No plans to increase UTME registration fees — JAMB

•JAMB candidates

The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has written off speculation that it has in­creased fees paid for registration of the Unified Tertiary Matricu­lation Examination (UTME).

It said the fees had remained the same since 2019, noting that in 2018, the Federal Executive Council approved a reduction in the UTME application fee from ₦5,000 to ₦3,500, which took effect from the 2019 registration exercise.

JAMB’s spokesman, Fabian Benjamin made the clarification yesterday in Abuja, in reaction to what he described as a mislead­ing report in the social media, reports Saturday Independent.

He said, “the attention of the Board has been drawn to a publication insinuating that the Board has increased its registra­tion fees.

“The Board wishes to state cat­egorically that this claim is false, misleading and entirely unfound­ed. For the avoidance of doubt, the approved registration fees remain as follows: Direct Entry (DE): ₦5,700, UTME Only (with­out Mock): ₦7,200 and UTME with Mock: ₦8,700 respectively”.

Fabian gave a breakdown of the fees to include Application Fee – ₦3,500; Reading Text – ₦1,000; CBT Centre Registration Service Charge – ₦700; CBT Centre UTME Service Charge – ₦1,500; Bank Charges – ₦500; CBT Mock-UTME Centre Charge – ₦1,500.

He noted, “these fees have re­mained unchanged since 2019. It is pertinent to recall that in 2018, the Federal Executive Council ap­proved a reduction in the UTME application fee from ₦5,000 to ₦3,500, with effect from the 2019 registration exercise. Since the government-approved reduc­tion, the Board has maintained the same fee structure without any increase, despite rising op­erational costs.

“The Board, therefore, urges members of the public, particu­larly prospective candidates and their parents/guardians, to dis­regard the said publication and rely only on official information released through the Board’s verified platforms and adver­tisements.

“Candidates are strongly advised to carefully read the Board’s official advertisement. This will enable them avoid being misled or exploited by dishonest individuals or centres.

“Furthermore, the Board ap­peals to any candidate who has paid more than the officially ap­proved fees to promptly report such centres with credible evi­dence. Such reports will enable the Board investigate and take immediate disciplinary action against any erring centre found to be overcharging or engaging in any sharp practices.

“The Board remains commit­ted to transparency, accountabil­ity and the protection of candi­dates’ interests at all times”.