The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has cautioned universities and other tertiary institutions against issuing admission letters directly to candidates, stressing that such documents must come through the Board’s approved admission process.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Segun Aina, gave the warning while receiving a delegation from Veritas University, Bwari, Abuja, during a courtesy visit to his office.
According to the registrar, JAMB remains the statutory authority responsible for issuing official admission letters to candidates admitted into universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across Nigeria.
Aina expressed concern that many candidates tend to regard any admission document bearing the name of a tertiary institution as valid, even when the admission was not processed through the appropriate channel.
He consequently urged institutions that issue their own admission letters to discontinue the practice and ensure that candidates obtain the official documentation required from JAMB.
The registrar also referred to the Federal Ministry of Education’s directive that admissions into tertiary institutions must be processed through the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS).
He said admissions conducted outside CAPS are not recognised under the approved system and cannot be treated as valid admissions.
JAMB’s CAPS platform was introduced to streamline the admission process and provide a central system through which institutions, candidates and the Board can participate in admission-related procedures.
Aina further explained that universities and other institutions cannot replace the official JAMB admission letter with documents issued independently by the institutions after candidates have accepted their offers through CAPS.
The Board warned that candidates who accept admissions outside the approved system could face difficulties when attempting to access services that require recognised admission records.
One of the affected areas is mobilisation for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), as admissions not recognised by JAMB may not qualify candidates for mobilisation.
JAMB has reiterated that candidates should verify their admission status through the appropriate channels and ensure that their admissions are properly reflected on CAPS before proceeding with other admission-related documentation.
The latest warning reinforces the Board’s position that compliance with the centralised admission process is essential for protecting candidates and maintaining the integrity of tertiary education admissions in Nigeria.
