027 Registration Start? Proposed UTME Date (15–25 March 2027), Form Fee, Profile Code and Latest Updates

📌 Quick answer (checked 8 November 2026): JAMB has not yet announced when 2027 UTME registration starts, and it has not set 2027 fees or named the 2027 reading text. What is new: on 14 October 2026 the Federal Government published a proposed 2027 examination timetable that puts the 2027 UTME on 15–25 March 2027, about a month earlier than the 2026 exam (16–25 April). The dates are provisional. If they hold, registration is likely to open earlier than the 2026 window (26 January to 28 February 2026), but that is our reading of the dates, not a JAMB announcement. The latest official fees are still the 2026 ones: ₦7,200 without mock, ₦8,700 with mock and ₦5,700 for Direct Entry. You can get your profile code now by texting NIN, a space and your 11-digit NIN to 55019 or 66019.

If you plan to write the UTME in 2027, the main question is when registration opens. On 8 November 2026 JAMB still had not given a date. But three official updates since September change how you should plan: a proposed March exam date, a later arrival time for the first exam session, and a stricter accreditation exercise for CBT centres. This guide separates what has been confirmed from what is only proposed. It gives you the latest official fee schedule, clearly labelled as 2026, and the profile code and registration steps as JAMB describes them on its website. Everything here comes from jamb.gov.ng, JAMB’s weekly bulletin, Federal Government statements or JAMB officials.

JAMB 2027: Latest Updates

The Proposed 2027 Examination Timetable

The Federal Ministry of Information published the table below on 14 October 2026. It describes the dates as a proposed timetable. JAMB later shared the same dates and stressed that they remain provisional until each exam body confirms them. The goal is to release all results by August 2027 so that tertiary admissions can start in September.

For SS3 students, the UTME would come before both NECO and WAEC. If you are writing your O’level in 2027, you would register for JAMB as an “awaiting result” candidate and upload your result once it is released.

So When Will JAMB 2027 Registration Start?

JAMB has not said. Here is what the official dates do and do not tell you.

• In 2026, registration ran from 26 January to 28 February, and the exam started on 16 April. Registration closed about seven weeks before the first paper.
• In 2027, the proposed exam starts on 15 March, about a month earlier.
• Our estimate: if JAMB keeps a similar gap and a similar five-week window, registration would have to close around late January 2027 and open around late December 2026 or early January 2027. Treat this as a planning range only. JAMB could shorten the window, change the gap, or the proposed exam dates could move.

The practical advice is the same either way: get your NIN, phone line, email and subject combination sorted now, so you can register in the first week the portal opens. Late registrants usually face the longest queues and the most errors at CBT centres.

JAMB 2027: Confirmed, Proposed and Not Yet Announced

JAMB’s website also carries a “2027 JAMB Test Installer” and user manual for CBT centres, updated in late September 2026. That is software for centres, not a registration announcement, so do not read a date into it.

The Latest Official Fees (2026 UTME, for Reference Only)

JAMB has not set 2027 fees. The figures below are the fees JAMB confirmed for the 2026 UTME. In February 2026, JAMB spokesperson Dr. Fabian Benjamin said the Board had not increased the fees and that they remained as approved. JAMB’s own FAQ lists the same amounts for 2025. Use them to budget, not as the 2027 price.

What the ₦7,200 covered in 2026

The breakdown matters because it shows the CBT centre’s service charges are already inside the official fee. In 2026 JAMB urged candidates to report any centre that charged above the official amounts. JAMB’s FAQ also says registration is cashless, so you pay through the official vending channels, not in cash to a centre.

2026 vs Proposed 2027: How the Calendar Has Moved

The 2026 dates come from JAMB’s weekly bulletin of January 2026. For 2025, JAMB’s FAQ shows application documents were sold from 3 February to 8 March 2025. The window has moved by a few weeks from year to year, and a March exam would be the biggest shift in recent cycles. In 2026 the mock UTME came about three weeks before the main exam. If JAMB keeps a mock in 2027, it would likely fall in late February, but no date has been announced.

