The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has extended the deadline for candidates with outstanding admission offers from the 2021 to 2025 admission exercises to November 30, 2026.
The Board said the extension followed the temporary unavailability of its Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) for approximately 96 hours, giving affected candidates additional time to update their admission records.
JAMB had earlier fixed September 30, 2026, as the deadline for candidates offered admission between 2021 and 2025 to either accept or reject their outstanding offers.
However, following the recent disruption to the CAPS platform, the Board’s management approved November 30, 2026, as the final deadline for candidates in this category to indicate their decisions.
The Board warned that candidates who fail to accept or reject their outstanding admission offers by the new deadline will no longer be permitted to do so within the current window. Any subsequent request to update an admission record relating to the affected years will attract the applicable penalty fee.
JAMB explained that the intervention was particularly important for candidates whose admissions were not reflected on the matriculation list, noting that such candidates could encounter difficulties accessing benefits associated with properly documented admissions, including participation in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.
Candidates who accept their outstanding admission offers will be able to proceed to print their admission letters, while those who reject their offers will have their dashboards reverted to “Not Admitted”.
The Board said this would enable it to update its records and ensure that the national admission database accurately reflects candidates’ current admission status.
JAMB also clarified that candidates who are no longer studying at the institution where they were previously offered admission, or who are currently studying a different programme, may accept the outstanding admission and subsequently apply for the appropriate correction or deletion of the previous admission where applicable.
Similarly, candidates currently pursuing a second degree but who still have an unaccepted admission offer from a previous admission exercise may reject the outstanding offer and continue with their current programme.
The Board further reassured candidates who have received admission for the 2026 admission exercise but still have an outstanding offer from an earlier year that rejecting the previous admission will not affect their 2026 admission.
JAMB said the extension would not only account for the period during which CAPS was unavailable but would also provide a final opportunity for affected candidates to clearly indicate whether they wish to accept or reject their outstanding offers.
According to the Board, all outstanding admission offers from the 2021 to 2025 admission exercises that remain neither accepted nor rejected by November 30, 2026, will automatically revert to “Not Admitted” status on its records.
The statement was signed by Fabian Benjamin, Ph.D., Ag. Director, Public Affairs and Protocol (PAP), JAMB.
The Board urged all affected candidates to take immediate action and warned that failure to accept an admission offer within the stipulated period may render the offer invalid.
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