Your JAMB score is out and the number is lower than your target course requires. Or you scored well but have since decided that Medicine, Law, or Engineering is not where you want to spend the next five years. Either way, you are now looking at how to do JAMB change of course and you need to know exactly what it costs, how the process works, and what mistakes will get your request rejected.
At Acadalite, this guide walks you through every step. We cover when the portal opens, the official fee breakdown, the step-by-step process on the e-Facility portal, why biometric verification is non-negotiable, the subject combination trap that invalidates most failed requests, and the specific errors that cost candidates their admission year.
Table of Contents
Why You Might Need to Change Your Course or Institution
Understanding why you need to do a JAMB change of course after JAMB results are released is just as important as knowing how to do it. In addition, knowing your reason helps you avoid making a second bad choice in the process.
Common Reasons Candidates Change Course After JAMB
Your JAMB score did not meet the departmental cut-off for your original course
This is the most common trigger. Medicine at UNILAG, Law at UI, and Engineering at OAU all have effective aggregate requirements that sit well above JAMB’s institutional floor of 150.
As a result, a score of 200 that comfortably cleared the university’s minimum may still fall short of what your specific department actually demands. Switching to a related course with a more accessible departmental threshold, at the same institution or a different one, is often the most efficient recovery strategy.
Your UTME subject combination does not align with your chosen course
JAMB’s brochure specifies which subjects must appear in your UTME combination for each course. For example, a candidate who did not write Physics in JAMB cannot be admitted into most Engineering programmes regardless of score.
Knowing how to do JAMB change of course online does not help if the new course also requires a subject you did not sit. Therefore, confirm your subject combination aligns with the new course before paying.
You have genuinely changed your mind about the course
Academic interest shifts between registration and result release are common, particularly for candidates who received more information about a field or spoke with professionals in an area they are now reconsidering.
How to do change of course after JAMB is entirely straightforward for this reason, provided you act within the active window.
Your target school’s post-UTME portal closed and you need to switch institutions
Several universities, including UNILAG, LASU, and IAUE, closed their post-UTME windows in June and early July 2026. Candidates who missed those windows but want to register for UI or OAU, both of which are still open, need to update their institution on JAMB first so the new school can fetch their profile.
With the reasons established, let us look at what the process actually costs.
Requirements and Official Costs for 2026
Before you learn how to do JAMB change of course on JAMB portal, confirm you have the necessary funds and documents ready. The official fee is fixed by JAMB and applies regardless of which accredited CBT centre you use.
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Official JAMB Data Correction Fee | ₦2,500 | Paid through the e-Facility portal |
| CBT Centre Service Charge | ₦700 to ₦1,000 | Paid directly at the accredited centre |
| Biometric Verification | Free | Conducted at the CBT centre |
The total out-of-pocket cost for how to do JAMB change of course and institution is therefore approximately ₦3,200 to ₦3,500, depending on the centre’s service charge.
A critical point on the fee: You can perform a change of course up to three times in total, and each attempt requires a fresh ₦2,500 payment. This means a careless or hasty first attempt wastes money and one of your three available corrections.
Therefore, confirm your new course, institution, and subject combination alignment before you pay, not after.
What you need before you start:
- Your JAMB registration number
- The email address and password linked to your JAMB e-Facility profile
- At least ₦3,500 on a working debit card or via Remita
- Your UTME result slip
- A confirmed new course and institution choice
- Your O’level result (to verify you hold the required credits for the new course)
With requirements confirmed, let us walk through the process step by step.
Step-by-Step: How to Do JAMB Change of Course on JAMB Portal
How to do JAMB change of course online starts at the e-Facility portal. This is where you generate your payment invoice and initiate the correction. However, as we will cover directly after these steps, online initiation alone does not complete the process.
Generating Your Invoice on the e-Facility Portal
Step 1: Open your browser and go to JAMB’s e-Facility website.
Step 2: Log in using the email address and password linked to your JAMB profile. If you have forgotten your password, use the “Forgot Password” recovery option on the login page.
Do not attempt to create a new profile, since JAMB issues only one profile per candidate and a duplicate will cause far more serious problems.
Step 3: Once inside your dashboard, look for “Correction of Data” on the sidebar menu. Click it.
Step 4: Select “Change of Course/Institution” from the available correction options. This is the specific service for how to do change of course after JAMB, not “Correction of Name” or other data fields.
Step 5: Select the correct academic year (2026) from the dropdown menu. Choosing the wrong year is one of the most common errors in this process and generates a confusing error message.
Step 6: Review the pre-filled information on your profile carefully. Confirm your name, registration number, and current course and institution match your JAMB records.
Step 7: Enter your new choice of course and institution. At this point, you are specifying what you want to change to, not what you are changing from. Double-check the exact course name against the JAMB brochure to ensure it matches the official listing for your target institution.
