Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has revealed that Lagos State University (LASU) emerged as the most preferred institution among candidates in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, recording the highest number of first-choice applications nationwide.
The figures were unveiled on Monday during the 2026 policy meeting organised by JAMB in Abuja, where the board presented statistics on candidates’ admission preferences across tertiary institutions.
According to the data, LASU attracted 84,426 first-choice applications for the 2026 admission cycle, accounting for 3.76 per cent of total applications submitted by candidates across the country.
University of Lagos placed second with 78,240 applications, while Obafemi Awolowo University secured third position after recording 60,370 applications.
The statistics also showed that University of Ibadan received 58,895 applications to rank fourth, ahead of University of Benin, which recorded 55,425 applications.
Nnamdi Azikiwe University came sixth with 54,085 applications, while University of Ilorin followed closely with 52,514 applications.
Further details presented at the meeting showed that University of Nigeria recorded 51,660 applications to occupy the eighth position on the list.
Federal University Oye-Ekiti and University of Port Harcourt completed the top 10 ranking with 48,272 and 48,199 applications respectively.
JAMB said the latest application pattern reflects shifting admission interests among candidates, with some institutions that traditionally dominated the ranking losing ground in the 2026 admission cycle.
