The House of Representatives has appealed to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to extend the deadline for admissions into public and private universities for the 2026/2027 academic session.
The appeal was made on Wednesday by the Chairman of the House Committee on Basic Education, Oboku Oforji, who warned that the tight admission schedule could prevent qualified candidates from securing places in tertiary institutions.
Speaking to journalists at the National Assembly in Abuja, Oforji said an extension would give universities more time to process outstanding applications and admission offers, while providing candidates who were yet to secure admission with another opportunity to pursue their educational goals.
He said the committee had formally communicated its request to JAMB and expressed hope that the board would consider the appeal in the interest of students and the education sector.
Oforji also commended the determination of young Nigerians to pursue higher education, stressing that their commitment should be matched with measures to ensure that deserving candidates were not excluded from the admission process because of time constraints.
The lawmaker called for greater cooperation among JAMB, university authorities and other stakeholders to address
According to the admission timetable, public universities are expected to conclude their admission exercises by October 31, 2026, while private universities have until November 30. Other tertiary institutions are expected to complete their admissions by December 31, 2026.
The deadline for public universities has raised concerns among prospective students, particularly those who are yet to receive admission offers or complete the necessary procedures.
The admission process was also affected by the temporary unavailability of JAMB’s Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), the platform used by institutions to process admissions and by candidates to monitor and accept offers.
Following the restoration of the platform, JAMB directed institutions to intensify their admission processes and urged candidates to accept admission offers promptly to avoid missing the approved deadlines.
The board said all admissions for the 2026/2027 academic session were expected to be completed by December 31, 2026.
It also disclosed that steps were being taken to improve the stability, reliability and resilience of the CAPS platform.
Oforji expressed hope that JAMB would respond positively to the appeal, noting that extending the deadline would help prevent qualified candidates from losing admission opportunities because of delays in the process.
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