JAMB extends Public University admissions deadline to Nov.17

By Obasola Olatunde

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has extended the deadline for public universities to finalize admissions for the 2025 academic session, moving the cutoff from the original October 31 to November 17, 2025.

The decision, announced by the Board’s Public Communication Adviser, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, became necessary due to emergent and compelling circumstances affecting some institutions’ capacity to meet the initial target.

The original timeline was established during the 2025 Policy Meeting on Admissions, chaired by the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa. That schedule was designed to ensure that all private universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and innovation enterprise institutions could complete their respective admissions before the overall closing date of December 31, 2025.

However, the new extension was driven by two key developments. First, JAMB received a formal appeal from the Association of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (AVCNU).

This appeal cited disruptions caused by a court order that had temporarily halted the 2025/26 admission list, an injunction that was only lifted on October 28, 2025. Second, the National Universities Commission (NUC) recently approved 229 new programs for 37 universities under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda, and admissions into these newly accredited courses are still being scheduled and finalized.

JAMB explained that extending the deadline until Monday, November 17, 2025, ensures fairness and inclusiveness across the system.

While commending universities for their diligence and commitment to the initial timeline, the Board stressed that the new date is final and must be strictly maintained to ensure a seamless, transparent, and credible admissions process.