The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has warned admission seekers across the country not to allow any tertiary institution to coerce or deceive them into changing their chosen programmes of study through unofficial means.
The Board said it had discovered that some universities were persuading candidates to alter their courses outside the official admission platform, describing the act as unethical, deceptive, and illegal.
In a statement released in Abuja on Tuesday, the JAMB spokesperson, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, said such practices were meant to manipulate the admission process and give undue advantage to certain preferred candidates at the expense of others.
Dr. Benjamin explained that the manipulation often takes the form of institutions asking candidates to change their course of study or programme through the schools’ internal portals rather than through JAMB’s official Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS).
He said, “This unethical practice is designed to create room for the institutions’ preferred candidates to move up in the admission ranking order. It is a clear manipulation of the merit-based process established to ensure transparency and fairness.”
JAMB warned that any change of programme or admission activity carried out outside its CAPS portal is unauthorized, unethical, and ultimately detrimental to the affected candidates.
“Candidates are strongly advised to disregard any invitation or request to change programmes made through institutional portals or unofficial channels,” the statement read.
According to JAMB, some institutions, after realising that their preferred candidates did not meet the cut-off marks for certain competitive courses, try to manipulate the system by persuading other candidates to voluntarily switch to less-demanded programmes.
By doing so, they create space for their preferred candidates to move up on the merit list for the original programmes.
Dr. Benjamin said: “For institutions to engage in such backdoor manoeuvres clearly indicates an intent to deceive and shortchange candidates, and such acts will not be condoned by the Board.”
The Board noted that some candidates fall for these tricks because they believe such requests are part of the regular admission process. In reality, however, these are attempts to bypass the transparent system established by JAMB to ensure equity in admissions.
JAMB emphasized that all admission activities in Nigeria are processed exclusively through the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) — the online platform designed to ensure accountability, transparency, and fairness in how students are admitted into tertiary institutions.
Introduced in 2017, CAPS has helped reduce human interference in the admission process. Through the system, candidates can see real-time updates on their admission status, accept or reject offers, and track every step of their application.
The CAPS system is part of JAMB’s broader reform to eliminate corruption, favoritism, and manipulation that once plagued the admission process in Nigeria.
JAMB reiterated that any change of programme not initiated and completed on the CAPS platform will not be recognized, even if the institution tries to regularize it later.
“The Board will treat any such change, once made, as voluntary on the part of the candidate,” the statement said. “Candidates must understand that once they accept such backdoor adjustments, they lose the right to challenge the process.”
The Board also revealed that its preliminary investigations had already identified a university in the South-West and another in Abuja as being involved in such unethical practices.
JAMB said it has begun taking regulatory steps against the affected institutions to ensure compliance and protect the interests of candidates.
“The Board has initiated appropriate regulatory actions to address these unethical acts,” Dr. Benjamin stated, “and to ensure that candidates’ interests are fully protected.”
Although JAMB did not name the institutions involved, the statement suggests that further action, including sanctions, could follow once the investigation is concluded.
JAMB urged candidates seeking admission in the 2025 academic session and beyond to be vigilant and conduct all their admission-related activities strictly through CAPS.
Candidates are encouraged to regularly log into their JAMB profiles to monitor their admission progress and ignore any email, message, or call that does not originate from JAMB’s official communication channels.
“Candidates are therefore urged to remain vigilant and conduct all admission-related activities strictly through the JAMB CAPS portal,” the Board said.
The examination body also reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to ensuring that all qualified candidates are treated fairly and that admission into Nigeria’s tertiary institutions remains transparent and based on merit.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is the federal agency responsible for conducting entrance examinations and coordinating admission into Nigeria’s universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
Over the years, the Board has faced challenges ranging from fraudulent admissions, irregularities, and manipulation by tertiary institutions to candidates being exploited by unscrupulous agents.
To tackle these problems, JAMB introduced a number of reforms, including the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), biometric verification, and centralized data management.
These reforms are aimed at curbing fraud, ensuring equity, and reducing opportunities for manipulation in the admission process.
Despite these efforts, some institutions and individuals continue to look for loopholes, which is why JAMB regularly issues public warnings such as this one.
This is not the first time JAMB has issued such a warning. In previous years, the Board has sanctioned several universities and polytechnics found guilty of admitting candidates outside the CAPS platform.
In 2021, for instance, JAMB suspended the admission process of some tertiary institutions after discovering that they had illegally offered admissions to students without following proper procedures.
The Board has also repeatedly warned institutions that it will not recognize any admission letter not issued through CAPS. Candidates admitted through unauthorized means often face difficulties in regularizing their admission, graduating, or participating in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme.
A Lagos-based education consultant, Mrs. Funmi Adewale, said, “What JAMB is doing is necessary. Many parents don’t realize how institutions exploit students by making them change programmes unnecessarily. This warning should be taken seriously.”
She added that candidates should learn to verify every instruction from institutions with JAMB before taking action.