Step 8: Pay the ₦2,500 fee using your debit card or Remita. Do not close the browser tab or refresh the page during payment processing. If payment completes successfully, the portal will generate a transaction reference number and confirmation. Save or screenshot this immediately.
What this means for you:
Generating the invoice and completing online payment is only the first half of how to do JAMB change of course and institution. The second half, biometric verification, is mandatory and cannot be skipped or done remotely.
The Safe Way: How to Complete Biometrics at an Accredited CBT Centre
This is the step most candidates underestimate or attempt to bypass, and it is where the majority of failed change of course attempts fall apart.
Completing Your Biometrics for Security
JAMB requires biometric verification, specifically thumbprint capture, at an accredited JAMB CBT centre or JAMB state office before your course or institution change is formally processed and reflected on your profile.
This requirement exists specifically to confirm that the person making the change is the registered candidate, not an agent, family member, or fraud actor.
How to do change of course after JAMB completely, therefore, requires a physical visit. You cannot complete this process entirely online, on your phone, or through a WhatsApp agent who claims they can handle the biometric step remotely.
There is no remote biometric pathway. If someone is offering you a way to do how to do JAMB change of course without visiting a centre, they are offering you a scam.
What to bring to the CBT centre:
- Your JAMB registration number
- The transaction reference number from your online payment
- A valid means of identification
- Your UTME result slip
At the centre, a staff member will access your profile using your transaction reference, conduct the biometric thumbprint capture, and confirm your correction in the system. Your updated profile should reflect within 24 to 72 hours on your CAPS dashboard after this step is completed.
Choosing your CBT centre: Use any accredited JAMB CBT centre. You do not need to visit the centre associated with your original UTME registration. However, confirm the centre is currently active and open before travelling, since some accredited centres operate on reduced days.
With the process fully explained, let us address the specific mistakes that invalidate change of course requests even when the payment was made correctly.
Major Mistakes to Avoid Before Clicking Submit
Knowing how to do JAMB change of course on JAMB portal is only useful if your new choice is one you can actually be admitted into. Several common errors result in rejected applications even after a successful payment and biometric verification.
The Subject Combination Clash
This is the most consequential error in the entire change of course process. JAMB’s brochure specifies which UTME subjects are required for each course.
If your registered UTME subjects do not include what the new course requires, you will not be eligible for that programme regardless of your score.
Common examples: a candidate switching to Electrical Engineering without Physics in their UTME combination, or a candidate switching to Pharmacy without Chemistry.
In both cases, the change of course request may process on the portal, but the candidate’s profile will be flagged or rejected during aggregate verification by the institution.
Therefore, before you initiate how to do JAMB change of course and institution, consult the JAMB brochure for the exact subject combination required by your new course at your target institution.
Confirm your registered subjects meet that requirement. If they do not, a change of course cannot fix the problem without also sitting the UTME again with the correct subject combination.
Switching to a Course That Requires O’Level Credits You Do Not Have
In addition to UTME subjects, every course requires specific O’level credits. Switching to Medicine requires Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, and English from a single sitting at most schools. Switching to Law at most institutions requires a strong five-credit O’level profile.
If your O’level grades do not meet the requirements of your new course, the change of course process will not correct that issue. Verify your O’level credits against the new course’s requirements before paying.
Targeting a School Whose Post-UTME Portal Is Already Closed
How to do JAMB change of course and institution to a new school is pointless if that school’s post-UTME window has already closed.
As of July 10, 2026, UNILAG, LASU, and IAUE have all closed their 2026 post-UTME registration portals. As a result, switching to any of those institutions now would allow the profile update but not allow post-UTME registration, since the window no longer exists.
Target institutions whose post-UTME portals are still open. UI closes July 19, 2026. OAU closes August 14, 2026. LASUSTECH is ongoing. For a current overview of which portals are active, check our live portal tracker for post-UTME 2026.
Waiting Too Long After Making the Change
When a candidate completes how to do change of course after JAMB, JAMB’s central database needs time to sync with the individual university’s system.
This sync can take anywhere from 48 hours to a full week. Candidates who rush to register on the new school’s post-UTME portal immediately after completing biometrics often see a “JAMB Number Not Found” error because the data has not propagated yet.
Wait at least three to five days after biometric confirmation before attempting to register on your new target school’s post-UTME portal. If the error persists after five days, contact JAMB directly rather than attempting to pay again.
Giving Your Login Details to Any Third Party
No legitimate JAMB official, CBT centre operator, or admission consultant needs your e-Facility email address and password to process your change of course. How to do JAMB change of course on JAMB portal is a self-service process initiated by you and completed at a physical centre.
Anyone asking for your login credentials remotely, over WhatsApp, or via any channel other than a face-to-face accredited centre visit, is attempting to scam you.
