2026 UTME: JAMB Withdraws Special Concessions for Albino Candidates Over Malpractice

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has discontinued the special concessions and registration procedures previously extended to candidates living with albinism for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), citing widespread abuse and examination malpractice.

JAMB Registrar, Prof. Isaq Oloyede, disclosed that the decision followed findings that some individuals exploited the privilege by using artificial intelligence and other means to falsely present themselves as albino candidates during registration.

According to him, more than 7,000 candidates claimed to be albinos in the previous UTME cycle, prompting the Board to abolish the special arrangement entirely.

The announcement was made on Saturday in Ikeja, Lagos, during a meeting between JAMB management and Commissioners for Education from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, convened to review past admission exercises.

Prof. Oloyede noted that despite several safeguards introduced by JAMB, some candidates and institutions remained intent on undermining the system.

He also cautioned faith-based tertiary institutions to be transparent about their religious identity at the point of admission. According to him, it is misleading for institutions to present themselves as secular only to later impose compulsory religious practices on students.

“If you are a faith-based institution, declare it clearly from the onset. The law permits the establishment of faith-based schools, but applicants deserve to know what they are signing up for,” he said.

On examination malpractice, Oloyede revealed that investigations showed some undergraduates sit for UTME either to change courses or to impersonate other candidates. He cited a case from the previous year where the highest-scoring UTME candidate was later discovered to be a 300-level university student.

He warned that any candidate already admitted into a tertiary institution who fails to disclose their status while sitting for UTME would be disqualified and risk losing their current admission.

Addressing admission criteria, the registrar explained that federal institutions allocate 45 per cent of admissions on merit, 20 per cent to catchment areas, 20 per cent to educationally disadvantaged states, while the remaining slots cover other considerations. He encouraged state-owned institutions to allocate at least 10 per cent of admissions purely on merit to promote diversity.

Oloyede also criticised states that establish new universities despite failing to exhaust their admission quotas in existing institutions.

On underage admissions, he reaffirmed that 16 years remains the minimum entry age, noting that while over 42,000 candidates claimed to be underage last year, only 78 were found exceptional enough to be admitted after assessment.

The meeting further agreed that parental pressure was a major factor driving premature educational advancement among children.

As part of efforts to curb malpractice, JAMB has also banned the movement of computers between Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres, ensuring that systems accredited to a centre remain permanently there.

Providing an update on the 2025 UTME, Oloyede said about 974,855 candidates had secured admission out of nearly 1.95 million candidates who sat for the examination. He added that over ₦2.4 billion had been disbursed in the last decade to institutions that consistently complied with JAMB regulations.

He concluded by warning state governments against partnerships with private CBT centre promoters that could be exploited to facilitate examination malpractice.