What is CAPS and how does it work for JAMB Admission processing?

A few days ago, we told you that the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) said it would be using what it calls CAPS to determine admissions into tertiary institutions from this year. The examining body equally held a sensitisation programme for stakeholders on that. 

CAPS is the acronym for the Central Admission Processing System portal. It is a new admission flow chart which will begin from this year, 2017 and it is through it that you can accept or reject admission offers. 

You may be wondering how you will accept admission through CAPS. Its already answered here. 

JAMB has provided the Step-by-Step Process Flow of the Admission Exercise for the education and information of general public and the stakeholders, particularly the candidates.

Jamb CAPS Vs Jamb 2017/2018 Admission Process Flow

1. Forwarding Names Of Those Who Passed Jamb 2017

After successful completion of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and release of results, lists of Candidates were forwarded to their First Choice Institutions.

2. CAPS Cut Off Mark

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).

3. JAMB CAPS Departmental Cut Off 

JAMB received and collated Individual Institution and programme (course) Cut Off Marks as determined by their respective Senate / Academic Board

4. CAPS Specialists Trained 

Three (3) Representatives of Institutions- (Vice Chancellors / Registrars / Provosts), Registrars and Admissions Desk Officers were trained on the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS)

5. JAMB CAPS Policy Meeting 

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.

6. Post-UTME Part Of Admission Factor in CAPS 

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.

7. Students Record Forwarding 

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 soft copy of the same information on CDs to Institutions.

8. Uploading Result to JAMB Portal

Awaiting Results Candidates upload their O’level results to the JAMB Portal

9. Post-UTME 

Institutions may conduct Post UTME Screenings for the downloaded candidates.

10. Post UTME Result 

Results of Post UTME, where applicable, are uploaded to CAPS to obtain aggregate scores for the candidates

11. JAMB CAPS Ranking Signal 

CAPS ranks and suggests candidates that meet the Institution’s Admissions Criteria as configured on the system by the Institution.

12. List of successful candidates in CAPS 

The Admissions Desk Officer of the Institution reviews the List of the Suggested Candidates and makes the decision as to which candidates to select for further processing.

The Admissions Desk Officer generates a List of Proposed Candidates for review and approval of the Head of the Institution

13. The Head of the Institution reviews the List of Proposed Candidates as appropriate and pushes the List of Recommended Candidates to JAMB

14. The JAMB (Admission Officer) reviews the Recommended Candidates to confirm that 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 upload of his/her O’Level and/or A’ Level results.

15. CAPS Admission Status 

JAMB generates a List of Provisional Admissions.

16. How to accept admission in CAPS 

JAMB notifies Candidates to Accept / Reject Admission. Click here to know whether you have been offered admission.

17. Accepting or Rejecting Admission

Candidate Accepts / Rejects Admission on the JAMB Portal or through USSD or Short Service Code within 72hours.

18. Forwarding Of Admission Acceptance

If candidate accepts provisional admission, JAMB updates Admission Status and forwards List of Confirmed Admissions to the Institution

19. CAPS admission letter printing 

Candidate prints Admission Letter and Proceeds to the Institution for further internal Admission Processing. 

20. What if you reject admission? 

If Candidate Rejects Admission, he/she becomes available in the Market Place for further possible consideration for Admissions.

CAPS 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 which then notifies 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.