Reps urge JAMB to extend varsity admission deadline

The House of Representatives Committee has called on the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board to extend the deadline for admissions into public and private universities for the 2026/2027 academic session.

The Chairman, House Committee on Basic Education, Oboku Oforji, made the appeal on Wednesday while addressing journalists at the National Assembly in Abuja, warning that the tight admission schedule could deny qualified candidates the opportunity to secure placement in tertiary institutions.

He said an extension would give universities more time to process outstanding applications and admission offers, while allowing prospective students who had yet to secure admission to pursue their educational ambitions.

“It is important that JAMB extend the deadline for the admission of our children across the country. I think it is very important that I appeal to the leadership of JAMB. We have also formally reached out to them to appeal to them, and I believe we are together in this journey for the betterment of education in our country,” the lawmaker said.

Oforji expressed satisfaction with the willingness of young Nigerians to pursue higher education, saying their commitment should be matched with measures to ensure that deserving candidates were not shut out of the admission process because of time constraints.

“I am particularly happy with the commitment of the children and their level of willingness to go to school. In recognition of this commitment, I think it is important for JAMB to immediately extend the deadline for the admission of our children across the country,” he added.

The lawmaker called for closer cooperation among JAMB, university authorities and other stakeholders to address delays in the admission process and ensure that qualified applicants had a fair opportunity to secure places.

Under the timetable cited by the board, public universities are expected to conclude admissions by October 31, private universities by November 30, while other tertiary institutions have until December 31, 2026.

The deadline for public universities has raised concerns about the time available to complete outstanding admission procedures, particularly for candidates who are yet to receive offers.

The admission exercise was also disrupted by the temporary unavailability of JAMB’s Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), the platform through which institutions process admissions and candidates monitor and accept offers.

Following the restoration of the platform, JAMB directed institutions to intensify their admission processes and advised candidates to accept offers promptly to meet the approved timelines.

In a statement, the board said all admissions for the 2026/2027 academic session were expected to be concluded by December 31, 2026.

“With CAPS now fully operational, institutions are expected to intensify their admission processes, while candidates are equally advised to promptly accept admission offers made to them. This is necessary to ensure that the agreed admission timelines are met,” the board said.

JAMB added that it was taking steps to strengthen the resilience, stability and reliability of the platform.

Oforji said he had formally communicated his request to the board and expressed hope that it would consider an extension in the interest of students and the education sector.