The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has extended the deadline for the completion of 2025 admissions into public universities to November 17, 2025, following what it described as “emergent and compelling circumstances” affecting several institutions.
In a statement signed by its Public Communication Adviser, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, JAMB said the decision was made to ensure fairness and inclusiveness across all public universities. “JAMB said it had decided to extend the admission deadline for public universities to November 17, 2025, to ensure fairness and inclusiveness across institutions,” the board stated.
JAMB Extends 2025 Public University Admissions Deadline to November 17 — the new date comes after the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, initially set October 31, 2025, as the closing date for public university admissions. The initial schedule was meant to give room for private universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education to conclude their processes before the final nationwide deadline of December 31, 2025.
Explaining the rationale behind the extension, the Board noted that the decision was anchored on two major considerations. The first was an appeal by the Association of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (AVCNU) over disruptions caused by court orders halting aspects of the admission process.
“AVCNU has specially appealed for extension due to the disruption caused by a number of factors, including a court order directing that the status quo should remain on the 2025/26 admission list, which was only clearly lifted by the same court on 28th October, 2025,” JAMB explained.
The second reason, JAMB added, was linked to newly accredited academic programmes approved by the National Universities Commission (NUC). “In a bid to expand access in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, the NUC on 29th October, 2025, released a list of 229 programmes recently accredited for 37 universities. Admission into those programmes are just being scheduled,” the statement read.
The Board expressed appreciation to institutions for their cooperation in meeting the initial target but emphasized that the new November 17 deadline would be final and strictly enforced. JAMB reaffirmed its commitment to a credible, transparent, and inclusive admission process that supports Nigeria’s education goals while safeguarding institutional autonomy and public confidence in the tertiary admissions system.
