By Elizabeth Godwin
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has ordered all Nigerian tertiary institutions to conclude the 2025 admission process by the end of the year, setting strict deadlines for universities and colleges nationwide.
In its weekly bulletin released on Monday, the board said public universities must complete admissions by October 31, 2025, while private universities have until November 30, 2025. All other institutions, whether public or private, are required to finalise admissions by December 31, 2025.
The directive follows resolutions from the 2025 Policy Meeting on Admissions chaired by the Minister of Education. JAMB explained that the move is aimed at stabilising the academic calendar and ensuring fairness in access to admission slots.
“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 board said, stressing that all processes must end within the prescribed timelines. Institutions conducting post-UTME screenings were also directed to complete them promptly.
The 2025 admission cycle comes after the release of this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results in May. The UTME, scored over 400 marks, assesses candidates in four subjects, with English compulsory and three others chosen based on their proposed course of study.
JAMB data shows that between 2020 and 2024, over 8.9 million candidates sat for the exam, yet only about 2.7 million secured admission into universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. This left more than six million stranded, many of whom were forced to re-register in subsequent years.
Education stakeholders have long lamented the mismatch between the growing number of applicants and the limited spaces available in Nigerian tertiary institutions. Public universities in particular face challenges ranging from funding gaps to frequent strike actions, which often disrupt academic calendars and prolong admission processes.
Analysts say JAMB’s new deadlines could help streamline admissions and provide clearer timelines for students. However, they caution that without expanding institutional capacity, the chronic issue of oversubscription will continue to frustrate millions of qualified applicants.
JAMB urged institutions to comply with the schedule, warning that any delay in concluding admissions may attract sanctions.
