The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has listed 10 countries where Nigerians and non-Nigerians can write the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) outside Nigeria when seeking admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions.
The list of the 10 foreign countries was contained in the JAMB Bulletin of May 18, 2026 (Vol. 4, No. 85), which detailed the designated centres for the 2026 foreign UTME.
The list comes amid public interest in JAMB’s international examination centres following the Board’s planned opening of a new UTME centre in Ottawa, Canada, for the 2027 examination.
The foreign UTME is part of JAMB’s efforts to position Nigerian tertiary institutions within the global education market.
The initiative has also attracted growing interest from foreign nationals seeking admission into Nigerian universities and other tertiary institutions.
JAMB officials were deployed to the various international centres to monitor and supervise the conduct of the examination.
Here are the 10 countries where the 2026 foreign UTME was scheduled to take place:
1. United Kingdom
JAMB designated London as its foreign UTME centre in the United Kingdom, providing Nigerians and other eligible candidates in the country with an opportunity to sit for the examination without travelling to Nigeria.
2. Burkina Faso
Candidates in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, were among those scheduled to participate in the foreign UTME.
3. Côte d’Ivoire
The foreign examination was also scheduled to hold in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, for candidates seeking admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions.
4. Equatorial Guinea
JAMB included Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea, among its designated international examination centres.
5. The Gambia
Candidates in Banjul, The Gambia, were also able to take part in the foreign component of the UTME.
6. Ghana
The examination was held at the designated centre in Accra, Ghana, allowing candidates based in the country to participate in the Nigerian admission process.
7. Benin Republic
JAMB also designated Cotonou, Benin Republic, as a foreign centre for the 2026 UTME.
8. Saudi Arabia
Jeddah, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, was one of the designated foreign centres.
However, candidates in Jeddah could not write the examination alongside the other international centres because of unforeseen circumstances. JAMB said a new date would be announced for the examination.
9. Cameroon
The designated centre in Cameroon was Buea.
Like Jeddah, Buea was unable to participate on the scheduled dates because of unforeseen circumstances. JAMB said the examination would be conducted on another date to be announced.
10. South Africa
The 10th foreign centre was Johannesburg, South Africa, where eligible candidates could participate in the 2026 foreign UTME.
Why does JAMB conduct UTME outside Nigeria?
JAMB’s foreign UTME initiative is designed to expand access to Nigerian tertiary education for Nigerians living abroad and international candidates interested in studying in Nigeria.
The initiative also forms part of efforts to position Nigerian tertiary institutions within the global education market, while making the admission process more accessible to eligible candidates outside the country.
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