For thousands and thousands of Nigerian college students, registering for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), Nigeria’s entrance examination into tertiary establishments, is their first encounter with the nation’s digital examination infrastructure.
When registration for the 2026 UTME opened on January 26, candidates throughout Nigeria logged into accredited Pc-Primarily based Check (CBT) centres hoping for a clean course of.
What many encountered as a substitute was a mixture of effectivity, delays, unofficial charges, and uneven therapy.
TechCabal speaks to candidates throughout 4 geopolitical zones in Nigeria – North-East, South-West, South-South, and North-West – to grasp what the method truly prices, how lengthy it takes, and whether or not the know-how behind the registration holds up underneath stress at accredited centres.
How a lot they paid for UTME
The official payment is a set coverage, however actuality is geography. Choose a candidate on the map to generate their receipt and measure the systemic friction they confronted.
“Loading testimony…”
Discipline Receipt
SYSTEM AUDIT // 2026 UTME
Official Baseline:
₦—
Systemic Extortion:
+ ₦—
Time Tax:
—
Workers Remedy:
—
System Friction Rating
–/10
Precise Paid:
₦0
NORTH-EAST (Adamawa)
I spent full day at Adamawa registration centre – Ibrahim
Location: Adamawa State
When did you register for UTME?
I started my registration on January 27, the second day after the portal opened.
How seamless was the E-PIN course of?
A couple of minutes. Two to a few minutes.
What was your complete price?
₦7,200 ($5.36)
Did you expertise technical disruptions?
No, the system didn’t crash
How lengthy did all the course of take?
I spent one full day on the centre, from 7 a.m. to about 3 p.m.
Have been there any unofficial charges?
No, I used to be not requested to pay something further.
How would you describe the therapy of candidates?
The officers had been typically well mannered however strict in implementing guidelines.
What was the largest hurdle?
There have been printer points, which slowed issues down.
SOUTH-WEST (Lagos)
Officers had been harsh and abusive – Janet
Location: Ogba, Lagos State
When did you start and full your registration?
I began on February 10 and accomplished it on the twelfth.
How rapidly did you obtain your E-PIN?
I obtained my E-PIN inside two minutes on the identical day I registered.
What did you pay general?
I paid ₦7,200 ($5.36) for the registration.
Did the system fail at any level?
No, the system didn’t crash throughout my registration.
Did you encounter further expenses?
No, I didn’t pay further charges.
How had been candidates handled on the centre?
Actually, candidates weren’t handled effectively. Some employees had been harsh and used abusive language.
What was your most tough second?
Importing my paperwork was irritating. The scanning template was unclear, and the system rejected my first add. The help workforce later offered a clearer template, which labored.
SOUTH-WEST (Ogun)
I paid ₦11,000 as a substitute of ₦7,200 – Peter
Location: Holy Saviour CBT Centre, Ogun State
When did you register?
I registered on February 6.
How lengthy did it take to safe your E-PIN?
It took lower than two hours.
What was your complete fee?
I paid ₦11,000 ($8.19).
Was the system secure?
Sure, there have been no crashes whereas I used to be there.
Have been you requested to return one other day?
No, every little thing was accomplished in someday.
What number of days did the method take?
Only a day’s course of.
Have been there unofficial charges?
No, I wasn’t requested to pay further.
How had been candidates handled?
Candidates [were] not handled in the best way [they] ought to as a result of traces weren’t their precedence in any respect.
Have been there precedence traces?
The centre operated on a first-come, first-served foundation. I needed to pay ₦11,000 ($8.19) as a substitute of ₦8,700 ($6.47) to safe my spot.
What was your greatest problem?
I didn’t have any challenges
SOUTH-SOUTH (Edo)
All candidates had been handled with respect – Ifunaya
Location: Edo state
When did you begin registration?
I began registration on January 23
How lengthy did it take to get an E-PIN?
It didn’t take lengthy; my uncle on the lecture home helped me
How a lot did you pay in complete?
I paid ₦10,200 ($7.6) in complete
Was it a clean course of?
Sure, it was. The system didn’t crash
Have been you requested to return?
I used to be not requested to return
What number of days did the method take?
I completed the identical day I went there for the registration. It took just some hours
Have been you requested to pay further?
I wasn’t requested to pay any further charges.
Have been there precedence traces?
None.
How had been candidates handled?
All candidates had been handled equally, based on the road; no preferential therapy was given.
NORTH-WEST (Kaduna)
It was irritating officers most popular hardcopy of paperwork – Nameless
Location: Kadwel, Kaduna State
When did you begin registration?
I began the registration on Wednesday, January 28, and it concluded the next day.
How lengthy did it take to get an E-PIN?
It didn’t actually take a lot time to get my E-pin as a result of I’ve written jamb earlier than, and I’ve generated my profile code for that individual 12 months.
How a lot did you pay in complete?
I paid a complete of ₦7,500 ($5.6), excluding the mock [exam] payment. I’m not writing the mock [exams].
Did the system crash?
The system was truly working fairly tremendous after I wanted to register.
Have been you requested to return?
I didn’t return something, nor was I requested to return something.
What number of days did the method take?
It truly took two days as a result of I collected the shape on a Wednesday, and I took it residence to fill it out and introduced it again on a Tuesday, then I finalised the entire course of
However usually it ought to take solely a day.
Have been you requested to pay further?
I used to be requested to pay an additional payment of ₦200 ($0.15) as a result of the arduous copy of my WAEC wasn’t current, so I wanted to make use of my tender copy.
Who requested? What motive did they offer?
It was the particular person registering on the system, and so they stated it was as a result of they wanted the outcomes, and so they largely use arduous copy.
There was no receipt given for the fee.
How had been candidates handled?
The candidates, to one of the best of my information, had been handled properly. Some officers had been truly fairly humorous. They requested questions and made certain you checked your data completely earlier than going additional
Have been there precedence traces?
There have been none. All of us needed to wait our flip.
What was your greatest problem?
My greatest problem was truly getting them to simply accept the tender copy, then realising I needed to pay for it.
*Conversion charge used is $1 to ₦1,344
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