JAMB unveils 2026 admission schedule, gives candidates four-week acceptance window
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released the official timetable for the 2026 tertiary admissions exercise, setting strict deadlines for institutions and introducing a four-week window for candidates to accept admission offers.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released the official timetable for the 2026 tertiary admissions exercise, setting strict deadlines for institutions and introducing a four-week window for candidates to accept admission offers.
The announcement was made during the 2026 JAMB Annual Policy Meeting on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions held in Abuja, where stakeholders agreed on the schedule aimed at ensuring a more coordinated and timely admission process across the country.
According to the resolution, public universities are required to conclude admissions on or before October 31, 2026, while private universities have until November 30, 2026. Polytechnics, monotechnics, colleges of education, and colleges of nursing are expected to complete their admissions by December 31, 2026.
JAMB warned that institutions must strictly adhere to the approved timelines or risk losing access to candidates on the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), managed through the Central Admissions Processing System.
“All institutions are to conduct their 2026 admission exercise within the approved schedule,” the board stated,
It added that failure to comply would result in affected candidates being withdrawn from the system.
“At the expiration of the period, any institution that failed to conduct its admission will no longer have the candidates on its platform on CAPS,” the board added.
The board also introduced a four-week acceptance window for candidates after admission offers are approved by institutions.
“There will be a grace period of four weeks within which all approved admissions must be accepted by the candidates.
“Failure to do so will lead to such admissions being deleted, based on the request from the institutions, and the candidates will be placed under the ‘refusal to accept category’ punishable by ineligibility to be admitted again,” JAMB stated.
It warned that candidates who fail to accept offers within the stipulated period risk losing their admission, with such cases subject to deletion upon institutional request. Affected candidates may also be classified under the “refusal to accept” category, which could render them ineligible for future admissions.
Meanwhile, competition for admission remains high, with Lagos State University emerging as the most sought-after institution in the 2026 cycle, recording 84,426 applicants.
It was followed by the University of Lagos with 78,240 applications, and Obafemi Awolowo University with 60,370 applicants. Other top institutions include the University of Ibadan, University of Benin, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, University of Ilorin, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Federal University Oye-Ekiti, and University of Port Harcourt.
JAMB said the measures are part of ongoing reforms to streamline admissions, reduce delays, and ensure transparency in the process nationwide.
