(JAMB. Photo Credit: The Sun Nigeria)
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has warned prospective students against accepting admission offers processed outside its Central Admissions Processing System, CAPS, describing such admissions as illegal and potentially unrecognised.
According to the Board, only candidates whose admissions go through CAPS and come with an official JAMB admission letter will be considered properly admitted, warning that anyone who accepts so-called “backdoor” admissions risks being left off the official matriculation list, which serves as the definitive record of legitimate students.
Speaking at the 2026 Annual Education Summit of the Education Correspondents Association of Nigeria, ECAN, in Abuja, JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, represented by the Board’s Public Communication Adviser, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, said institutions that admit students outside the approved system are acting unlawfully.
He explained that once a candidate accepts admission through CAPS and prints out the letter, their details are automatically included on JAMB’s matriculation list.
He stated plainly that being duly admitted requires printing a JAMB admission letter, and that any admission granted by an institution through unofficial channels, without proper JAMB documentation, amounts to an illegal admission.
He further stressed that universities are barred from admitting students beyond their approved carrying capacity, noting that any admissions exceeding the set quota would be deemed invalid.
Using an example, he explained that if a programme is approved for 50 students, admitting a 51st candidate renders that extra admission illegal, since the name would not appear on the matriculation list.
JAMB also urged candidates to confirm the legitimacy of their admissions and steer clear of institutions that circumvent the official process.
The Board additionally advised students to protect their SIM cards, describing them as critical identity tools within Nigeria’s computer-based examination system, warning that losing control of one’s SIM card could mean losing access to everything tied to that identity.
Meanwhile, the National Universities Commission, NUC, announced plans to tighten oversight of universities through post-matriculation inspections aimed at ensuring compliance with approved admission quotas.
The Commission said it intends to visit universities after every matriculation exercise to confirm that institutions have not exceeded their approved limits, describing it as part of efforts to curb abuse.
The NUC also revealed plans to step up monitoring of Artificial Intelligence use within universities, with the goal of promoting its ethical and responsible adoption in teaching, learning and research.