The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has restored its Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) after a 96-hour disruption, urging tertiary institutions to accelerate the processing of admissions ahead of the deadlines for the 2026/2027 academic session.

JAMB, in a statement published in the latest edition of its JAMBulletin, said CAPS became fully operational on Sunday, September 27, 2026, after efforts to resolve the technical challenge affecting the platform.

The Board consequently directed institutions to intensify their admission processes and recover the time lost during the period of the disruption.

According to JAMB, the deadline agreed at the 2026 Policy Meeting for public universities remains October 31, 2026, while private universities are expected to conclude their admissions by November 30.

Admissions into other tertiary institutions are to be completed by December 31, 2026.

The Board stressed that the October deadline for public universities remains sacrosanct, particularly following the release of the 2026 Senior School Certificate Examination results by the National Examinations Council (NECO).

JAMB therefore urged public universities to make effective use of the remaining period to process eligible candidates and forward admission recommendations through CAPS for consideration and approval.

The Board also called on candidates who had been waiting for their NECO results to immediately upload or verify their results, stressing that their credentials must be available for consideration as institutions intensify admission activities.

JAMB had earlier attributed the temporary unavailability of CAPS to an administrative challenge involving its hosting organisation.

With the platform now restored, the Board assured stakeholders that it would match the accelerated pace of institutions by promptly considering and approving admission recommendations submitted through CAPS.

The Board also appealed to candidates to promptly accept admission offers made to them to facilitate the smooth completion of the admission process within the approved timelines.

Beyond restoring the platform, JAMB said it was taking steps to strengthen the resilience and reliability of CAPS through medium- and long-term redundancy and business-continuity measures.

The measures, according to the Board, are aimed at reducing dependence on a single hosting or service environment and minimising the risk and impact of future disruptions.

JAMB apologised for the inconvenience caused by the 96-hour disruption and thanked candidates, institutions and other stakeholders for their patience and understanding.

The Board said lessons from the incident would be applied to further strengthen CAPS and improve the overall admission experience.