By Iroyin Yoruba Television
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has extended the deadline for candidates with outstanding admission offers from the 2021 to 2025 admission exercises to either accept or reject those offers on its Central Admissions Processing System.
The new deadline is November 30, 2026, giving affected candidates an additional two months to resolve their outstanding admission records.
JAMB announced the extension on Wednesday after the Central Admissions Processing System, known as CAPS, experienced a temporary disruption that left the platform unavailable for about 96 hours.
The Board said the additional time was approved to ensure that candidates affected by the disruption have another opportunity to update their admission status.
NEW DEADLINE SET FOR NOVEMBER 30
JAMB had previously set September 30, 2026, as the deadline for candidates with outstanding admission offers from earlier admission exercises to indicate whether they wanted to accept or reject the offers.
With the latest extension, affected candidates now have until November 30 to complete the process.
The Board described the new date as the final deadline for candidates in this category.
Candidates who fail to take action before the deadline will have their outstanding offers revert to “Not Admitted” on JAMB's records.
The Board has advised candidates not to wait until the final days before checking their admission status.
CANDIDATES MUST CHECK THEIR CAPS ACCOUNTS
Candidates affected by the directive are expected to log into their CAPS accounts and determine whether they still want to accept or reject their outstanding admission offers.
Those who accept an offer will be able to proceed with the process of obtaining and printing their official admission letters.
Candidates who reject an offer will have their CAPS records updated accordingly.
The process is important because JAMB's admission records are used to establish whether a candidate has a properly documented admission.
WHY THE DEADLINE WAS EXTENDED
The extension followed a temporary disruption of CAPS that lasted approximately 96 hours.
The system is central to Nigeria's tertiary admission process and allows candidates and institutions to interact with JAMB's admission records.
The disruption meant that some candidates could not access their outstanding admission offers during the previous deadline period.
JAMB therefore approved the additional two-month window to provide affected candidates with another opportunity to complete the required process.
The Board said the intervention would also help improve the accuracy of its national admission records.
WHAT HAPPENS IF A CANDIDATE DOES NOTHING
JAMB has warned that outstanding offers from the 2021 to 2025 admission exercises that remain neither accepted nor rejected after November 30 will automatically revert to “Not Admitted” on its records.
The Board also said any subsequent request to update an admission record relating to those previous years would attract the applicable penalty fee.
Candidates who have left the institution where an earlier admission was offered, or who are now studying a different programme, are also expected to properly resolve the old admission record.
Depending on their circumstances, they may accept the previous offer and subsequently apply for the appropriate correction or deletion.
CANDIDATES WITH 2026 ADMISSIONS
JAMB also clarified the situation for candidates who have already received admission for the 2026 academic session but still have an outstanding offer from an earlier year.
Such candidates can reject the previous admission offer without affecting their current 2026 admission.
This clarification is important for students who may have changed institutions or programmes after receiving an earlier admission offer.
The Board wants such candidates to ensure that their admission records accurately reflect their current academic position.
IMPORTANCE OF ACCURATE ADMISSION RECORDS
JAMB said the extension is particularly important for candidates whose admissions are not properly reflected on the national matriculation list.
Accurate admission records can affect a candidate's access to certain benefits associated with tertiary education.
The Board specifically noted that properly documented admission records can be relevant to participation in the National Youth Service Corps scheme.
Resolving outstanding admission offers therefore goes beyond simply updating a CAPS dashboard. It can also help ensure that a student's official academic record is correctly documented.
JAMB URGES IMMEDIATE ACTION
The Board has advised all affected candidates to take action as soon as possible rather than waiting until the November deadline.
Candidates should log into their CAPS accounts, review any outstanding offers and indicate whether they intend to accept or reject them.
They should also ensure that their personal and admission information is correctly reflected in the system.
Waiting until the final days could create additional difficulties if a candidate encounters technical problems or requires assistance with an admission record.
IMPACT ON THE 2026/2027 ADMISSION EXERCISE
The development comes as Nigerian tertiary institutions continue processing admissions for the 2026/2027 academic session.
JAMB recently restored CAPS following the temporary disruption and urged institutions to accelerate their admission processes.
The Board has set different completion deadlines for institutions depending on their category, meaning candidates are currently navigating both ongoing 2026/2027 admissions and the resolution of older admission offers.
The latest extension is specifically for outstanding offers from the 2021 to 2025 admission exercises and should not be confused with the deadlines governing the current 2026/2027 admission exercise.
WHAT AFFECTED CANDIDATES SHOULD DO
Candidates with outstanding offers from 2021 to 2025 should check their CAPS accounts and confirm whether an old admission offer remains unresolved.
If they want the admission, they should accept it before November 30.
If they no longer want the admission because they have moved to another institution or programme, they should reject it or follow the appropriate procedure for correcting their admission record.
Candidates who have already secured 2026 admission should also take note that rejecting an older outstanding offer will not affect their current admission, according to JAMB.
FINAL DEADLINE
The new November 30 deadline gives affected candidates additional time, but JAMB has warned that it should be treated as the final opportunity under the current window.
After that date, unresolved offers from the 2021 to 2025 admission exercises will revert to “Not Admitted” on JAMB's records.
The Board is therefore urging candidates to check their CAPS accounts immediately and complete the required action.
For students with unresolved admission records, the extension provides additional time to regularise their status and ensure that their official admission information is properly reflected in Nigeria's national tertiary education database.