The House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education has appealed to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to extend the deadline for the 2026/2027 university admission exercise following a reported 96-hour disruption of the platform used to process admission offers.
The committee warned that the tight admission schedule, particularly for public universities facing an October 31 deadline, could leave qualified candidates at risk of missing admission opportunities if institutions are unable to complete pending processes in time.
The committee’s chairman, Hon. Oboku Oforji, made the appeal while speaking with journalists at the National Assembly in Abuja on Wednesday, disclosing that a formal request had been sent to JAMB for an extension.
He said the request was aimed at giving universities more time to process outstanding applications and ensuring that prospective students were not penalised by delays in the admission process.
Oforji stressed that candidates’ willingness to pursue higher education should be matched with a system that gives them a fair opportunity to secure admission.
“It is important that JAMB extend the deadline for the admission of our children across the country,” he said, expressing hope that the board would consider the appeal in the interest of students and the country’s education sector.
The intervention follows the temporary unavailability of JAMB’s Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), the platform used by tertiary institutions to process admissions and by candidates to monitor and accept offers. The system was reportedly down for about 96 hours before it was restored.
The disruption has added pressure to an admission exercise already working against a tight timetable, especially in public universities, where the deadline is only days away.
After restoring the platform, JAMB directed institutions to accelerate their admission activities to recover lost time. It also urged candidates to accept offers promptly to enable institutions to meet the approved schedule.
In its restoration notice, the board stated that admissions for the 2026/2027 academic session were expected to be concluded by December 31, 2026.
“With CAPS now fully operational, institutions are expected to intensify their admission processes, while candidates are equally advised to promptly accept admission offers made to them,” JAMB said.
The board also said it was taking steps to improve the resilience, stability and reliability of the admission platform.
Under the existing timetable, public universities are expected to conclude admissions by October 31, private universities by November 30, while other tertiary institutions have until December 31, 2026.
The different deadlines leave public universities with the most immediate pressure to process pending applications, issue offers and allow candidates sufficient time to respond.
