University News
Published: February 18, 2026
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By Emmanuel Iweh
Federal High Court Order Halts Admission Processes at UNILAG and OAU for 2025/2026 Session
"A legal dispute over post-UTME scoring has led to a court injunction suspending all admission activities at the University of Lagos and Obafemi Awolowo University."
The Nigerian university admission landscape was thrown into a state of uncertainty this February as the Federal High Court in Enugu maintained an interim order suspending admission processes for the 2025/2026 session at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU). The legal challenge, initiated by a group of candidates, alleges irregularities in the calculation of post-UTME aggregate scores and a lack of transparency in the application of the 'catchment area' policy. Investigative findings show that the court has ordered JAMB to block these universities from uploading further admission lists to the Central Admission Processing System (CAPS) until the substantive motion is heard. This legal bottleneck has direct and severe consequences for 2026 candidates. If the 2025/2026 admission cycle is not concluded by the time the 2026 UTME results are released, there is a significant risk of a 'double batch' intake or a drastically reduced quota for the incoming year. Admission chances for the 2026 set could be cut by as much as 40 percent if the universities are forced to merge two academic sessions into one calendar year. This situation creates a high-pressure environment for candidates who chose UNILAG or OAU as their first choice for the 2026 cycle. Analysis of previous similar legal interventions suggests that the universities may be forced to adopt more stringent cut-off marks to manage the backlog of students. This means that 2026 applicants will need significantly higher scores than the historical averages to guarantee a spot. While OAU has reportedly attempted to continue internal processes, the JAMB CAPS block remains the ultimate gatekeeper, preventing any candidate from receiving an official admission letter. Current applicants are advised to monitor the situation closely and consider the possibility of utilizing the JAMB change of institution window if the legal deadlock persists into the second quarter of 2026, as the backlog could lead to an unprecedented admission crisis in these top-tier federal institutions.
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