University Admission
Published: February 1, 2026
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By Emmanuel Iweh
JAMB Enforces Mandatory Withdrawal Policy for Existing Students in 2026 UTME
"New regulations require students currently enrolled in tertiary institutions to formally withdraw before registering for the 2026 UTME."
In a significant policy shift for the 2026 admission cycle, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that students currently enrolled in any tertiary institution are ineligible to sit for the UTME unless they provide evidence of formal withdrawal. This move, aimed at curbing the 'placeholder' culture where students hold on to one admission while seeking a 'better' one, has sparked a heated debate among education stakeholders. The board clarified that once a candidate accepts an offer through the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), they are legally recognized as a student of that institution. For such individuals to register for the 2026 UTME, they must now undergo a rigorous clearance process, which involves an official withdrawal letter and the deactivation of their profile on the CAPS portal. This investigative report finds that this policy is a direct response to the thousands of 'wasted' slots in premium courses like Medicine and Law, where students often gain admission but later abandon the seats for other opportunities without officially resigning. By enforcing this rule, JAMB intends to ensure that every admission slot is utilized by a committed student. However, the impact on admission chances is twofold. For new applicants, this is good news: it potentially frees up hundreds of seats that would have otherwise been locked by indecisive students. For 'returnee' candidates (those wanting to switch schools), the stakes have never been higher. The risk of withdrawing from a current program without a guarantee of success in the 2026 UTME is a gamble that many may not be willing to take. Education analysts suggest that this policy will likely lead to a slight dip in the total number of applicants but an increase in the 'quality' and 'intent' of the pool. Admission seekers are warned that the JAMB system is now integrated with the matriculation lists of all universities, making it nearly impossible to hide existing student status. Attempting to bypass this through multiple NINs or falsified records will lead to a permanent ban from tertiary education in Nigeria.
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