The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has irected all tertiary institutions to end their 2017 admission by January 25.
The Board’s Head of Media, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.
Benjamin said the board’s decision came after a meeting where all issues and ones bordering on the admission process were taken into consideration.
He said it was resolved that the academic calendar must be adhered to.
According to him, the directive becomes necessary as the board intends to meet up with the academic calendar as earlier agreed.
Benjamin said: “By implication, candidates who have gained admissions into various institutions and are yet to register or do not have admissions by January 25 should begin to make preparations for the 2018 UTME.
“The public must also note that the UTME results are valid for only one year and not three years as widely speculated.
“If changes are made on the validity, I assure you the board would communicate appropriately to the public.”
NAN recalls that the board had recently said that the UTME examinations would take place between March 9 and 17, while the mock exams would take place in the first week of February.
Benjamin also noted that the sale of Direct Entry forms are ongoing, while urging candidates who intend to apply to do so immediately as the sale of the DE forms ends on the same date with the UTME’s.
He said: “It has come to our knowledge that a lot of candidates are not aware of the sale of the Direct Entry forms, which we have advertised.
“We are calling on desirous candidates to please register their profile and obtain the pins from the vending platforms.
“Candidates who want to apply to institutions through DE must note that the sale of the forms started same date as the UTME’s and would end on the same date, which is on February 6.
“This form can be obtained through the same process as the UTME forms.
“It could be purchased through vending commercial banks, Mobile Money Operators, interswitch, NIPOST and Remita.”
Benjamin, however, said candidates should ensure they disclose at the point of obtaining e-pins the exact pins they are paying for, that is, Direct Entry or UTME as some unknowingly purchase Direct Entry instead of UTME and vice-versa.