Important Timing: When Does the Portal Open and Close?
The JAMB change of course portal for 2026 opened on May 25, 2026, following the completion of the mop-up examination. As a result, candidates have had access to this service since late May.
There is no officially announced closing date for the 2026 change of course portal at the time of this update. However, based on previous cycles, the portal typically remains open through July and into early August, closing around the time most major university post-UTME windows have concluded. Therefore, do not treat the absence of a stated deadline as a reason to delay.
For the most current status of the change of course portal and any new JAMB policy announcements, check our JAMB 2026 latest updates page regularly.
Summary Checklist: How to Do JAMB Change of Course and Institution in 2026
Before you start:
- Confirm your new course and institution choice against the JAMB brochure
- Verify your UTME subjects meet the combination requirements for the new course
- Confirm your O’level credits meet the new course’s requirements
- Confirm the target institution’s post-UTME portal is still active
- Ensure you have at least ₦3,500 available
On the portal:
- Log into efacility.jamb.gov.ng using your registered email and password
- Click “Correction of Data” then “Change of Course/Institution”
- Select the correct academic year (2026)
- Enter your new course and institution carefully
- Pay the ₦2,500 fee and save your transaction reference number
At the CBT centre:
- Visit any accredited JAMB CBT centre with your transaction reference, JAMB number, and valid ID
- Complete biometric thumbprint verification
- Confirm the change has been logged by centre staff
After biometrics:
- Wait three to five days before attempting to register on your new school’s post-UTME portal
- Monitor your CAPS dashboard for the updated institution and course reflecting on your profile
- Confirm your O’level results are uploaded to JAMB CAPS if you have not done so already
Frequently Asked Questions How to Do JAMB Change of Course or Institution in 2026
How do I do JAMB change of course and institution in 2026?
Log into efacility.jamb.gov.ng, click Correction of Data, select Change of Course/Institution, choose the 2026 academic year, enter your new course and institution, pay the ₦2,500 fee, save your transaction reference, then visit an accredited JAMB CBT centre for biometric verification.
How much does JAMB change of course cost in 2026?
The official JAMB fee is ₦2,500. CBT centres add a service charge of ₦700 to ₦1,000. Therefore, budget approximately ₦3,200 to ₦3,500 in total.
Can I do JAMB change of course online without visiting a CBT centre?
No. The payment and invoice generation can be done online, but biometric thumbprint verification is mandatory at an accredited CBT centre. Any agent claiming they can complete the full process remotely without biometrics is operating a scam.
How many times can I do a JAMB change of course?
Up to three times in total. Each attempt requires a fresh ₦2,500 payment. As a result, plan your new choice carefully before initiating the process to avoid wasting attempts.
How long does it take for JAMB change of course to reflect?
Biometric verification at the CBT centre typically results in your updated profile reflecting on JAMB’s system within 24 to 72 hours. Allow three to five days before attempting to register on your new school’s post-UTME portal, since the data sync between JAMB’s central database and individual university systems can take that long.
Can I do JAMB change of course after my new school’s post-UTME portal has opened?
Yes, but it is risky. Complete the change first, wait for the data to sync, and then register for post-UTME. However, if the post-UTME portal closes before your data syncs, you will miss that window. Therefore, act as early as possible rather than at the last moment.
What is the difference between change of course and change of institution?
They are the same JAMB correction service. How to do JAMB change of course and institution covers both: switching your chosen course, switching your chosen institution, or switching both simultaneously. All options are available within the same Correction of Data service on the e-Facility portal.
What happens if I change to a course my UTME subjects do not support?
The change may process on the portal, but your profile will be rejected during the institution’s aggregate verification. The institution cannot offer you admission into a course your registered UTME subjects do not qualify you for, regardless of your JAMB score. Therefore, always verify subject combination alignment before paying.
Conclusion
Knowing how to do JAMB change of course is not complicated once you understand the two-stage structure: online payment followed by mandatory physical biometrics. The process takes one portal visit and one CBT centre visit.
What makes or breaks the outcome is the quality of decision-making before you click submit.
Confirm your subject combination. Verify your O’level credits. Check that your target school’s post-UTME portal is still active. Then pay, get your biometrics done, wait for the data to sync, and register.
At Acadalite, the most important thing we can tell you is this: do not pay before you are certain of your new choice, and do not give your login details to anyone. Both mistakes are easy to make under pressure, and both are entirely avoidable.
For a live view of which post-UTME portals are currently open as you evaluate your new institution choice, check our live portal tracker for post-UTME 2026. For a full breakdown of what your score means for your admission options, read our what your JAMB score really means for admission in 2026 guide.
Join our WhatsApp group for real-time alerts on JAMB portal updates and admission deadlines.