How to Get Your JAMB Profile Code (Official Method)

Your profile code is what you present when buying your e-PIN. You can generate it now; you do not need to wait for registration to open. JAMB’s FAQ gives this method:

1. Open the SMS app on the phone line you will use for JAMB. This number becomes your permanent identifier with JAMB, so use a line registered to you that you intend to keep.
2. Type NIN, a space, then your 11-digit National Identification Number. Example: NIN 00123456789.
3. Send it to 55019 or 66019.
4. You will receive your profile code by SMS. Save it somewhere safe.

JAMB stresses that there must be a space between the word NIN and the number. Standard SMS charges from your network may apply.

Lost code, old code and other SMS commands (from JAMB’s FAQ)

The phone number rule

JAMB says no two candidates can use the same mobile number. A sibling cannot use a number previously used by another sibling, because the number stays tied to the first candidate for all present and future JAMB services. If you lose the SIM, JAMB says you must retrieve it immediately. JAMB’s FAQ also points candidates to the telecoms “Keep My Number” service, which keeps an unused SIM from being reissued, initially for three years. JAMB has separately published an advisory on a “Profiled Email” service as a substitute where a SIM is lost.

Registration Steps, as JAMB Describes Them

1. Get your NIN from the National Identity Management Commission if you do not already have one. You cannot generate a profile code without it.
2. Generate your profile code by SMS, as above.
3. Buy your e-PIN. Present your profile code at an approved vending point (banks, mobile money operators, microfinance banks, switches or USSD partners) and pay the official fee. Your e-PIN is sent by SMS to your registered number.
4. Go to a JAMB-accredited CBT centre in person with your profile code and e-PIN. Registration cannot be done at a cybercafé or unaccredited centre. Your photograph and all ten fingerprints are captured. If JAMB launches its pre-registration app before 2027 registration, part of this step may move to your phone, but JAMB has not confirmed that yet.
5. Provide your details: choice of institutions and programmes, a personal email address you can always access, your O’level qualifications with grades and dates (if not awaiting results), uploads of relevant certificates, your upload PIN for automatic O’level upload, your UTME subjects and your choice of exam town(s) for the mock (if chosen) and the UTME.
6. Confirm with your fingerprint. Your registration slip is printed only after biometric authentication. JAMB says this removes the blame for errors from the centre, so check every detail before you confirm, and make sure your NIN details match your other documents.

If you are awaiting results, JAMB says you must upload them on its portal as soon as they are available; no institution’s recommendation will be considered if your result is not uploaded. Our guide to uploading your O’level result on JAMB CAPS explains that step.

What You Can Do Now, Before JAMB Announces Dates

• Sort out your NIN and make sure the name and date of birth on it match your O’level certificate and birth certificate. NIN corrections can take weeks, and the earlier exam date leaves less room.
• Generate your profile code now, from the line you will keep.
• Choose and protect your JAMB phone line. If a family member already used the number, get a new line in your name.
• Set up a personal email address you will still be able to open next year.
• Check your subject combination using JAMB’s IBASS eligibility checker, which lists programmes at each institution and the required UTME subjects. Our JAMB subject combination guide is a starting point, but confirm on IBASS.
• Start revising earlier. A 15 March exam means roughly four weeks less preparation time than candidates had in 2026. Our guide on how to pass JAMB 2027 has a study plan.
• Finish your O’level. If you still need a credit, the NECO GCE 2026 is running from 4 to 21 November 2026. WAEC has also announced changes for 2027; see our WAEC 2027 guide.
• Know the admission bar. JAMB’s 2026 Policy Meeting set minimum admission scores of 150 for universities and colleges of nursing, and 100 for polytechnics, monotechnics, colleges of agriculture, colleges of education and innovation enterprise institutions. Institutions can set higher cut-offs. See our post-UTME and cut-off guide.
• Consider all routes. If you are weighing open and distance learning, our NOUN school fees guide covers costs and requirements.

