The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has introduced a major update to the 2026/2027 admission process, directing candidates to accept their admission offers within four weeks or risk losing them.
The new guideline was announced during the 2026 JAMB Policy Meeting as part of efforts to improve the efficiency and transparency of Nigeria’s admission process.
According to JAMB, any candidate offered admission into a university, polytechnic, college of education, or other tertiary institution must either accept or reject the offer within the approved four-week period.
Failure to respond within the stipulated timeframe will lead to automatic forfeiture of the admission, allowing institutions to offer the slot to another qualified candidate.
WHY THE NEW POLICY WAS INTRODUCED
JAMB explained that the decision became necessary due to delays caused by candidates who leave admission offers pending for long periods on the Central Admission Processing System (CAPS).
The Board noted that many institutions previously struggled to complete admissions because some candidates neither accepted nor rejected their offers, thereby slowing down the process for other qualified applicants.
With the new policy, schools will now be able to quickly replace inactive candidates and speed up admission processing.
WHAT CANDIDATES SHOULD DO
Candidates are strongly advised to regularly monitor their JAMB CAPS portal throughout the admission exercise.
Once offered admission, candidates should immediately:
- Log in to the JAMB CAPS portal
- Review the admission details carefully
- Accept or reject the offer within four weeks
- Print their admission letter after acceptance
- Proceed with school clearance and registration
Candidates who fail to take action within the approved period may permanently lose the admission offer.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
JAMB also advised candidates to:
- Keep their phone numbers and email addresses active
- Avoid relying on unofficial updates or rumors
- Frequently monitor CAPS for admission updates
- Visit accredited CBT centres if they encounter login issues
Candidates waiting for another institution or course are equally advised to make decisions carefully before delaying acceptance of any admission offer.
FINAL NOTE
The new directive is expected to make the admission process faster, more organized, and transparent while creating opportunities for more qualified candidates seeking admission.
Candidates are encouraged to remain active and responsive throughout the 2026/2027 admission exercise to avoid losing valuable admission opportunities.
👉 Need help checking your CAPS or monitoring your admission status? Click here to get started.
