By DAYO ADESULU
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has extended the deadline for candidates offered admission between 2021 and 2026 to either accept or reject their outstanding admission offers.
The new deadline is Wednesday, September 30, 2026, giving affected candidates a final opportunity to regularise the status of their admissions on the JAMB portal.
JAMB had previously fixed Monday, August 31, 2026, as the deadline for candidates offered admission from 2021 to date to indicate whether they intended to accept or reject their offers.
The Board said the extension was granted to enable all affected candidates, including those with regular and CUIIA admission offers, to take the necessary action before the new deadline.
JAMB Urges Candidates to Act Before September 30
In a statement announcing the extension, JAMB advised candidates with pending admission offers not to wait until the final day before taking action.
The Board warned that failure to accept or reject an outstanding admission offer within the stipulated period would have consequences for the status of the admission.
Candidates who accept their admission offers will be able to proceed to print and obtain their admission letters.
On the other hand, candidates who reject their offers will have their dashboards reverted to “Not Admitted.” According to JAMB, this will allow the Board to update its records and ensure that its national admission data accurately reflects each candidate’s current status.
What Candidates With Old Admissions Should Do
JAMB also addressed candidates who are no longer studying at the institutions where they were previously offered admission.
Candidates who have moved to another institution or are currently enrolled in a programme different from the one attached to their previous admission may still accept the outstanding offer and subsequently apply for the appropriate correction or deletion of the admission, where applicable.
The process will enable JAMB to properly update the candidate’s admission status and records.
Similarly, candidates who are currently pursuing a second degree but still have an unaccepted admission offer from a previous admission exercise may reject the outstanding offer and continue with their current programme.
2026 Admission Candidates Have Nothing to Fear
JAMB further clarified that candidates who have received admission during the 2026 admission exercise but still have an earlier admission offer pending should not be worried about the status of their current admission.
The Board said such candidates may reject their previous admission offers, adding that doing so will not have any adverse effect on their 2026 admission.
The clarification is expected to ease concerns among candidates who may have been unsure whether rejecting an earlier admission could affect their newly offered admission.
No Further Extension After September 30
JAMB described the new deadline as a final opportunity for all affected candidates to clearly indicate whether they wish to accept or reject their outstanding admission offers.
The Board said the extension would also help it maintain accurate, current and reliable national admission records.
However, JAMB stressed that there would be no further opportunity after Wednesday, September 30, 2026.
At the expiration of the deadline, all outstanding admission offers issued from 2021 to date that have neither been accepted nor rejected will automatically be reverted to “Not Admitted” status.
The status will remain on the Board’s records.
JAMB Admission Deadline: What Candidates Need to Know
Affected candidates are therefore strongly advised to log into their JAMB profiles and take the required action immediately rather than waiting until the final day.
JAMB also reminded candidates that failure to accept an admission offer within the stipulated period will render the offer invalid.
The latest extension is particularly important for candidates with old admission offers who may have changed institutions, switched programmes, commenced another degree or simply failed to respond to their earlier admission offers.
By requiring candidates to either accept or reject these outstanding offers, JAMB is seeking to clean up its admission records and ensure that its database reflects the actual academic status of candidates.
The Board urged all affected candidates to take advantage of the extension before the September 30, 2026 deadline.
Announcer: Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB)
Why This Matters
The JAMB admission deadline extension provides affected candidates with one final chance to regularise old admission offers dating from 2021 to 2026.
Candidates who ignore the directive risk having their outstanding offers automatically changed to “Not Admitted” on JAMB’s records after September 30.
Those with current 2026 admissions should also note that rejecting a previous outstanding admission will not affect their new 2026 admission, according to JAMB.
FAQs
What is the new JAMB deadline for accepting or rejecting old admission offers?
The new and final deadline is Wednesday, September 30, 2026.
Which admission years are affected?
The directive covers outstanding admission offers from 2021 to date, including the 2026 admission period.
What happens if I accept my old admission offer?
Candidates who accept their admission offers will be able to proceed to print and obtain their admission letters.
What happens if I reject my old admission?
Your JAMB dashboard will be reverted to “Not Admitted,” allowing JAMB to update its admission records.
I already received admission in 2026 but have an old admission offer. Will rejecting the old offer affect me?
No. JAMB said rejecting the previous admission offer will have no adverse effect on a candidate’s 2026 admission.
What happens if I do nothing before September 30?
JAMB said all outstanding admission offers from 2021 to date that remain neither accepted nor rejected will automatically revert to “Not Admitted” status.
Will JAMB extend the deadline again?
JAMB has described September 30, 2026, as the final opportunity and said there will be no further opportunity after the deadline.
Conclusion
Candidates with outstanding JAMB admission offers should not delay action. The extension from August 31 to September 30, 2026, gives affected candidates additional time to accept or reject their offers and ensure that their admission records accurately reflect their current status.
With JAMB warning that there will be no further opportunity after the new deadline, candidates are advised to act before the September 30 deadline rather than risk losing the opportunity to regularise their admission status.
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