The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has set a final deadline of September 30, 2026, for candidates with pending admission offers from 2021 to 2026 to accept or reject them. The extension follows the earlier cutoff of August 31, 2026, which has passed. Candidates who do not act before the new date will have their offers cancelled and their status changed to "Not Admitted."
The board made the announcement in a statement shared on X, warning that this is the "final opportunity" for affected candidates to decide what to do with their outstanding offers. Fabian Benjamin, the board's Acting Director of Public Affairs and Protocol, told candidates not to wait until the last day.
"Candidates with pending admission offers who have not yet accepted or rejected (regular or CUIIA) such offers are strongly advised to do so before 30 September 2026," Benjamin said.
The extension affects thousands of Nigerian students who have left old admission offers untouched. JAMB said candidates who accept their offers can proceed to print their admission letters, while those who reject them will have their dashboards reverted to "Not Admitted."
"Those who reject their offers will have their dashboards reverted to 'Not Admitted', enabling the Board to update its records and ensure that its admission data accurately reflects the current status of candidates," JAMB stated.
Candidates use the JAMB e-Facility portal to check their Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) dashboard. The process involves logging into the portal, accessing CAPS, checking if an admission offer is available, and selecting either "Accept Admission" or "Reject Admission."
JAMB also addressed candidates who have moved to another school or programme but still have an old admission offer on their profiles. The board said such candidates can accept the outstanding admission first and then apply for a correction or deletion of the admission where necessary.
"For candidates who are no longer in the institution where the previous admission was offered, or who are currently in a different programme from the one for which the previous admission was offered, such candidates may accept the outstanding admission and subsequently apply for the appropriate correction or deletion of the admission, as the case may be," JAMB said.
The board also clarified the situation for candidates currently pursuing a second degree while still holding an old unaccepted offer. They can reject the previous offer without affecting their current programme.
"Similarly, candidates who are currently pursuing a second degree but still have a previous admission offer that remains unaccepted may go ahead and reject such an offer and continue with their current programme," it said.
For candidates who recently secured admission in the 2026 exercise, rejecting an older offer will not affect their new admission. "Such candidates may reject the previous admission offer, and doing so will have no adverse effect whatsoever on their 2026 admission," the board added.
JAMB warned candidates not to assume their admission status has remained unchanged without checking their dashboards. The board shared a video explainer on its official social media platforms urging candidates to act immediately.
"If you have an admission offer, accept or reject the offer with immediate effect," JAMB stated in the video.
The board made it clear that there will be no further extensions after September 30. All outstanding admission offers from 2021 to date that remain untouched after the deadline will automatically be reverted to "Not Admitted" status.
"At the expiration of the deadline, all outstanding admission offers from 2021 to date that have neither been accepted nor rejected will automatically be reverted to 'Not Admitted' status and will remain so on the Board's records," JAMB warned.
It added that failure to accept an admission offer within the approved period would make the offer invalid. The announcement comes as JAMB continues efforts to streamline Nigeria's admission process and improve record keeping. The country's education system handles millions of applicants yearly, with Nigerian students increasingly seeking opportunities both within local universities and across institutions globally. The board said maintaining accurate admission records remains important as more Nigerians compete for educational opportunities locally and abroad.
According to Pulse.ng.
