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2026 DIRECT ENTRY (DE) APPLICATION GUIDELINES AND REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Published by admin on March 1st, 2026.

2026 DIRECT ENTRY (DE) APPLICATION GUIDELINES AND REGISTRATION INFORMATION

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The sale of application forms and electronic PINs for the 2026 Direct Entry (DE) admission exercise will begin on Monday, March 2, 2026, and close on Saturday, April 25, 2026. Interested applicants are to complete their purchases and registration strictly at designated State and Zonal Offices of the Board.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR DIRECT ENTRY

Applicants must possess a minimum of five (5) O’Level credit passes obtained in not more than two sittings. At least two of these credits must be at the Principal or Advanced level.

In place of A-Level qualifications, the following certificates are also acceptable:

* First Degree from Nigerian universities

* First Degree from foreign universities

* University Diploma

* National Diploma (ND) – valid only up to the 2024 admission year

* Higher National Diploma (HND)

* National Certificate in Education (NCE)

* Nigerian French Language Diploma

* National Arabic Language Diploma

* IJMB A-Level Certificate

* JUPEB A-Level Certificate

* NABTEB Advanced National Business Certificate (ANBC)

* NABTEB Advanced National Technical Certificate (ANTC)

* Cambridge A-Level

* Foreign GCE A-Level

* International Baccalaureate (foreign certificates only)

* Transnational/Foundation certificates

All awarding institutions must transmit verification details directly to the Board before an applicant’s registration can be finalized.

PRE-REGISTRATION VERIFICATION

Candidates are strongly encouraged to confirm the authenticity and status of their Direct Entry qualifications before proceeding with registration.

REQUIRED DETAILS DURING REGISTRATION

At the point of registration, each DE applicant must provide accurate information including:

* Registration or matriculation number from the institution where the qualification was obtained

* Subjects completed

* Name of awarding institution

* Affiliated institution attended (if applicable)

* Year of graduation

IMPORTANT DIRECT ENTRY REGISTRATION CONDITIONS

Upload of Credentials

Candidates who are not awaiting results must upload:

* Their A-Level qualification

* O-Level results

* Completed DE registration template

Applicants cannot register or upgrade to Direct Entry using pending O-Level results.

Admission processing will not commence until all uploaded results have been verified by the respective awarding institutions through the Board’s e-Facility platform.

Candidates Awaiting A-Level Results

Applicants awaiting IJMB, JUPEB, or NABTEB A-Level results must upload:

* Admission letter

* Registration template

Cambridge Certificate Verification

Applicants with Cambridge certificates issued before 2020 must contact Cambridge directly for verification. The process may take up to 28 days, after which the verification outcome will be forwarded to the Board and reflected on the candidate’s e-Facility profile.

Statement of Results Policy

Statements of results instead of original certificates are accepted only within three years of issuance. However, for NCE qualifications, the validity period is limited to one year.

UTME to DE Upgrade

Candidates who initially applied through UTME and indicated they were awaiting A-Level results may upgrade to Direct Entry once their results are released. This is allowed only if the details were declared during UTME registration and included in the uploaded registration template.

Applicants are advised to monitor their A-Level admission status via their e-Facility profiles. Verification updates from NIPEDS will show either CLEARED or NOT CLEARED, along with reasons where applicable.

GENERAL REGISTRATION RULES

* Multiple registrations are strictly prohibited.

* Candidates who make errors during registration must apply for corrections through the Board rather than purchasing a new application form.

* Duplicate applications invalidate all submissions.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Direct Entry candidates must provide the JAMB Registration Number previously used to secure admission into any of the following programmes:

* NCE

* NID

* Diploma

* Previous Degree programmes

Registration will strictly close at the scheduled deadline. No extensions will be granted.

Candidates must not apply for UTME and Direct Entry simultaneously. However, those who applied for UTME and later obtained a Direct Entry qualification may upgrade without additional charges.

Purchasing more than one application form within the same year constitutes an offence and may result in cancellation and possible prosecution.

COMPLAINTS AND SUPPORT

For any issues related to registration, NIN, Profile Code, or other JAMB-related processes, candidates are advised to use the official JAMB ticketing platform to submit complaints.