By John Umeh
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced an extension of the 2025 admission deadline for all public universities across Nigeria, moving the closing date from October 31 to Monday, November 17, 2025.
In a statement issued by its Public Communication Adviser, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the board explained that the decision became necessary due to unforeseen challenges that disrupted the smooth completion of the admission process in some institutions.
According to JAMB, the extension follows two major developments. First, the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (AVCNU) requested additional time after a court order temporarily halted the 2025/2026 admission process, an injunction that was only lifted on October 28, 2025.
Secondly, the National Universities Commission (NUC) recently granted accreditation for 229 new academic programmes across 37 universities on October 29, 2025, prompting the need for extra time to process admissions into these newly approved courses.
JAMB emphasized that this extension aims to promote fairness and inclusivity, ensuring that no qualified candidate is unfairly excluded due to administrative or legal delays.
The board also noted that the adjustment affects only public universities, as private universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and innovation enterprise institutions still have until December 31, 2025, to complete their own admissions.
While commending universities that met the initial October 31 deadline, JAMB made it clear that November 17, 2025, is the final and non-negotiable deadline for public university admissions. All institutions have been urged to adhere strictly to the new schedule.
