The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board is preparing to conduct the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination in Canada from 2027, a move that would give Nigerians in North America a UTME location without requiring a special trip back to Nigeria.
The proposed JAMB Canada UTME centre will be in Ottawa and is expected to operate with the support of the Nigerian High Commission. JAMB announced the plan after Registrar Prof. Segun Aina visited the mission during a trip to Canada.
Aina has since clarified that JAMB is not planning to construct a permanent examination complex in Canada. He said the board normally works with Nigerian diplomatic missions in countries where it conducts overseas examinations and can use temporary space within the mission for the exercise.
The registrar also said no money had been spent on establishing the proposed Ottawa centre at the time of his explanation. He said he was already in Canada for a conference and used the visit to begin discussions with the High Commission.
JAMB says the purpose is access rather than revenue. Aina said UTME is already conducted in about 10 countries as a service to candidates who want admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions, including children of Nigerians serving or living abroad.
The proposal drew questions online over whether there would be enough candidates to justify a North American centre. JAMB spokesperson Fabian Benjamin responded that more than 100 people had already indicated interest in writing the examination in Canada.
Canada would become JAMB’s first examination location in North America if the arrangement proceeds. In 2026, the board’s foreign examination network included centres in the United Kingdom, Ghana, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin Republic, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea and The Gambia.
The Ottawa centre is meant for candidates seeking admission into Nigerian universities and other tertiary institutions; it is not a route into Canadian universities. Candidates would still take the same JAMB admission process required for entry into institutions in Nigeria.
JAMB has not yet published the Canada-specific registration procedure, examination date, centre capacity or any special 2027 fee. Families in Canada should therefore not pay anyone claiming to be registering candidates for the Ottawa centre before those arrangements are officially announced.
The board’s official website at jamb.gov.ng remains the safest place to follow the 2027 registration timetable once JAMB publishes operational details for both domestic and foreign candidates.
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