Nigeria’s 2026/27 Tertiary Admissions: Over 2.2 Million Candidates Captured on JAMB CAPS

By Cynthia Okere, Lagos

More than 2.2 million candidates have been captured on the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board’s Central Admissions Processing System, CAPS, as tertiary institutions continue the 2026/2027 admission exercise.

Data on JAMB’s CAPS dashboard shows 2,275,690 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and Direct Entry candidates across 1,791 institutions, highlighting the scale of this year’s admission process.

Of the total, 75,067 are Direct Entry candidates, while more than two million UTME candidates recorded scores of 100 and above.

However, appearing on CAPS or meeting JAMB’s minimum benchmark does not automatically guarantee admission. Universities and other tertiary institutions still consider their approved admission requirements, available spaces and programme-specific criteria.

For the 2026/2027 admission cycle, the minimum tolerable score is 150 for universities and Colleges of Nursing Sciences, while polytechnics, monotechnics, colleges of agriculture, colleges of education and Innovation Enterprise Institutions have a benchmark of 100.

JAMB’s CAPS data also shows that admission processing has begun, with candidates at different stages ranging from institutional recommendation and JAMB approval to acceptance of admission offers.

Candidates are advised to regularly check their CAPS profiles and ensure that their O’Level results have been properly uploaded where required. They should also follow their chosen institutions for information on screening and other admission requirements.

The figures on CAPS are expected to change as institutions continue processing admissions for the 2026/2027 academic session.