The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has extended the deadline for the 2025 admissions exercise in public universities from October 31 to November 17, 2025.
The board announced the extension in a statement issued by its Public Communication Adviser, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, explaining that the decision was prompted by unforeseen challenges that disrupted the timely completion of the admission process in some institutions.
JAMB recalled that during the 2025 Policy Meeting on Admissions held on July 18, 2025, and chaired by the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, the board had initially set October 31 as the deadline for all public universities to conclude their admissions.
According to the board, the timeline was deliberately structured to give room for other tertiary institutions, including private universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and innovation enterprise institutions to finalise their respective admissions ahead of the national closing date of December 31, 2025.
While commending universities that had worked diligently to meet the original deadline, JAMB said the extension became necessary for two key reasons.
First, it followed an appeal from the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (AVCNU) after a court order temporarily halted the 2025/2026 admission process, a restriction that was only lifted on October 28, 2025.
Second, the National Universities Commission (NUC) recently granted accreditation to 229 new academic programmes across 37 universities on October 29, 2025, necessitating fresh admission schedules for those newly approved courses.
“In light of these developments, and to ensure fairness and inclusiveness, the Board hereby extends the deadline for the completion of 2025 public university admissions to Monday, November 17, 2025,” the statement read in part.
Dr. Benjamin stressed that the new date was final and binding, urging all institutions to comply fully.
“While expressing appreciation to all universities for their cooperation and effort toward meeting the earlier target, the Board wishes to emphasise that this new deadline must be strictly adhered to,” he added.
JAMB reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring a transparent, credible, and seamless admission process that aligns with national education goals while respecting the autonomy of individual institutions.