Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Tertiary Institutions Step-by-step Admission Procedure for 2017/2018 Academic Session

The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board  - The Board in the discharge of its mandate has developed the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) to automate the admission exercise starting with 2017 / 2018 Academic Session.

The step-by-step process of the admission exercise to tertiary institutions for the 2017 / 2018 academic session and invitation to sensitisation forum on the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS)

CAPS will, among other benefits:

• Refocus JAMB on its founding ideals as a Clearing House for the Admissions Process
• Ensure operational efficiency
• Promote transparency, accountability, inclusiveness and equity
• Restore the autonomy of the tertiary institutions with respect to admission
• Expand admission opportunities
• Make candidates the Central Focus of the Admission Exercise, and
• Provide credible and easily accessible Data for Research & Planning.

CAPS introduces some innovations to achieve the above objectives, particularly the active participation of candidates in the Admissions Exercise. It is in the light of this, that the Board provides below the Step-by-Step Process Flow of the Admission Exercise for the education and information of general public and the stakeholders, particularly the Candidates.

Furthermore, JAMB invites interested candidates to participate in an optional Sensitisation Forum on CAPS. Details are also provided below:

Step-by-Step Admissions Process on the Central Admissions Processing Systems (CAPS) (Candidates should note, in particular, Bullet points 8, 16 and 18 that require their Actions and Decisions)

• After successful completion of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and release of results, lists of Candidates were forwarded to their First Choice Institutions
• JAMB thereafter requested all Institutions to use the Lists to determine their respective Cut off Marks and forward same to JAMB ahead of the Policy Meeting and programme (course).
• JAMB received and collated Individual Institution and programme (course) Cut Off Marks as determined by their respective Senate / Academic Board
• Three (3) Representatives of Institutions - (Vice Chancellors / Registrars / Provosts), Registrars and Admissions Desk Officers were trained on the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS)
• Policy Meeting was held with Heads of Tertiary Institution and Regulators to determine, among others, the General Cut Off Marks for categories of institutions, based on earlier submissions of individual Cut Off marks by the Institutions. At the meeting, which was held in Abuja on Tuesday, 22 August, 2017, the institutions decided that the lowest submissions from Institutions would also be Minimum Cut off Marks and these were 120 (for Universities) and 100 (Polytechnics, Monotechnics and Colleges of Education). It was further agreed that the Cut Off Marks as determined by each Institution’s Senate / Academic Board and submitted would be maintained and applicable for Admission to the Institution.
• Based on requests at the Policy Meeting, JAMB requires each Institution to reconfirm its Cut Off Marks and Sets the Cut Off Mark and other Institution specific parameters such as other Admissions Criteria (e.g. Post UTME Screening) and carrying capacity on CAPS. This is ongoing.
• Institutions download (from CAPS) details of Candidates that meet the Institution’s and programme’s Cut Off Mark and had selected them as First Choice Institutions. JAMB additionally provides softcopy of the same information on CDs to Institutions
• Awaiting Results Candidates upload their results to JAMB Portal
• Institutions may conduct Post UTME Screenings for downloaded candidates
• Results of Post UTME where applicable are uploaded to CAPS to obtain aggregate scores for the candidates
• CAPS ranks and su ggests candidates that meet the Institution’s Admissions Criteria as configured on the system by the Institution.
• The Admissions Desk Officer of the Institution reviews the List of the SuggestedCandidates and makes the decision as to which candidates to select for further processing. The Admissions Desk Officer generates a List of Proposed Candidatesfor revi ew and approval of the Head of the Institution
• The Head of the Institution reviews the List of Proposed Candidates as appropriates and push the List of Recommended Candidates to JAMB
• The JAMB (Admission Officer) reviews the Recommended Candidates to confirm they are from those initially sent to the Institution; met the Admissions Criteria as advertised in the brochure and as set on CAPS by the Institution, including upload of and confirm that no qualified candidate has been unjustly denied Admission. No candidate will be considered without the uploa d of his/her O’Level and/or A’ Level results.
• JAMB generates a List of Provisional Admissions
• JAMB notifies Candidates to Accept / Reject Admission
• Candidate Accepts / Rejects Admission on the JAMB Por tal or through USSD or Short Service Code within 72hours.
• If Candidate Accepts Prov isional Admission, JAMB updates Admission Status and forwards List of Confirmed Admissions to the Institution
• Candidate prints Admission Letter and Proceeds to the Institution for further internal Admission Processing
• If Candidate Rejects Admission, s/he becomes available in the Market Place for further possible consideration for Admissions

Market Place Operations

• The Market Place feature in CAPS provides flexibility for the Institutions to source for candidates who may not have earlier chosen the institution for Admission consideration. Institutions may specify various selection parameters such as UTME score, State / Local Government, Gender, preferred programmes / course of the Candidates.
• The List of Candidates so selected from the Market Place are then pushed to JAMB who then notify the Candidates of Market Place consideration by Institutions. Candidate may Accept / Reject Market Place consideration, subject to a maximum of three (3) Market Place considerations at a time.
• The Candidates could also approach the Market Place to announce availability for Admission consideration from any institution or for any programme different from those earlier indicated during the UTME Registration, provided s/he has requisite O’ Level Results and wrote the required subject combination in the UTME.
• Any agreement or understanding on Admission consideration between the Institution and candidate based on Market Place operations will have to be effected with a requirement for the Candidate to effect a Change of Institution on the JAMB Portal to be available for Download (Step 6 above) by the new Institution to follow the subsequent steps in the Admission Process.

It should be noted that:

• The existing window for candidates to change Institution or Programme in addition to the Market Place is still available through the e-Facility.
• Institutions can download (Bulley Point 6 of the Admission Process) list of additional candidates who have changed tothe institutions since the last download
• Admissions of candidates can be processed instantly or in batches by Institutions

Invitation to Participate in Sensitisation Forum for Interested Candidates on Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS)

• As part of the Board's efforts to familiarise the candidates with the Admissions Process on the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), particularly their rights to fair treatment and active involvement in decisions about choice of institutions and programmes, a Sensitisation Forum has been planned with windows of participation: physical attendance at the venue, through online steaming, webinar and the phone-in segment of the Live Broadcast on the NTA Network.