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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released the results of 632,788 candidates who sat for the first day of the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
In a statement signed by the board spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, the examination body announced that candidates who wrote the exam on Thursday, 16 April, can now access their results via SMS.
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JAMB said candidates can only view their scores for now, noting that result slips are not yet available for printing.
“To check their results, candidates should send UTMERESULT via SMS to 55019 or 66019, using the same phone number (SIM) used during registration,” the board stated.
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It noted that the UTME is still ongoing and that additional results will be released in batches as they become available.
Warning against result manipulation
The board also cautioned candidates against tampering with their results, describing such acts as criminal.
“Candidates are strongly cautioned against manipulating the SMS received from the official platform (55019/66019) to fabricate or alter scores with the intent to mislead others, including parents,” JAMB said.
It added that such actions “constitute a serious criminal offence” and would be treated with “the utmost gravity.”
The board disclosed that enforcement has already begun, revealing that “two candidates and one parent are in custody for engaging in result falsification using AI and other electronic means.”
It added that any candidate found culpable will face the full consequences of the law.
READ ALSO: Family member cries out over abducted JAMB candidates in Benue
Over 2.2 million candidates
The UTME is Nigeria’s centralised university entrance examination, conducted annually for admission into tertiary institutions.
According to data released by JAMB ahead of the examination, about 2.2 million (2,243,816) candidates registered for the 2026 UTME and are expected to sit for the exercise across the country.
This indicates a slight increase compared to the previous year.
The examination, which began on 16 April, is being held in multiple sessions daily across accredited Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres nationwide.
