JAMB plans Ottawa UTME centre for Nigerians from 2027

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board says it is working towards opening a UTME centre in Ottawa, Canada, with operations expected to begin in 2027.

The proposed centre would allow eligible Nigerians in Canada and elsewhere in North America to take the examination without travelling to Nigeria solely for the test.

Premium Times reported that JAMB announced the plan in a post on Monday, following a visit by its registrar to the Nigerian High Commission in Ottawa, where the proposal was discussed.

Candidates seeking admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions must take the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and then complete the admission process at their chosen institutions.

Premium Times reported that more than two million candidates sat the examination this year. JAMB already conducts the UTME at designated centres outside Nigeria, including in the United Kingdom, Ghana, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and Côte d’Ivoire.

For the 2026/2027 admission cycle, the minimum benchmark approved for universities was 150. The benchmark for polytechnics, monotechnics, colleges of education and colleges of agriculture was 100.

Source: Premium Times