Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has reaffirmed that public universities must conclude their admission processes for the 2026/2027 academic session by October 31, 2026.
Gatekeepers News reports that the board restated the deadline in a statement on Monday, following a temporary disruption to its Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS). JAMB said the October deadline remains “sacrosanct” and urged institutions to accelerate their admission processes.
The deadline was agreed at the 2026 JAMB policy meeting on admissions into tertiary institutions. Under the approved schedule, private universities have until November 30, 2026, to conclude admissions, while other tertiary institutions, including polytechnics, colleges of education and monotechnics, have until December 31, 2026.
JAMB also advised candidates to promptly accept admission offers made to them through CAPS as the admission exercise intensifies.
The board’s directive comes as institutions continue processing applications, screening candidates and making admission recommendations for the new academic session.
JAMB’s official website lists 150 as the minimum admissible score for university admission for the 2026/2027 session, while the minimum age for admission remains 16.
The board said the admission timeline was agreed upon by stakeholders to ensure that institutions conduct their admission exercises within an approved and coordinated schedule.
