JAMB says new tools let candidates track admission status in detail
- JAMB Registrar Prof. Segun Aina says the board is refining policies to build trust and reduce candidates' anxiety.
- Candidates can now see detailed admission progress instead of a bare 'not admitted' notice, he said.
- JAMB is working with NIMC to fix name and record errors, and says form fees have not risen in about a decade.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says it is adjusting its policies and leaning on technology so candidates can see more about their admission status and worry less while they wait.
Registrar Prof. Segun Aina said the changes are meant to build trust and cut the stress candidates go through during registration, exams and admission. He spoke in Abuja on Wednesday at events marking the board's Customer Week, and also received visitors at JAMB's headquarters in Bwari.
"All the policy optimisation that we are doing is centred around two things: building trust and reducing trauma," Aina said.
What changes for candidates
In the past, a candidate checking their status might see only "not admitted" or "admission in progress" and be left guessing. Aina said the system now shows more detail on where an application stands.
"Instead of just seeing not admitted... we now have a situation where you can see the details," he said.
Candidates who have lost access to the phone number or email they registered with can now update them. Changes to names and other personal details are also possible, after checks, through a partnership with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).
JAMB had restricted such changes over fears of identity manipulation. Aina said better technology and the NIMC link now allow genuine corrections while safeguards stay in place. He warned that anyone trying to game the system will face the law.
He described the push as consolidation of earlier reforms, not a rebranding, and credited previous leadership, especially his predecessor Prof. Ishaq Oloyede. Aina took office on August 1.
On the harmonised exam timetable, he said it shortens JAMB's preparation window but should help results come out in time for admissions.
JAMB has also set up a committee led by psychometrician Prof. Boniface Nwogu to study whether critical thinking and life skills should be tested alongside regular subjects. Aina said no decision has been taken and any new test would add to, not replace, existing requirements.
"The people we serve don't need to know anybody to get admission," he said.
Fees and partnerships
Aina also received the Registrar of the Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN), Dr Oyeyinka Oyerinde, whose body donated a high-end server to support JAMB's computer-based test infrastructure.
A delegation from the Institute for Economics and Peace also visited. Aina said he was open to working with the group on data and tackling exam malpractice, but pushed back on any plan to raise JAMB's fees.
He said the cost of application forms has stayed unchanged for about a decade, apart from a downward review, and that any increase must be necessary and well justified.
For candidates, the practical takeaway is to keep checking the portal for detailed updates and to correct contact or name details early, rather than waiting until admission season.
