JAMB is setting up a new UTME exam centre in Ottawa, Canada, starting in 2027 to help diaspora Nigerians write exams easily.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board(JAMB) has shared a fresh plan that will bring huge relief to many families living outside the country.
The examination body has revealed that it wants to set up a brand new Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination venue in Ottawa, which is the capital city of Canada. This new arrangement is expected to start working fully by the year 2027.
With this new setup, young Nigerians and other qualified students living in Canada and around North America will no longer need to spend huge money on flight tickets or take long journeys back to Nigeria just to write the university entrance test.
The board explained that establishing the center in Ottawa will make things much smoother for candidates who want to enter Nigerian universities, polytechnics, or colleges of education without leaving where they reside overseas.
This big step came into the open following an official working visit made by the leadership of the board to the Nigerian High Commission located in Ottawa, Canada.
During the meetings, both sides’ representatives sat down to talk about how to make higher education in Nigeria easily accessible to children of citizens living far away from home.
The idea will help strengthen the bond between foreign-based Nigerians and the school system back home.
Speaking on the official social media page of the board, the management stated clearly that “The proposed centre will make it easier for eligible Nigerians in Canada and across North America to sit for the UTME without travelling to Nigeria solely for the examination”.
The examination board went further to explain the deep reason behind the decision, writing that “It also represents a bigger opportunity to strengthen the connection between Nigerians in the diaspora and Nigerian tertiary education”.
The board added that the initiative is “part of its broader efforts to take Nigerian tertiary education to the global community”.
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Before this development, JAMB had already set up exam centres in several other foreign nations, including the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Ghana, Benin Republic, Ivory Coast, and Cameroon.
The upcoming venue in Ottawa will further expand this global list, making it easier for candidates across the American continent to participate in the annual computer testing exercise.
Parents and community members in the diaspora have frequently voiced how stressful and expensive it is to send teenage children down to Nigeria just to sit for an exam that lasts only a few hours.
The management of the board assured the public that all necessary technical facilities and computer networks will be put in place before the 2027 start date so that the exams in Canada will run without any internet or technical glitches.
More detailed rules and guidelines on how candidates in North America can register for the 2027 exercise will be announced to the general public as the start year draws closer.
Jennifer Baba is a journalist, international news correspondent, and writer at Moderncrux, where she covers artificial intelligence, fintech, emerging technologies, global politics, and international affairs. Based in Nigeria, she is passionate about transforming complex global developments into clear, engaging stories that inform and inspire readers.
