The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has issued a stern warning to admission seekers across Nigeria against falling for institutional schemes promoting unauthorized change of programmes, describing the act as a manipulative and unethical practice aimed at undermining transparency in the nation’s admission process.
In a statement released on Tuesday by JAMB’s Spokesman, Fabian Benjamin, the examination body cautioned that some institutions have resorted to influencing candidates to alter their academic programmes outside the official Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), the only platform legally recognized for processing tertiary admissions in Nigeria.
According to JAMB, the practice is designed to manipulate the merit-based ranking order, giving room for certain institutions to push forward their preferred candidates at the expense of others who legitimately qualified for admission.
“The unethical practice is designed to create room for the institutions’ preferred candidates to move up in the admission ranking order,” the statement read. “It is a clear manipulation of the merit-based process established to ensure transparency and fairness.”
The Board stressed that all admission activities in Nigeria must be conducted exclusively through CAPS, emphasizing that any process initiated outside the platform is unauthorized, unethical, and detrimental to the affected candidates.
“For institutions to engage in such backdoor maneuvers clearly indicates an intent to deceive and shortchange candidates, and such acts will not be condoned by the Board,” JAMB said.
Benjamin further clarified that if a candidate is persuaded to change programmes through an institution’s private portal and later proceeds to implement that change on CAPS, such a decision would be regarded as voluntary, as the Board would assume the candidate acted of their own accord.
JAMB also disclosed that its preliminary investigations have uncovered two institutions—one located in the South-West and another in Abuja—currently engaging in such practices. Appropriate regulatory actions, the Board said, are being taken to address these infractions and protect candidates’ interests.
“Consequently, candidates are strongly advised to disregard any invitation or request to change programmes made through institutional portals or unofficial channels,” the statement added.
Reaffirming its commitment to fairness, equity, and transparency, JAMB urged all candidates to remain vigilant and ensure that all admission-related transactions are conducted strictly through the JAMB CAPS portal.
“The Board reaffirms its unwavering commitment to ensuring that all qualified candidates are treated with fairness, equity, and transparency in the 2025 admission exercise and beyond,” it stated.
Okay News reports that JAMB’s latest warning comes amid growing concerns about admission malpractices within some tertiary institutions, as the Board continues to strengthen its digital monitoring systems to ensure integrity and accountability across Nigeria’s higher education sector.
