FG to Revoke Licenses of Institutions Involved in Illegal JAMB Admissions—Tougher Regulations Ahead!

The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has cautioned that any higher education institution found to be admitting students outside the official JAMB Central Admission Processing System (CAPS) will incur harsh penalties, including the loss of its academic accreditation.

Mr. Alausa made this statement on Tuesday during the 2025 policy assembly held by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

He pointed out that such admissions are unlawful, no matter the intention, and contravene the established process intended to guarantee fairness, transparency, and quality assurance.

The minister reiterated the federal government’s pledge to enforce strict adherence to CAPS, which JAMB launched in 2017 to oversee admission processes and minimize human intervention.

“I want to be unambiguous: any admission conducted outside of CAPS, irrespective of intent, is unlawful. Both the institutions and candidates involved in such activities will be held responsible,” he declared.

He mentioned that consequences may include revocation of institutional licenses and accountability for offending officials or governing council members.

Institutions were urged to enhance their oversight measures.
Mr. Alausa urged vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts, governing councils, and senate members of institutions to strengthen their internal controls and monitoring processes.

He stressed that compliance with the JAMB-approved admissions framework is mandatory and cautioned that the ministry would monitor adherence in conjunction with JAMB and take appropriate action.

“The inclusion of our National Identification Number into the JAMB registration process is permanent. I encourage heads of institutions to heighten their oversight to thwart unauthorized practices,” he stated.

He noted that some flexibility might be allowed in special circumstances to fit institutional needs, but only within the limits of existing regulations.

The CAPS was designed to standardize the admissions process across Nigerian higher education institutions and decrease the impact of admission fraud and backdoor entries.

According to Mr. Alausa, CAPS has contributed to eliminating administrative hurdles and enhancing transparency in the system.

“The CAPS has proven to be an essential tool in preserving the integrity of the admissions system by effectively reducing identity fraud and multiple registrations,” the minister remarked.

Mr. Alausa reaffirmed that all admissions for the 2025 academic year must adhere to national standards, including age, quota, and program-specific requirements established by regulatory agencies.

Background
Illegal admissions have emerged as a recurring issue in Nigeria’s higher education sector, with tertiary institutions—both federal, state, and private—frequently disregarding regulations by admitting students outside the JAMB CAPS.

The situation gained national prominence in 2021 when JAMB revealed that more than 700,000 illegal admissions had been conducted by 366 institutions without authorization.

These admissions included universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. JAMB instructed the implicated institutions to regularize these admissions and required each candidate involved to pay a fine of N5,000.

By 2024, JAMB issued a one-month deadline for all higher education institutions to reveal any ‘pre-2017’ admissions made outside of CAPS or face the invalidation of those admissions.

This ultimatum also applied to any ongoing illegal admissions disguised as institutional discretion. JAMB clarified that it would no longer act as a post-facto validator for unjustified enrollments.

Earlier that year, JAMB publicly identified over 86 institutions, including public and private universities, that had participated in unauthorized admissions.

It warned that ongoing infractions could lead to decertification, confiscation of admission slots, or other penalties.

The CAPS platform, introduced in 2017, was developed to automate the admissions process and ensure that eligible, qualified candidates meeting institutional and national criteria are enrolled.