Mistakes JAMB Warns Against

• Registering more than once. JAMB does not permit it. If there is an error, seek a correction from the Board rather than buying a fresh application document.
• Sharing your login details. JAMB says no centre is allowed to request or accept a candidate’s password.
• Paying above the official fee or paying cash at a centre. Registration is cashless and the centre charges are already in the fee.
• Using an unaccredited centre. For 2027, JAMB says only centres that meet its standards will be accredited. Check that your centre is on JAMB’s approved list before you go.
• Not declaring a disability. Candidates who indicate a disability at registration are assigned to JAMB Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG) centres for support.
• Ignoring a fingerprint problem. JAMB says candidates whose fingerprints cannot be read register and sit the exam at JAMB headquarters in Abuja on the last day of the exam calendar, with travel facilitated by the Board.
• Trusting dates from unofficial pages. Several websites already list “official” 2027 registration dates. JAMB has not published any. Check jamb.gov.ng and JAMB’s verified social media accounts.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is JAMB registration for 2027 starting?

JAMB had not announced it as of 8 November 2026. The proposed 2027 UTME date is 15–25 March 2027, about a month earlier than 2026, so registration is likely to open earlier than the 2026 start date of 26 January. Watch jamb.gov.ng and JAMB’s official social media for the confirmed dates.

When is the JAMB 2027 exam?

The Federal Government’s proposed timetable puts the 2027 UTME on 15–25 March 2027. The dates are provisional until JAMB confirms them.

How much is the JAMB 2027 form?

Not yet announced. The latest confirmed fees are for the 2026 UTME: ₦7,200 without mock, ₦8,700 with mock and ₦5,700 for Direct Entry.

What time should I arrive for the 2027 UTME?

If you are in the first session, by 7:30 a.m. JAMB moved it from 6:30 a.m. The first session runs from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Other sessions keep their usual times, which will be on your exam slip.

Can I use my own laptop for JAMB 2027?

JAMB announced a “Bring Your Own Device” option for 2027 in May 2026, with a flash drive inserted into each device. It has not yet published who qualifies or what devices are allowed, so plan to use a centre computer unless JAMB says otherwise.

How do I get my JAMB profile code?

Text NIN, a space, and your 11-digit NIN (for example, NIN 00123456789) to 55019 or 66019 from the phone number you will use for JAMB.

I got a profile code last year. Do I need a new one?

JAMB’s FAQ says to send RESEND to 55019 or 66019 to reactivate the code for a new registration.

What is the JAMB 2027 recommended novel?

JAMB had not published a 2027 reading text on jamb.gov.ng as of 8 November 2026. In 2026 the fee included ₦1,000 for the reading text.

Can I register for JAMB 2027 with awaiting result?

Yes. JAMB allows candidates awaiting results to register, but you must upload your result on JAMB’s portal as soon as it is available, or institutions’ recommendations for you will not be considered. Under the proposed timetable, NECO and WAEC would both hold after the UTME.

Will there be a JAMB registration app for 2027?

The Registrar, Prof. Segun Aina, said in August 2026 that JAMB plans a pre-registration mobile app to cut CBT-centre registration time to a few minutes. JAMB has not given a launch date, so plan to register at an accredited CBT centre as usual.

What is the minimum age for admission?

16 years, as confirmed by JAMB’s 2026 Policy Meeting.

Sources

1. Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), “Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)” and 2026 Policy Meeting notice on minimum scores and age, jamb.gov.ng, accessed 25 October 2026
2. Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, “FG Harmonises 2027 Examination Timetable, Targets August Results”, fmino.gov.ng, 14 October 2026
3. JAMB weekly bulletin on the 2027 UTME arrival time (Voice of Nigeria, 15 September 2026) and JAMB spokesperson Dr. Fabian Benjamin on 2026 UTME fees (Voice of Nigeria, 27 February 2026)
4. JAMB weekly bulletin on the 2026 UTME and DE registration schedule, January 2026 (as reported by BusinessDay, 27 January 2026)
5. JAMB Registrars on 2027 plans: Prof. Is-haq Oloyede on “Bring Your Own Device” (News Agency of Nigeria, 11 May 2026); Prof. Segun Aina on the pre-registration app (The Sun, 18 August 2026) and CBT centre accreditation (JAMB on X, reported by Blueprint, 6 November 2026)

Last updated: 8 November 2026 · NaijaSabi Education Desk.