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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is strengthening identity verification for candidates ahead of the 2027 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), with facial/image capture and biometric authentication remaining central to the registration process.
Prospective 2027 UTME candidates are already seeing preparations for the next examination cycle, as JAMB has published a list of 2027 approved registration centres on its official Centre Management System.
The development has renewed attention on JAMB’s use of facial and biometric technologies to establish the identity of candidates and tackle impersonation and examination malpractice.
Facial capturing: What exactly is changing?
Candidates should note that facial or image capturing is not completely new to JAMB.
The Board’s existing registration guidelines require a candidate’s photograph and all 10 fingerprints to be captured at an accredited CBT centre. JAMB also requires biometric authentication before a candidate’s registration slip is printed.
JAMB’s 2026 training manual went further by requiring participating CBT centres to use approved live cameras to capture a second image of candidates during registration.
According to the manual, the live-camera requirement was introduced to minimise manipulation of candidates’ photographs detected during previous registration exercises.
Therefore, reports describing the 2027 exercise as the year JAMB is “introducing facial capturing” should be understood in the context of an existing biometric and live-image verification system that the Board continues to strengthen.
Why is JAMB tightening facial and biometric verification?
The major objective is to prevent impersonation and substitution of candidates during examinations.
JAMB has previously warned that capturing fresh facial and fingerprint biometrics at later stages can create opportunities for substitution of candidates and examination takers.
In its policy document on curbing examination malpractice, the Board stated that fresh facial and fingerprint images could facilitate impersonation and substitution of paid examination takers. It also said it would make candidates’ images and biometric information available to relevant educational assessment bodies.
The implication is that JAMB wants the identity established during registration to remain linked to the candidate throughout the examination and admission process.
5 things 2027 UTME candidates should know
- Your face and fingerprints matter
Candidates should expect identity verification to remain an important part of registration and examination.
JAMB’s current procedure requires photograph capture and the capture of all 10 fingerprints at accredited CBT centres.
- Candidates must personally complete registration
Candidates should not hand over their registration process entirely to agents.
JAMB requires candidates to personally present their Profile Code and e-PIN at an accredited CBT centre for registration.
- Check your information before biometric authentication
Candidates are advised to carefully check their names, date of birth, gender, course and institution choices and other details before confirming the registration with their fingerprint.
JAMB states that biometric authentication is used to confirm the validity of the candidate’s fingerprint and finalise the registration.
- Use only approved CBT centres
JAMB has already published its 2027 approved registration centres, signalling that preparations for the next registration cycle are underway.
Candidates should avoid unofficial agents or centres claiming to offer special facial-capture services outside JAMB’s approved registration process.
- Do not pay for a separate “facial capture” exercise based on social-media claims
As of August 31, 2026, JAMB’s publicly available official materials do not establish a separate compulsory payment or standalone exercise described as a newly introduced “2027 facial capture.”
What the official documents establish is an existing system involving candidate photographs, live image capture and fingerprint biometrics, which JAMB continues to strengthen as part of its anti-malpractice measures.
What candidates should do now
Prospective 2027 UTME candidates should:
- Obtain and safeguard their NIN details.
- Use only their genuine identity information.
- Avoid multiple registration.
- Ensure their photograph is properly captured.
- Ensure all 10 fingerprints are captured correctly.
- Carefully verify their registration details before biometric authentication.
- Register only at JAMB-approved CBT centres.
- Follow JAMB’s official announcements rather than unverified WhatsApp, Facebook or TikTok messages.
JAMB’s official FAQ also provides procedures for candidates whose fingerprints cannot be read. Such candidates with biometric abnormalities are handled under a special arrangement by the Board.
Bottom line
The major message for 2027 UTME candidates is simple: identity verification is becoming increasingly difficult to bypass.
While facial/image capture is not entirely new to JAMB, the Board’s continued deployment of live cameras, fingerprint authentication and biometric tracking shows a clear move towards tighter candidate identification.
Candidates preparing for the 2027 UTME should therefore ensure that the identity they use during registration is accurate and genuinely theirs because their photograph, face and fingerprints are increasingly becoming part of the digital identity trail used to authenticate them.
