The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced a temporary shutdown of its Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) portal, citing technical challenges linked to its current hosting arrangements.
The disruption comes at a peak period in the tertiary admission cycle, temporarily restricting candidates, institutions, and stakeholders who depend on the platform for admission processing and acceptance.
In an official statement released via its X account, JAMB expressed regret over the sudden downtime and assured the public that intensive efforts are being made to restore full service.
“JAMB wishes to inform candidates, institutions and all other users that the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) is temporarily unavailable due to technical challenges associated with its hosting arrangements,” the Board stated.
The agency noted that it is actively engaging with its hosting service providers to isolate the faults and bring the platform back online as quickly as possible, urging affected applicants and institutions to remain patient.
The portal serves as the exclusive, centralised gateway for admissions into Nigerian universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. Introduced by JAMB in 2017 to automate placements and eliminate irregularities, its importance was further reinforced in July 2025 when the Federal Ministry of Education declared that any tertiary admission processed outside of CAPS is legally null and void.
Dr. Tunji Alausa, Minister of Education, had previously mandated strict compliance from vice-chancellors, rectors, and governing councils, elevating the platform to a non-negotiable requirement for transparent admissions.
The temporary hitch comes on the heels of several digital enhancements rolled out by JAMB to streamline candidate experiences. Earlier in the week, the Board launched a secure, centre-based process allowing 2026 candidates to update lost or inaccessible phone numbers and email addresses. Additionally, an online portal introduced in August enables candidates to seamlessly verify and upload their O’Level results directly with bodies like WAEC from home, eliminating the previous requirement of visiting physical CBT centres.
JAMB has promised to issue further updates as soon as the technical hurdles facing the CAPS platform are fully resolved.
