JAMB quietly increased UTME SMS result-checking fee by 100%

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has increased the service fee for candidates checking their Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results via SMS.

Candidates checking their 2026 UTME results raised the alarm that the service charge had increased by 100% from N50 to N100. 

The reactions were made under an X post by JAMB’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, during the announcement of the subsequent release of UTME results for candidates who sat the 2026 UTME on Friday, April 17, and Saturday, April 18. 

The board had earlier released the results for candidates who sat for the exam on Thursday, April 16. 

The increase has raised concerns among candidates, with some describing it as exploitative. The actions reflect a typical government agency’s behaviour of acting first and explaining later. 

Most UTME candidates opt for SMS to check their results due to its simplicity and speed.

However, an SMS text of UTMERESULT to 55019 now costs N100, a reflection of how the board is aiming to expand its revenue base. Critics have also described JAMB as a core revenue-generating institution and not a public service. 

Also Read: How to check your 2026 JAMB/UTME results via SMS and online.

JAMB: Issues surrounding UTME 2026 

The 2026 UTME, which commenced on Thursday, 16 April 2026, is expected to end on Saturday, 25 April 2026. About 2.2 million candidates will participate nationwide, while over 940 Computer-Based Test (CBT) Centres are involved in the exercise. 

According to Fabian Benjamin, 1,897,692 results have been released so far, covering candidates who sat for the exam during the first three days. Results for the first day totalled 632,752, while those of Friday and Saturday were 1,264,940.

However, the 2026 UTME has not been without technical glitches.

Parents and guardians have raised concerns over their children’s centres experiencing technical glitches and other disruptions, such as the Good Success Computer-Based Test centre in Utako, Abuja. 

In response, JAMB promised to reschedule the examinations for affected candidates. It noted that the glitch is part of the realities of conducting a nationwide examination on such a large scale. 

“Naturally, you should have one or two challenges here and there. It is not unusual, and I do not think there is anybody who will conduct the exam using one thousand centres and then expect that you would not have any problems,” Fabian said. 

“But the most important thing is that if this problem does occur, are you prepared to handle it? And that is what we have just done there,” he added.