The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has clarified that candidates sitting the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) are not restricted to writing the examination within the state where they registered. The Board dismissed reports suggesting otherwise as misleading.
This clarification was issued in a statement by Dr Fabian Benjamin, Public Communication Advisor (PCA) of JAMB, following confusion sparked by earlier reports.
Contrary to a statement attributed to Dr Benjamin by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) — which claimed that “no one will be required to sit for the exam outside their state of registration” — the Board insists that candidates are at liberty to choose any town in Nigeria as their examination venue, regardless of their registration location.
“Candidates are not restricted to taking the examination within their state of registration. They have the flexibility to register anywhere in the country and select any town nationwide from any registration point,” Dr Benjamin stated.
He further explained that Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres are categorised by towns for ease of organisation, not by state boundaries. “For example, if a candidate selects Garki as their examination town, they must take the exam in a centre within the town and cannot be posted outside the town as has been alleged at times.”
Dr Benjamin stressed the importance of correcting this misinformation ahead of the main UTME, which is scheduled to commence on 25 April 2025.
“It is crucial to rectify this misunderstanding to prevent confusion among candidates. Those who have registered for the UTME and selected examination towns outside their state of registration are indeed permitted to sit for the examination in their chosen towns. Candidates have the freedom to select their examination town from any location across the country, regardless of their state of registration.
“For instance, a candidate can register in Lagos and opt to take the examination in Sokoto or any other location,” he affirmed.
Additional Context:
JAMB recently announced the release of 115,735 results from the 2025 Mock UTME, while 10,446 results remain under processing. A total of 200,113 candidates registered for the mock exam conducted on 10 April, but only 126,181 participated.
In a further development, the Board has launched decoy websites aimed at trapping individuals attempting to cheat. These websites, made to resemble fraudulent platforms, were part of a sting operation that uncovered at least 180 candidates who paid amounts starting from ₦30,000 for leaked exam questions and fake score upgrades.