Nigerians living in Canada who want to pursue tertiary education in Nigeria may soon have an easier route to the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME. The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, says it is working towards establishing an examination centre in Ottawa, with the proposed facility expected to begin operations for the 2027 UTME.
The announcement matters because the UTME is a major part of the admission process for candidates seeking entry into Nigerian universities and other tertiary institutions. JAMB said the Ottawa centre would make the examination more accessible to eligible Nigerians in Canada and other parts of North America.
The plan emerged after JAMB Registrar, Professor Segun Aina, visited the Nigerian High Commission in Ottawa. The board said the initiative is intended to reduce the difficulty faced by Nigerians abroad who still want to study in Nigeria. JAMB also described it as a way of strengthening the relationship between Nigerians in the diaspora and Nigerian tertiary education.
What JAMB’s Ottawa UTME Centre Means for Candidates
The most immediate benefit is location. Instead of planning international travel around the UTME timetable, eligible Nigerians in Canada could sit the examination in Ottawa and remain in the country while moving through the Nigerian admission process.
For families, this could reduce travel expenses and the disruption of returning to Nigeria solely for an examination. It may be especially useful for young Nigerians in Canada who want to keep Nigerian tertiary institutions among their options.
JAMB, however, has not released all the operational details. The announcement does not yet provide the final address, registration dates, fees, candidate capacity or arrangements for applicants who live far from Ottawa. Those details will matter when 2027 registration begins.
The proposal is also wider than Canada alone. JAMB said the centre is expected to serve eligible candidates across North America, potentially making Ottawa a regional access point for Nigerians living outside Nigeria.
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Back Story: JAMB Already Conducts UTME Outside Nigeria
The proposed Ottawa centre would not be JAMB’s first overseas examination location. Professor Aina said the board currently conducts the UTME in about 10 foreign countries, describing the overseas examinations as a service aimed at improving access to education.
JAMB’s March 2026 bulletin listed foreign registrations from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia, Ghana, Benin Republic, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Kingdom.
The same bulletin recorded 2,243,816 registrations for the 2026 UTME, underlining the scale of an examination that serves millions of prospective tertiary students.
The registrar later explained that candidate numbers are not the main reason for establishing overseas centres. According to Punch, Aina said JAMB provides UTME access abroad to widen educational access rather than to focus primarily on revenue.
That explanation is significant because the Ottawa proposal is being presented as an access initiative rather than simply an expansion designed to attract more registration fees.
Why the Canada Plan Matters to Nigerian Education
The Ottawa proposal could become an important link between Nigeria’s tertiary education system and its diaspora. Some families may want their children to experience Nigerian higher education despite living abroad.
By bringing the UTME closer to these candidates, JAMB is effectively making the Nigerian admission system more accessible beyond Nigeria’s borders. It also reflects a practical reality of modern Nigerian families: people can live abroad while maintaining academic, professional and family links at home.
Still, the success of the initiative will depend on implementation. Candidates will need clear information about eligibility, registration, identity verification, dates, fees, examination rules and the admission steps that follow the UTME.
For now, the confirmed direction is that JAMB is working towards an Ottawa UTME centre for 2027. If the plan is implemented as announced, Nigerians in Canada and other parts of North America could have a more convenient way to sit the examination without making a special journey to Nigeria. It is a relatively small change in physical location, but it could make the Nigerian tertiary education system feel considerably closer to home for many families affected.
