The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has confirmed the temporary unavailability of its Central Admissions Processing System, CAPS, following complaints from candidates who were unable to access the platform amid the ongoing 2026 admission exercise.
JAMB said the disruption was caused by technical challenges associated with the hosting arrangements for CAPS and that it had commenced intensive engagement with the organisation hosting the platform to restore access.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Board said it was aware of the importance of CAPS to candidates and tertiary institutions, particularly at the current stage of the admission process.
“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.
The Board added that it was working with the hosting organisation to restore the platform to full functionality as quickly as possible, while apologising for the inconvenience caused by the disruption.
The outage followed reports from candidates who began experiencing difficulties accessing CAPS from Wednesday. Some said the platform failed to load, while others reported being redirected or receiving messages indicating that the service was unavailable.
Some affected candidates also turned to JAMB’s official social media channels to seek clarification, particularly those attempting to check their admission status or respond to admission offers.
CAPS is JAMB’s central platform for automating and coordinating admissions into Nigerian tertiary institutions. It enables institutions to process admission recommendations while allowing candidates to monitor their admission status and make decisions on offers, including accepting or rejecting them.
The timing of the disruption has heightened concern among candidates and institutions because tertiary institutions are currently processing admissions for the 2026/2027 academic session.
JAMB acknowledged the timing of the outage, noting that institutions were actively processing admissions and candidates were awaiting admission decisions during the period.
The Board did not give a specific timeline for the restoration of CAPS but said it would provide further updates as developments unfold.
The disruption has also revived concerns over the reliability of the digital platform during periods of heavy admission activity, when large numbers of candidates and institutions simultaneously attempt to access the system.
For now, JAMB has urged candidates, institutions and other CAPS users to remain patient as efforts to restore the platform continue.
The Board also indicated that the circumstances surrounding the disruption would be reviewed, with a view to putting measures in place to prevent similar interruptions in the future.
