Who gives admission first JAMB or School?

Previously, the role JAMB and schools played in student’s admission into higher institutions in Nigeria was clear.

JAMB focused on UTME only while schools handled the remaining part of the admission process.

However, over the years, things changed, and they have become more collaborative than before.

This has brought confusion among aspirants; about who is in charge.

You probably have heard different versions, like:

JAMB controls the whole process.
School is in charge.
JAMB and Schools work hand in hand.
JAMB gives admission first.
School gives admission first, and many other theories of how it works.

The truth is, JAMB has its role and schools have theirs.

Both of them, together, play their roles in synergy, and the result is “you getting admission into your chosen school”.

To help you understand how the whole admission process works, who gives an admission first, and all.

We’ll explain exactly, the role JAMB plays and what schools do.

Who gives admission first jamb or school?

School gives admission first. After your UTME, your score will be forwarded by JAMB to schools.

Then, the school will start the whole admission process by reviewing your application to decide if you meet their admission requirements.

If you do, they’ll include your name in their proposed admission list and forward it to JAMB, thereby, giving you admission.

Next, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) will check and approve the school’s admission list.

This approval by JAMB officially confirms the admission given to you by the school.

By school here, we mean – whether a university, polytechnic, or college of education

JAMB’s job in the process is to ensure that the school’s admission list aligns with federal guidelines like merit-based admission, catchment area policies, and other criteria.

Once JAMB approves, they upload your admission status to the CAPS portal, where you can accept or reject the admission offer.

In general, for you to get admission into tertiary institutions, there are two key players:

- - The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB)
  - And the school (university, polytechnic, vocational institution, or college of Education).

The school is responsible for recommending candidates for admission, but the final approval comes from JAMB.

So, while the school gives admission first by selecting qualified candidates for admission into different courses, JAMB finalizes the process by validating and formalizing it.

These two bodies collaborate to ensure that the admission process is transparent and follows national standards.

Role of JAMB in the Admission Process

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is the country’s official regulatory body that oversees admissions into Nigerian tertiary institutions.

Their job is simple:

They’re there to ensure fairness and transparency.

JAMB monitors all admissions and makes sure national policies and guidelines, like quotas for merit, catchment areas (etc) are followed by schools.

In addition, JAMB also:

Conducts the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME): This is the standard test for students who are seeking admission into higher institutions.

The test is also the beginning of the admission process. If as a student you don’t pass your UTME, no admission for you.

Does this make JAMB the ultimate?

No, not at all.

But, it does give them power, enough to control who’s in or out.

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When your UTME result is out, JAMB will forward it to schools to enable them to shortlist candidates who meet admission requirements.

However, JAMB isn’t done yet.

They have other roles like:

JAMB manages the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS).

CAPS is an online platform where institutions submit their admission recommendations, and students confirm their acceptance.

On the CPAS, without JAMB’s approval, no admission offer is official.

Therefore, JAMB also approves each school’s admission list before it becomes valid.

As an aspirant, you can monitor your admission status on CAPS, accept or reject offers, and have more control over the process.

JAMB ensures fairness, and consistency, and reduces corruption in Nigeria’s admission process.

Role of the School in Admission

Each school, be it a university, polytechnic, or college of education has requirements you must meet before you get admission into any of their course.

The school’s role starts with post-UTME/Screening of the candidate.

After writing UTME, JAMB will forward your score to your school.

Schools will conduct their assessments, which include post-UTME exams or screenings, to rank candidates.

They’ll also check each candidate’s O’Level results and make sure that they meet the requirements for admission.

Each institution has specific admission quotas set by regulatory bodies, like the National Universities Commission (NUC).

This quota system influences each school’s admission selection process.

Based on these factors (your UTME score, Post-UTME score and O’Level results), the school will compile a list of candidates who qualify for admission.

They’ll write each candidate’s name and the course they’re admitted to and forward the list to JAMB.

This list is the school’s admission list.

JAMB will then go through the admission list from each school, check the candidates and confirm the admission.

Upon confirmation from JAMB, the admission list will be valid and each candidate’s admission status will change to “Admitted”.

In general, the school gives admission first, but it’s considered provisional until JAMB validates it and issues the final approval on CAPS.

So, when next you’re asked who gives admission first, your answer should be:

School does.

Each school initiates the admission process by selecting qualified candidates for each course.

But, the admission list won’t be valid until JAMB approves it.

School’s role first: The school pick each candidate for admission and send their names to JAMB.
JAMB’s approval next: JAMB validates the list and makes it official.

This means that while the school starts the process, JAMB has the final say in offering admission.

What happens on JAMB CAPS?

Once JAMB receives each school’s recommended admission list, they’ll process the list and upload it to the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS).

There, students can log in and:

See their admission status.
Accept or reject the offer of admission.

If you’re offered an admission and you don’t accept it, you’ll lose the admission slot even if the school has already admitted you.

Who is more important, school or JAMB?

No one is more important, everybody plays their role very well to help students get admission.

However, without schools compiling the admission list and forwarding same to JAMB, JAMB cannot approve any list.

Can JAMB give you admission without school giving you?

No, JAMB on its own cannot give you a valid admission, they have to wait for the school to give you admission and send the entire admission list to them.

However, JAMB can recommend you for admission based on your UTME score and O’level result.

For admission to be valid, it must come from the school and be approved and confirmed by JAMB.

How does admission work in Nigeria?

To understand how admission works, you must know what JAMB and each school do during the admission process.

It starts with the UTME:

UTME Examination: JAMB will conduct the UTME, and grade each candidate according to their score.

Then, JAMB will forward the list of each candidate with their UTME score to each school.

School-specific screening: Each school will conduct their screening exam like a post-UTME exam.

Schools also grade each candidate according to their score in post-UTME.

If there is no post-UTME, each school will examine each candidate’s UTME score, and O’level result to know who qualifies for admission.

Schools will compile an admission list: After checking each candidate, schools will finalize their list of admitted candidates.

This list is then sent to JAMB for validation.

JAMB’s Approval: JAMB will review each school’s list and officially approve the candidates by updating their status to “Admitted” on CAPS.

Can school give you admission without JAMB?

No, schools in Nigeria cannot give you admission without JAMB.

All admission offers must pass through JAMB for approval and validation.

Even if a school admits you directly, you must still register and get your admission processed through JAMB CAPS for it to be officially recognized.

How long does it take for school to give admission after JAMB has given?

It takes schools between 2–6 weeks to give you admission after JAMB has approved your admission.

If there are delays, it’ll be due to internal processing or verification issues.

How long does it take for admission to reflect on school portal?

Suppose your chosen school has offered you admission, it’ll take 2 to 4 weeks for the “admission” to reflect on your school’s portal.

After offering students admission, the school authorities will start updating each student’s status, from “not admitted” to “admitted”.

This update will take between 2 to 4 weeks depending on the student enrollment volume and the school’s administrative process.

What does it mean when your JAMB caps is showing admission in progress?

When your JAMB CAPS displays “Admission in Progress,” it means:

- Your school has started reviewing your application for admission.
- They’re going through your details to check if you qualify for admission.
- If you do, your name will be recommended to JAMB for admission.
- JAMB will review it and make your admission official and your status will change to “Admitted”.

Conclusively, if you’re wondering who gives admission first.

School does.

The school gives admission first, as it selects candidates who meet its requirements.

However, schools don’t do it alone, JAMB still needs to play its role.

After the school has offered admission to each candidate, the school authority will forward the admission list to JAMB.

JAMB will then validate each school’s admission list and update the candidate’s admission status on the CAPS platform.

Therefore, both JAMB and Schools play roles, but the school initiates the admission process.