JAMB Sets Strict Deadlines for 2025 University Admissions

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has directed all Nigerian universities and tertiary institutions to conclude their 2025 admissions within specific deadlines, warning that no institution will be allowed to exceed the timeline.

In its weekly bulletin released on Monday, the board announced that public universities must wrap up admissions by October 31, 2025, while private universities have until November 30, 2025. For all other institutions, whether public or private, the cut-off date is December 31, 2025.

The move, JAMB explained, was endorsed during the 2025 Policy Meeting chaired by the Minister of Education and is designed to bring stability to the academic calendar while ensuring equal access for applicants across the country.

“Following the directives issued at the 2025 Policy Meeting chaired by the Honourable Minister of Education, all tertiary institutions have been instructed to conclude their admission processes by the end of 2025 according to the schedule below:

Public universities: To complete admissions by 31st October, 2025.

Private universities: To complete admissions by 30th November, 2025.

All other institutions (public and private): complete admissions by 31st December 2025.”

Institutions have also been advised to process admissions promptly, even if they are not yet ready to commence the next academic session.

“Even where an institution is not yet ready to commence the new academic session, such an institution should conduct its admission and archive it,” the bulletin stated.

JAMB further stressed that institutions conducting post-UTME screenings must do so without delay to meet the new schedule.

“Consequently, institutions conducting post-UTME screenings are expected to conclude those exercises in good time to comply with the 2025 admissions schedule,” JAMB said.

The 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results were released in May. The exam, which carries a total score of 400 marks, includes the compulsory Use of English and three other subjects relevant to each candidate’s chosen course.

Statistics show the scale of competition for admission remains daunting. Between 2020 and 2024, over 8.9 million candidates sat for the UTME, but only about 2.7 million secured admission. This left more than six million candidates stranded, many forced to re-register and sit for the examination again in subsequent years.