JAMB update on number of registered candidates

With the conclusion of the 2026 JAMB UTME registration, report has it that a total of 2,243,816 candidates have successfully registered for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Considering the number of registered candidates, the 2026 admission will be quite competitive. So one thing that will give you an edge is a very good JAMB score. Remember, the JAMB exam comes up April 16th. Get more serious with your preparation towards the exam now by downloading and activating the First Class JAMB CBT App. Thousands of candidates are already practicing with the First Class Learners  JAMB CBT  App. With the app, you enjoy the following:

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The report provided details of the registered candidates across the different states in the country with Lagos State having the highest number of registered candidates as captures in the list below;

Top 10 States by UTME Registration
The states with the highest number of registered candidates are:

1. Lagos – 321,814
2. Kaduna – 303,498
3. FCT (Abuja) – 302,963
4. Ogun – 137,156
5. Oyo – 122,662
6. Rivers – 105,584
7. Kano – 83,167
8. Delta – 77,670
9. Ondo – 66,270
10. Nasarawa – 65,739

The number of registered candidates in other states are as follows:

• Kwara – 64,988
• Plateau – 62,440
• Benue – 60,860
• Edo – 59,605
• Enugu – 50,305
• Niger – 47,679
• Akwa Ibom – 47,079
• Kogi – 46,783
• Abia – 44,394
• Imo – 42,170
• Taraba – 38,093
• Katsina – 37,973
• Kebbi – 36,533
• Anambra – 34,787
• Cross River – 34,605
• Borno – 33,483
• Ekiti – 31,643
• Adamawa – 31,321
• Jigawa – 28,166
• Bauchi – 27,963
• Bayelsa – 27,245
• Gombe – 23,012
• Yobe – 20,583
• Sokoto – 20,243
• Ebonyi – 19,662
• Zamfara – 14,841 (lowest)

Foreign Registrations Recorded
JAMB also recorded UTME registrations from foreign countries.

• Côte d’Ivoire – 32
• Equatorial Guinea – 16
• Burkina Faso – 14
• United Kingdom – 12
• Cameroon – 11
• Saudi Arabia – 10
• Republic of Benin – 7
• Ghana – 5
• South Africa – 5
• The Gambia – 3

Earlier, the Registrar of JAMB, Is-haq Oloyede, disclosed that the Board uncovered syndicates using AI-generated fake images and videos of senior officials to defraud candidates.

He revealed that with the approval of the Minister of Education, the Board would delete no fewer than 100 UTME registrations of candidates found to have solicited score inflation through the syndicate.

According to the Registrar, investigations showed over 120 candidates had already paid the fraud network, which operated under the guise of an online platform promising direct system package and VIP assistance.