By Chimdiogo Amuh 

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has directed tertiary institutions found to have violated admission guidelines to immediately reverse such admissions.

According to the board, investigations revealed instances where candidates with higher rankings were allegedly bypassed in favour of those with lower scores, a practice it said contravenes established admission regulations.

The directive was contained in JAMB’s weekly bulletin released on Monday in Abuja by its Public Communication Adviser, Fabian Benjamin.

“The attention of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has been drawn to the conduct of admissions by some tertiary institutions, where higher-ranked candidates are reportedly being bypassed in favour of lower-ranked candidates,” the bulletin stated.

JAMB disclosed that decisive steps had been taken against the affected institutions, adding that they had been cautioned and ordered to reverse the irregular admissions with immediate effect.

“Notwithstanding these reversals, JAMB reiterates its call on all institutions to strictly adhere to the established guidelines governing the selection and admission of candidates,” the board said.

The board reaffirmed that admissions into Nigerian tertiary institutions are regulated by a three-tier framework—Merit, Catchment Area and Educationally Less Developed States—emphasising that ranking remains the determining factor at every stage.

“Each tier is guided strictly by ranking, such that candidates with higher rankings must be selected first, followed by others in descending order. Any situation where a better-ranked candidate is skipped for a lower-ranked candidate under any category will not be tolerated,” JAMB warned.

Meanwhile, the board dismissed allegations by a candidate who claimed she was unfairly denied admission by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, despite her high score. JAMB said its findings showed that several candidates with higher rankings were ahead of her, making her non-admission consistent with due process.

“Consequently, her non-admission was in line with established procedures, as she did not rank high enough to fall within the selected limit,” the statement explained.

While acknowledging that some institutions breached admission rules, JAMB clarified that the complainant was not among those affected by the identified irregularities.

Reaffirming its commitment to transparency and fairness, the board stressed that no candidate with a higher ranking would be displaced by one with a lower ranking in the admission process.

JAMB also cautioned candidates against spreading unverified claims on social media, urging them to seek clarification through official channels.

“The Board advises candidates to refrain from promoting baseless allegations and to verify any claims of admission irregularities through appropriate and official platforms,” it added.