JAMB ePIN: UTME and Direct Entry registration PIN

UTME ePIN or Direct Entry ePIN: which one do you need?

The UTME ePIN is for candidates who will sit the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, the computer-based test that admits students into 100 level of universities, polytechnics and colleges of education. If you are leaving secondary school with WAEC, NECO or NABTEB results (or waiting for them), this is your PIN.

The Direct Entry (DE) ePIN is for candidates who already hold a post-secondary qualification, such as A-levels, IJMB, JUPEB, an OND or ND, an NCE or a first degree, and are applying straight into 200 level. Direct Entry candidates do not sit the UTME; they register, upload their qualifications and are considered by their chosen institution.

The two PINs are not interchangeable. If you buy the wrong one, JAMB does not swap it, so check which route you are taking before you pay. If you are unsure, your school or the admissions page of your chosen institution will say whether your qualification qualifies for Direct Entry.

What is a JAMB profile code?

Before anyone can buy an ePIN, the candidate needs a JAMB profile. Under JAMB's published steps, the candidate sends their NIN (National Identification Number) by SMS to 55019 or 66019 from the phone number they want tied to the profile. JAMB replies with a 10-character profile code. That code is what you enter on Nata, and it is the only thing Nata needs to issue the ePIN to the right candidate.

Nata verifies the code before you can pay and displays the candidate's name as JAMB has it. If no name comes back, the code is wrong or the profile has not been created yet, and nothing is charged. This matters most when a parent, teacher or cyber café is buying on a candidate's behalf: you can see on screen that the PIN is going to the right person.

What the ePIN is for, and what it is not

The ePIN pays for the registration. It does not complete it. After buying, the candidate takes the ePIN and profile code to a JAMB-accredited CBT centre, where the registration itself happens: biometric (fingerprint) capture, passport photograph, choice of subjects, choice of institutions and courses, and the printing of the registration slip. Accredited centres are listed on JAMB's website; anyone offering registration outside one is not authorised.

Buying the ePIN on Nata rather than at the centre means you pay the exact JAMB price from your own wallet, you have the receipt in your transaction history, and you are not dependent on the centre having stock on the day.

When to buy

JAMB announces the sale of ePINs each year, normally in the first quarter, and keeps it open for several weeks. The price is fixed for the year and does not fall near the deadline, while CBT centres get crowded in the last days. Buying as soon as the sale opens and the profile code is in hand gives the candidate time to pick a centre, gather documents and fix any mistakes.

Nata adds no fee on top of JAMB's price. Where other sellers charge a "service" or "processing" amount on top, the figure in the table above is what you pay.

Other exam PINs on Nata

Nata also sells WAEC and NECO result checker PINs and the NABTEB result checker PIN, which candidates need to see the results JAMB will later match against their UTME score. Prices for all of them are on the pricing page.