The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has extended the deadline for all federal and state universities to complete their 2025/2026 admission exercise to Monday, November 17, 2025.
The decision, announced in Abuja on Sunday, November 2, 2025, followed appeals from university administrators and stakeholders seeking more time to finalise admission processes disrupted by legal and administrative delays.
According to JAMB, the extension became necessary after a recent court order directed institutions to maintain the status quo on admission lists until October 28, 2025.
The situation slowed updates on the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) across several universities.
The board clarified that the new timeline applies only to public universities, while private universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education are expected to complete their admissions by November 30 and December 31, 2025, respectively.
JAMB warned that the new timelines are final and must be strictly observed, adding that no further extensions will be granted.
It also urged institutions to ensure transparency, fairness, and full compliance with CAPS regulations throughout the process.
The National Universities Commission (NUC) recently approved 229 new academic programmes for various institutions, a development JAMB said contributed to the delayed processing of admission lists.
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Education experts have described the extension as pragmatic, noting that it allows universities to resolve verification issues and reduces administrative pressure on institutions and applicants alike.
“This extension provides crucial breathing room for universities still dealing with verification and data validation,” said a senior official at the University of Lagos who preferred not to be named.
“It’s better to delay slightly and maintain accuracy than rush and make avoidable errors.”
As of October 2025, JAMB records show that over 1.9 million candidates participated in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for the 2025/2026 session, with admission processing ongoing on the CAPS platform.