By Samuel Omotere
The United Kingdom and nine other countries currently host foreign centres where Nigerians living abroad can register for and sit the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board.
PUNCH Online collated the list on Tuesday from the JAMB Bulletin of May 18, 2026 (Vol. 4, No. 85), amid public debate over the Board’s planned opening of a new centre in Ottawa, Canada, for the 2027 UTME.
According to the bulletin, registration and examinations are conducted in the following cities:
Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Accra, Ghana
Banjul, The Gambia
Buea, Cameroon
Cotonou, Benin Republic
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Johannesburg, South Africa
London, United Kingdom
Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
The Board said Nigerian missions, including embassies, high commissions and consulates, provide guidance on registration and examination procedures in the respective countries.
The bulletin reads, “The Board conducts registration and UTME in the following cities: Abidjan, Accra, Banjul, Beau, Cotonou, Jeddah, Johannesburg, London, Malabo, and Ouagadougou. The Nigerian Mission (Embassy) in each of the cities (countries) can be contacted for guidance on the registration and examination.”
The registration fee for foreign candidates was $30, or its equivalent in local currency, according to the Board’s guidelines.
A total of 379 candidates registered across the 10 foreign centres for the 2026 exercise. The examinations were held in May, although centres in Jeddah and Buea conducted theirs on later dates due to unforeseen circumstances.
The planned addition of Ottawa to the list for the 2027 UTME has generated debate online, with some questioning the cost and necessity of establishing the centre.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Segun Aina, said the move was intended to expand access for Nigerians in Canada and other parts of North America, rather than generate revenue.
Aina explained that the Board already conducted the UTME in about 10 foreign countries as a service to candidates living outside Nigeria.
He said the commission was exploring the Canadian centre to address demand from Nigerians abroad, adding that it would work with the Nigerian High Commission rather than establish a permanent facility.
