The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has confirmed that its Central Admissions Processing System, CAPS, is temporarily unavailable following technical problems associated with the platform’s hosting arrangements.
The development has disrupted access to the admission platform at a critical stage of the 2026 admission exercise, with candidates reporting difficulties accessing CAPS to check their admission status and complete other admission-related processes.
JAMB confirmed the development in a statement on Thursday, September 24, 2026, after candidates began raising concerns over their inability to access the platform.
According to the Board, the outage is linked to technical challenges involving the organisation responsible for hosting CAPS.
“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 said.
JAMB added that it was already engaging the hosting organisation in an effort to restore the platform and return it to full functionality.
The Board said it was holding intensive discussions with the hosting organisation to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.
“We recognise the importance of CAPS, particularly at this critical stage of the admission exercise, and regret the inconvenience this disruption may cause,” JAMB stated.
Candidates unable to access admission platform
The confirmation followed complaints from candidates, particularly on social media, about difficulties accessing CAPS.
Some candidates reported that the platform failed to load, while others encountered messages indicating that the website or service was unavailable.
Several candidates also sought clarification from JAMB, with some urging the Board to resolve the issue because of the ongoing admission process.
The disruption is particularly significant because candidates rely on CAPS to monitor their admission status and respond to admission offers.
CAPS is the platform developed by JAMB to automate and coordinate admissions into Nigeria’s tertiary institutions. The system allows institutions to process admissions while giving candidates access to information about their admission decisions and available choices.
Admission exercise ongoing
The outage comes as universities, polytechnics and colleges of education continue processing admissions for the 2026/2027 academic session.
JAMB’s CAPS dashboard had been displaying ongoing admission activities, including candidates awaiting institutional recommendations, admissions undergoing processing, admissions approved for candidates and admissions already accepted by candidates.
The Board has also recently urged candidates to continue monitoring their CAPS profiles because admission statuses can change as institutions progress with the admission process.
JAMB previously explained that statuses such as “Not Admitted”, “Admission in Progress”, “Proposed for Admission” and “Recommended” represent different stages of the admission process.
A “Not Admitted” status, for instance, does not necessarily mean that a candidate will not eventually receive an admission offer, as the process may still be ongoing.
## No restoration time announced
JAMB did not give a specific time for when CAPS would be restored.
However, the Board assured candidates, institutions and other users that efforts were underway to resolve the technical problem and restore the platform to full functionality.
JAMB also said it would provide further updates as the situation develops.
The Board urged candidates and other users to remain patient while the technical issues are being addressed.
The outage has heightened concerns among candidates because access to CAPS is important for monitoring admission decisions and responding to offers during the ongoing 2026/2027 admission exercise.
JAMB’s official description of CAPS states that the system was created to automate the admission process, provide candidates with information on available choices, eliminate multiple admissions and improve transparency in tertiary admissions.
As of Thursday, the Board had not announced a definite timeline for the restoration of the platform.
Candidates are therefore advised to rely on official JAMB updates rather than unverified messages circulating on social media.
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