From E-PIN delays to extra charges: How Nigerians are experiencing 2026 UTME registration

For millions of Nigerian students, registering for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), Nigeria’s entrance exam into tertiary institutions, is their first encounter with the country’s digital examination infrastructure. 

When registration for the 2026 UTME opened on January 26, candidates across Nigeria logged into accredited Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres hoping for a smooth process. 

What many encountered instead was a mix of efficiency, delays, unofficial fees, and uneven treatment. 

TechCabal speaks to candidates across four geopolitical zones in Nigeria –  North-East, South-West, South-South, and North-West – to understand what the process actually costs, how long it takes, and whether the technology behind the registration holds up under pressure at accredited centres. 

NORTH-EAST (Adamawa) 

I spent full day at Adamawa registration centre –  Ibrahim 

Location: Adamawa State

When did you register for UTME? 

I began my registration on January 27, the second day after the portal opened. 

How seamless was the E-PIN process? 

A few minutes. Two to three minutes.

What was your total cost? 

₦7,200 ($5.36)

Did you experience technical disruptions? 

No, the system did not crash

How long did the entire process take? 

I spent one full day at the centre, from 7 a.m. to about 3 p.m.

Were there any unofficial fees? 

No, I was not asked to pay anything extra. 

How would you describe the treatment of candidates?

The officials were generally polite but strict in enforcing rules.

What was the biggest hurdle?

There were printer issues, which slowed things down.

SOUTH-WEST (Lagos)

Officials were harsh and abusive – Janet

Location: Ogba, Lagos State

When did you begin and complete your registration? 

I started on February 10 and completed it on the 12th.

How quickly did you receive your E-PIN? 

I received my E-PIN within two minutes on the same day I registered. 

What did you pay overall? 

I paid ₦7,200 ($5.36) for the registration. 

Did the system fail at any point? 

No, the system didn’t crash during my registration.

Did you encounter additional charges? 

No, I did not pay extra fees.

How were candidates treated at the centre?

Honestly, candidates were not treated well. Some staff were harsh and used abusive language.

What was your most difficult moment?

Uploading my documents was frustrating. The scanning template was unclear, and the system rejected my first upload. The support team later provided a clearer template, which worked.

SOUTH-WEST (Ogun) 

I paid ₦11,000 instead of ₦7,200 – Peter 

Location: Holy Saviour CBT Centre, Ogun State

When did you register?

I registered on February 6.

How long did it take to secure your  E-PIN?

It took less than two hours.  

What was your total payment? 

I paid ₦11,000 ($8.19). 

Was the system stable?

Yes, there were no crashes while I was there. 

Were you asked to return another day?

No, everything was completed in one day.

How many days did the process take?

Just a day’s process.

Were there unofficial fees?

No, I wasn’t asked to pay extra. 

How were candidates treated?

Candidates [were] not treated in the way [they] should because lines weren’t their priority at all. 

Were there priority lines?

The centre operated on a first-come, first-served basis. I had to pay ₦11,000 ($8.19) instead of ₦8,700 ($6.47) to secure my spot.

What was your biggest challenge?

I didn’t have any challenges

SOUTH-SOUTH (Edo)

All candidates were treated with respect –  Ifunaya 

Location: Edo state 

When did you start registration?

I started registration on January 23

How long did it take to get an E-PIN?

It didn’t take long; my uncle at the lecture house helped me 

How much did you pay in total?

I paid ₦10,200 ($7.6) in total

Was it a smooth process? 

Yes, it was. The system did not crash 

Were you asked to return?

I was not asked to return 

How many days did the process take?

I finished the same day I went there for the registration. It took just a few hours 

Were you asked to pay extra?

I wasn’t asked to pay any extra fees. 

Were there priority lines?

None.

How were candidates treated?

All candidates were treated equally, according to the line; no preferential treatment was given.

NORTH-WEST (Kaduna) 

It was frustrating officials preferred hardcopy of documents – Anonymous 

Location: Kadwel, Kaduna State

When did you start registration?

I started the registration on Wednesday, January 28, and it concluded the following day.

How long did it take to get an E-PIN?

It didn’t really take much time to get my E-pin because I’ve written jamb before, and I’ve generated my profile code for that particular year. 

How much did you pay in total?

I paid a total of ₦7,500 ($5.6), excluding the mock [exam] fee. I’m not writing the mock [exams].

Did the system crash?

The system was actually working quite fine when I needed to register. 

Were you asked to return?

I didn’t return anything, nor was I asked to return anything. 

How many days did the process take?

It actually took two days because I collected the form on a Wednesday, and I took it home to fill it out and brought it back on a Tuesday, then I finalised the whole process 

But normally it should take only a day. 

Were you asked to pay extra?

I was asked to pay an extra fee of ₦200 ($0.15) because the hard copy of my WAEC wasn’t present, so I needed to use my soft copy. 

Who asked? What reason did they give?

It was the person registering on the system, and they said it was because they needed the results, and they mostly use hard copy. 

There was no receipt given for the payment. 

How were candidates treated?

The candidates, to the best of my knowledge, were treated nicely. Some officials were actually quite funny. They asked questions and made sure you checked your information thoroughly before going further 

Were there priority lines?

There were none. We all had to wait our turn. 

What was your biggest challenge?

My biggest challenge was actually getting them to accept the soft copy, then realising I had to pay for it.

*Conversion rate used is $1 to ₦1,344