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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced deadlines for the completion of the 2025/2026 admission exercise by tertiary institutions across Nigeria.
The timelines were approved during the 2026 JAMB Annual Policy Meeting on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions held in Abuja on Monday, with stakeholders agreeing on measures aimed at ensuring a more coordinated and efficient admission process.
Under the new schedule, all public universities are required to conclude admissions on or before October 31, 2026, while private universities have until November 30, 2026, to complete their admission exercises.
Polytechnics, monotechnics and colleges of education were given a later deadline of December 31, 2026, to finalise admissions.
JAMB stressed that all institutions must adhere strictly to the approved admission calendar, warning that any institution that fails to complete admissions within the stipulated period would lose access to candidates on the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS).
The board explained that candidates would no longer be available on the CAPS platform once the admission window closes for defaulting institutions.
It also introduced a four-week grace period for candidates to accept admission offers after approval by institutions.
According to JAMB, candidates who fail to accept their admission within the specified period risk losing the offer. Such admissions may be withdrawn at the request of the institutions, while affected candidates could be classified under a “refusal to accept” category, making them ineligible for future admission consideration.
The policy meeting brought together vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts and other education stakeholders to review admission procedures and promote uniformity in admission timelines across the nation’s tertiary institutions.
