JAMB Extends Deadline for Acceptance of Previous Admissions to September 30

The deadline for acceptance of previous admissions on JAMB has officially been pushed to Wednesday, September 30, and if you have an unresolved offer sitting untouched since 2021 or any year since, this is worth reading before you close the tab. 

The Board has been very clear that this is the final opportunity, and there won’t be any more extensions after this.

Read on to find out exactly what changed, who it affects, and what you need to do before the deadline.

Deadline for Acceptance of Previous Admissions: What Changed

In a statement issued by the Board’s Acting Director of Public Affairs and Protocol, Dr Fabian Benjamin, JAMB confirmed it has pushed back the acceptance deadline for candidates offered admission from 2021 to date. 

The original cutoff was Monday, August 31; that date has now moved to Wednesday, September 30.

The extension covers both categories of admission offers: regular UTME-based offers and CUIIA offers – CUIIA being the Centralised University and Inter-University Admission process, which covers non-UTME routes like Direct Entry, part-time, sandwich, and distance learning programmes processed through JAMB.

The Board framed this clearly as a final window. Candidates are being told, in plain terms, that there won’t be another chance to act on these offers once the deadline passes.

What Happens If You Don’t Act

This is the part worth taking seriously. According to JAMB, any admission offer from 2021 to date that has neither been accepted nor rejected by the deadline will automatically revert to “Not Admitted” status, and it will stay that way permanently in the Board’s records.

In other words, silence isn’t a neutral option here. If you’re sitting on an old offer hoping to “decide later,” the system will decide for you once the deadline passes, and the outcome isn’t in your favour.

JAMB said the main reason for this move is to keep national admission records accurate and up to date. When admission offers are left unresolved, it makes the records less reliable. That is why the Board is treating this as a final deadline instead of extending it again.

What If You Have a New 2026 Admission Offer But an Old One Still Pending?

This is a scenario JAMB specifically addressed, because it affects more candidates than you’d think. If you’ve been offered admission in the current 2026 admission exercise but still have an older, unresolved offer sitting on your profile from a previous year, you don’t need to panic.

JAMB confirmed that such candidates may simply reject the previous admission offer, and doing so will have no adverse effect whatsoever on their 2026 admission. The two are treated independently, clearing out the old one doesn’t put your new one at risk.

The same reassurance applies if you’re currently pursuing a second degree but still have an unaccepted previous offer on file. You can reject the outstanding one and continue with your current programme without complication.

Who This Affects

This extension applies to you if:

• You were offered admission at any point from 2021 onward and never formally accepted or rejected it

• Your offer falls under either the regular JAMB admission process or the CUIIA category

• You currently have a 2026 admission offer but an older, unresolved one is still sitting on your profile

• You’re pursuing a second degree with an old, unaccepted offer still pending

How to Accept or Reject Your Admission Offer

The process happens through JAMB’s Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), accessible via your e-Facility account. Here’s how it works:

1. Log into your JAMB e-Facility portal using your registered email address and password.

2. Click “Check Admission Status” on your dashboard.

3. Enter your JAMB registration number and select the relevant exam year.

4. Click “Access my CAPS” to open your admission dashboard.

5. On mobile, switch to a desktop site. CAPS isn’t fully mobile-optimised – open your browser menu (three dots in Chrome) and select “Desktop site” if the Accept/Reject buttons aren’t showing properly.

6. Locate “Admission Status” on the left panel, then choose Accept Admission or Reject Admission as appropriate.

7. Confirm your decision when prompted. Read this step carefully, rejecting an offer is permanent and cannot be undone.

JAMB also accepts responses by SMS. Send ACCEPT or REJECT to 55019 or 66019, using the exact phone number registered on your JAMB profile – not a different number, even a family member’s.

Standard network charges apply, and it’s still worth logging into the portal afterward once you have internet access, just to confirm the action actually went through rather than relying on the SMS alone.

One detail worth knowing before you click Accept: once you accept an offer, you’re no longer available for consideration by other institutions. If you reject an offer instead, you become available again in JAMB’s admission marketplace, where other institutions with unfilled slots can potentially offer you a place.

After You Accept

If you accept your offer, the next step is printing your official JAMB admission letter directly from the portal. This document tends to come up repeatedly during school clearance, hostel applications, and registration, so it’s worth keeping both a soft copy and a printed copy on hand rather than needing to log back in every time it’s requested.

Common Issues Candidates Are Running Into

Several candidates have reported technical problems while trying to act on their offers – status pages stuck on “Not Admitted,” SMS failures, and difficulty printing admission letters after acceptance. A few things help if you hit a wall:

• Clear your browser cache and retry, or try a different browser entirely if the portal isn’t loading properly

• Double-check your bio-data and O’Level details are accurate – mismatches can quietly interfere with how your status displays

• Don’t wait until the last few days to sort out technical issues. With a hard deadline and no further extensions promised, giving yourself buffer time matters more this cycle than usual

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the deadline for acceptance of previous admissions on JAMB?

Wednesday, September 30, 2026 – extended from the original August 31 cutoff.

What happens if I don’t respond by the deadline?

Your offer automatically reverts to “Not Admitted” status and remains that way permanently on JAMB’s records.

Will this be extended again?

JAMB has stated clearly that this is the final opportunity, with no further extensions after September 30.

I have a 2026 offer but an old unresolved one too – will rejecting the old one hurt my new admission?

No. JAMB has explicitly confirmed rejecting a previous offer has no adverse effect on a current 2026 admission.

Can I still accept an offer from 2021 or 2022 this far out?

Yes – the extension covers any offer dating from 2021 to the present that remains unresolved.

Does this affect Direct Entry, part-time, or distance learning admissions?

Yes. The extension covers both regular UTME admissions and CUIIA offers, which include Direct Entry, part-time, sandwich, and distance learning programmes.

Is rejecting an offer reversible?

No. Once rejected, that specific offer is gone permanently, though you become available for other institutions with open slots.

Final Thoughts 

If you’ve got an old, unresolved JAMB offer sitting somewhere in the back of your mind, September 30 is the date to actually act on it, not decide on it. 

Log into your CAPS dashboard now, sort out your status while there’s still buffer time to deal with any technical hiccups, and don’t leave this for the final week.