The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced its intention to open a Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) centre in Ottawa, Canada. The centre is expected to start operating in 2027.
According to JAMB, the new centre will allow eligible Nigerians in Canada and other parts of North America to take the UTME without travelling to Nigeria just for the exam.
JAMB said this initiative will give “more access” and lower barriers for Nigerians in the diaspora who want to apply to Nigerian tertiary institutions.
The announcement came after JAMB Registrar Segun Aina visited the Nigerian High Commission in Ottawa to discuss the proposed centre.
“The proposed centre will make it easier for eligible Nigerians in Canada and across North America to sit for the UTME without travelling to Nigeria solely for the examination,” the post reads.
“It also represents a bigger opportunity to strengthen the connection between Nigerians in the diaspora and Nigerian tertiary education.”
Anyone who wants to get into a Nigerian university or college needs to take the UTME first, and then go through the admission process at the school they choose.
Each year, millions of people take the exam. This year, over two million candidates sat for the UTME.
JAMB also holds the UTME at approved centers outside Nigeria, in countries like the United Kingdom, Ghana, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and Côte d’Ivoire.
For the 2026/2027 admissions, JAMB and other groups set 150 as the minimum score for university entry. For polytechnics, monotechnics, colleges of education, and colleges of agriculture, the minimum is 100.