JAMB Warns Universities Against Issuing Admission Letters, Says CAPS Approval Is Mandatory
By Sherif Salau
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has cautioned universities and other tertiary institutions against issuing their own admission letters to candidates. The Board insists that only documents generated through its Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) carry legal weight.
The warning came from JAMB Registrar, Professor Segun Aina, during a courtesy visit by a delegation from Veritas University, Bwari, Abuja. Speaking in his office, Aina stressed that JAMB remains the only body legally empowered to issue official admission letters to candidates seeking places in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across the country.
He expressed concern that many applicants treat institution-issued letters as conclusive proof of admission simply because they bear the name and crest of a university. “Once candidates see a document emanating from an institution, they believe it is real,” Aina observed, describing the practice as one that misleads students and undermines the integrity of the admission process. He urged institutions involved to stop immediately and to ensure that successful candidates obtain the proper documentation from the Board.
At the heart of the directive is the Federal Ministry of Education’s long-standing requirement that all admissions must be processed through CAPS. Any offer made outside the platform, the registrar emphasised, is illegal and invalid. Institutions are not permitted to substitute their own letters for the official JAMB admission letter that is generated only after a candidate has accepted an offer on the system.
The practical implications are significant. Only admissions recognised through CAPS are accepted for critical processes such as mobilisation for the National Youth Service Corps. Candidates who rely solely on university-issued letters risk discovering later that their admission is not recognised, creating complications that can affect their academic progression and national service.
JAMB has repeatedly advised applicants to verify their status on the Board’s e-Facility portal, accept offers exclusively through CAPS, and download the official admission letter once confirmation is complete. Provisional lists or notifications from institutions may serve as useful indicators, but they do not replace the formal JAMB document.
The latest caution reflects an ongoing effort to standardise and protect the admission process in a system that handles hundreds of thousands of candidates each year. For universities, the message is unambiguous: the authority to issue official admission letters rests with JAMB alone. For candidates and their families, the advice is equally clear—trust only the document that bears the Board’s imprint and has passed through CAPS.
