The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has officially launched the accreditation of centres for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), marking an essential phase in the preparations for the nationwide exam.

JAMB, which oversees admissions into tertiary institutions in Nigeria, emphasized that this accreditation is mandatory for both new and existing Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres.

The Board’s Director of Communications, Dr Fabian Benjamin, outlined the steps in a statement.

He highlighted the significance of ensuring the centres meet strict standards to deliver a seamless examination experience.

New centres seeking approval must first visit JAMB’s official website to access the detailed requirements for establishing a CBT centre.

These include technical specifications, infrastructure needs, and operational guidelines.

Additionally, interested centres must formally notify JAMB in writing of their intent to participate in the accreditation process.

Letters should be addressed to the Registrar of JAMB through the respective Zonal Director or State Coordinator in the centre’s location.

For centres that were accredited and participated in the 2024 UTME without any reported issues, the process is more straightforward.

These centres are required to register their interest via JAMB’s Centre Management System (CMS) Portal.

The portal serves as a hub for all interactions related to the accreditation exercise, enabling seamless communication between JAMB and the centres.

To ensure readiness for the physical accreditation exercise, JAMB has introduced an Autobot/Autotest system.

This automated test is designed to evaluate the technical and operational capabilities of the centres.

According to JAMB, this test is a non-negotiable step, and only centres that pass it will proceed to the next stage of the accreditation process.

Centres that fail to meet the required standards during the Autobot/Autotest phase will be excluded from the physical accreditation, scheduled for December 2024.

During the physical accreditation, JAMB officials will visit qualifying centres to inspect their facilities, including the availability of functional computers, a reliable internet connection, and adequate security measures.

Centres that meet the rigorous requirements will be approved and included in the 2025 UTME registration and examination process.