What CAPS is
The Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) is JAMB's official platform where all admissions into Nigerian tertiary institutions are processed. No admission is valid unless it is done through CAPS — an offer given outside CAPS is not recognised.
How to check your admission status
Log in to your JAMB profile on the official portal, open CAPS, and view your admission status. It shows whether an institution has offered you admission. If it shows nothing yet, that usually means your institution has not uploaded your batch — not that you were rejected.
Accepting or rejecting an offer
When an offer appears, you must accept it inside CAPS. Accepting is the step that secures the admission. There is a limited window to respond; an unaccepted offer can be withdrawn or reassigned, so act promptly once a genuine offer shows.
After you accept
Print your admission letter from the portal after acceptance, and follow your institution's post-admission steps. Keep checking your institution's own announcements alongside CAPS.
What each CAPS admission status means
CAPS shows a status that changes as your admission is processed, and JAMB has clarified what each one means. Knowing them stops needless panic:
- Not Admitted — no offer is showing yet: either your institution hasn't sent your details to JAMB, or you haven't been considered yet. It is not a final rejection, and it can change.
- Admission in Progress (AIP) — your admission is being processed but not concluded. JAMB is explicit that this does not mean automatic admission.
- Proposed for Admission — your institution's admission officer has proposed you, awaiting the head of institution's recommendation.
- Recommended — the head of institution has recommended you, and the offer awaits JAMB's approval (JAMB can still disapprove if you don't meet the requirements).
- Admitted — JAMB has officially approved the offer (you'll see “Congratulations, you have been offered admission”). Only now can you accept and print your admission letter.
Because the status keeps changing until the final stage, check regularly and trust only official JAMB channels — not rumours or “agents”.
If CAPS is blank or shows “Not Admitted”
A blank or “Not Admitted” screen is usually fixable, not final. Work through these:
- Mobile view hiding the menu — on a phone the CAPS sidebar (with Admission Status) is often hidden; switch your browser to Desktop site to reveal it.
- O'Level not uploaded — if you registered with an awaiting result, your WAEC/NECO/NABTEB grades must be uploaded (check “My O'Level”); institutions can't process you without them. Upload at an accredited CBT centre if missing.
- Your batch isn't up yet — schools upload admission lists in stages, so “Not Admitted” often just means your batch hasn't been uploaded.
- Wrong subject combination or low aggregate — if your UTME subjects don't match the course, or your aggregate is below the department's cut-off, the system won't offer you; verify against your course's requirements in our subject combinations & cut-off guides.
To check properly: sign in to the JAMB portal, choose Check Admission Status, select your exam year, enter your registration number and open Access My CAPS.
Transfer Approval, the CAPS marketplace and accepting by SMS
Two features often decide whether an offer actually lands:
- Transfer Approval — if a school offers you a different course from the one you applied for, a “Transfer Approval” notification appears on CAPS. You must log in and accept it, or your admission stalls.
- CAPS marketplace — institutions with vacant slots can “shop” for strong candidates who weren't admitted by their first choice. If a marketplace offer suits you, accepting it can secure admission you didn't originally apply for.
When a genuine offer shows, accept or reject it inside CAPS (a confirmation pop-up finalises it) or by SMS — send ACCEPT or REJECT to 55019 or 66019 from your registered number — then return to the portal to print your admission letter. Never pay anyone claiming to “make CAPS show” or “force” your admission; admission happens only inside CAPS. For step-by-step fixes to specific CAPS errors, see our JAMB problem solver.