JAMB approves extension of Public University Admissions deadline to November 17

Wednesday, November 5, 2025 - The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has approved an extension for the conclusion of the 2025 admissions process for public universities.

The deadline has been moved from the initial Friday, October 31, 2025, to Monday, November 17, 2025.

According to a statement released by the board’s Public Communication Adviser, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the decision was necessary due to emergent and compelling circumstances that were hindering the timely completion of admissions by some institutions.

This new deadline overrides the one approved at the 2025 Policy Meeting on Admissions, which had initially set the cutoff date for public universities as October 31. 

This timeline is strategically important as it allows other tertiary institutions—including private universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and innovation enterprise institutions, sufficient time to finalize their own admissions before the overall national closing date of December 31, 2025.

JAMB noted that the extension became inevitable for two primary reasons:

1. Court-Ordered Disruption: The Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (AVCNU) appealed for an extension following disruptions caused by a court order that temporarily halted the 2025/2026 admission process. This injunction was only lifted very recently, on October 28, 2025.

2. New Academic Programmes: The National Universities Commission (NUC) recently accredited 229 new academic programmes across 37 universities on October 29, 2025. This development necessitated a fresh schedule for admissions into these newly approved courses.

The board stressed that this extension is crucial to ensure fairness and inclusiveness for all prospective students.

While commending the institutions that worked hard to meet the initial deadline, JAMB emphasized that this new date of Monday, November 17, 2025, is final and binding. All public universities are urged to ensure full compliance.

Dr. Benjamin reaffirmed that JAMB remains committed to maintaining a transparent and credible admission process that supports national education goals while respecting the autonomy of the institutions.