The registration by applicants for this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) has been extended by one week.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) made the announcement in a statement by it’s Head of Public Affairs and Protocol, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to the board, by the extension, the sale of ePINs will end on Monday, February 20, while the UTME registration ends on Wednesday, February 22.

In line with the board’s 2023 Schedule of Activities, as earlier released, the closing date for the sale of both ePINs and the 2023 UTME application documents was slated for Tuesday, February 14, 2023.

The board said at the close of the sale of ePINs on February 14, a total of 1,527,068 candidates had successfully registered for the 2023 UTME exercise, inclusive of the 168,748, who indicated their interest to take the Mock-UTME.

“It should also be noted that the board, based on its projections, had expanded its capacity to register up to 100,000 candidates per day. With this, it was possible to register all desiring candidates within a few days.

“However, less than 50,000 candidates were turning up for registration, which is less than the installed registration capacity. Surprisingly, in the last two days before the closing date, the pace picked up remarkably with over 100,000 candidates registering on a daily basis.

“Furthermore, the board, as a responsive and proactive agency, took cognisance of the reports from across the country, indicating some difficulties being faced by many Nigerians in using their electronic channels to purchase the ePINs or obtain cash readily within the stipulated period.

“It has, as a consequence, granted this extension to ensure that all candidates who desire to register for the 2023 UTME are given the opportunity to do so, especially when the extant challenges are not of their own making,” the statement said.

JAMB had earlier slated the period of registration for UTME candidates, including those from Foreign Countries,  from Saturday, 14 January 2023, to Tuesday, 14 February 2023 adding that while PIN vending for UTME, would end on Tuesday, 14th February 2023, registration would close on Friday, 17th February 2023.

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