The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has warned all newly established, upgraded, and adopted tertiary institutions against engaging in illegal admissions, insisting that all admissions must be conducted via the Central Admission Processing System (CAPS).
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, who issued the warning on Monday during an interactive session with principal officers of the affected institutions, declared that there would be no room for regularisation by the Board of any admissions conducted through the backdoor.
He urged them to ensure that all admissions are conducted through CAPS and strictly adhere to due process, noting that CAPS ensures transparency, fairness, and integrity in admissions.
“CAPS ensures transparency, fairness, and integrity in admissions. Any institution attempting to bypass this platform risks nullifying such admissions,” Oloyede said.
He added, “As a result of your coming on board late in the session, JAMB deemed it fit to hold an interactive session to introduce you to the regulatory framework guiding admission processing on the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), as well as the operations of the Integrated Brochure and Syllabus System (IBASS).”
Oloyede called for full compliance from over 80 new institutions recently approved by the Federal Government to the admission procedures.
The registrar explained that CAPS, introduced in 2017, automates and standardises the admission process, while the Integrated Brochure and Syllabus System (IBASS), launched in 2018, facilitates clear communication and programme eligibility checks.
According to him, both platforms, now upgraded with institutional mail services, serve as JAMB’s sole official communication channels.
The JAMB Registrar applauded the Federal Government, under President Bola Tinubu, for its commitment to expanding access to tertiary education, citing the approval of 22 new universities, 33 new polytechnics and monotechnics, and 12 new colleges of education across the country between late 2024 and 2025.
He noted that while CAPS and IBASS accounts had been created for these institutions, only programmes cleared by the National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) would be activated.
Oloyede also outlined the proper procedures for onboarding candidates, stressing that institutions must nominate designated officers to manage CAPS and IBASS access.
“JAMB will provide full technical support, but compliance is non-negotiable. Institutions must avoid shortcuts. There’s no justification for admitting students through the backdoor,” he added.
A live demonstration of the CAPS and IBASS systems followed the session to acquaint the institutions with their operational protocols.
The Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, Prof William Qurix, told newsmen that the meeting was to acquaint heads of institutions with the workings and operations of CAPS and IBASS, through which the institutions can communicate and interact with JAMB.
Qurix disclosed that some candidates had already registered for JAMB before some new universities or polytechnics, which are now just being approved or established.
According to him, such institutions would normally find it difficult to secure candidates to come to them.
“But this process has been clarified for us, and we are quite enlightened. JAMB gave us assurances of prompt responses to any enquiries that might come from the heads of institutions, through their CAPS or IBASS systems. So, definitely this meeting has enlightened us, and it will have a great impact,” he said.
Earlier, the Director of Colleges at the Ministry of Education, Dr Uche Uba, noted that there were certain criteria set by the National Universities Commission (NUC) that must be followed by the new institutions.
Uba urged the colleges of education upgraded to dual mode to meet with officials of the NUC to familiarise themselves with the criteria.
“So, I advise the colleges of education, please, try to meet with them. The last time we called NUC, only seven out of 15 reported to them. Please, it’s very, very important. And NUC must carry out resource verification. Because you are now standing alone. It’s not the one you did before,” she said.
On his part, the Executive Secretary of the NCCE, Prof Paulinus Okwelle, commended JAMB for its efforts to establish a seamless admission process for tertiary institutions.
“JAMB has introduced cutting-edge technology and innovative approaches, seen at the beginning from when students apply for university admission, take graduate exams, and then get admitted to progress. The measures they are putting in place are very straightforward,” he said.
Okwelle encouraged the new colleges of education approved to run dual-mode systems (Degrees and National Certificates of Education) to follow the prescribed processes for admission to remain competitive.
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