The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has approved a controlled process for candidates who have lost access to their registered GSM numbers or email accounts, allowing them to update the details under strict verification procedures.
The new arrangement, which commenced on Monday, 21 September 2026, followed the Board’s review of its earlier policy banning SIM swapping and changes to registered email addresses.
JAMB said the previous restriction was introduced as a security measure because of vulnerabilities associated with changing candidates’ registered contact details.
However, the Board said the introduction of enhanced security measures, particularly stronger identity and biometric verification systems, had made it possible to review the policy.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Board’s Acting Director, Public Affairs and Protocols, Fabian Benjamin, said the new arrangement was designed to assist candidates who genuinely could no longer access their registered SIM cards or email accounts.
He said the measure would particularly benefit candidates whose registered GSM numbers could no longer be used for registration for subsequent Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) exercises, as well as those who had lost access to their registered email accounts and could not recover them.
Benjamin said, “The reviewed policy reflects the Board’s commitment to combining strong data security with candidate-friendly service delivery, ensuring that genuine candidates are not unnecessarily disadvantaged by circumstances beyond their control.”
He added that the initiative was aimed at reducing the hardship associated with losing access to registered credentials and making the processes leading to tertiary education admission more seamless.
The Board, however, warned that the concession would be subject to strict authentication procedures to prevent impersonation, fraud and unauthorised alteration of candidates’ records.
It stressed that the SIM swap and/or email change service would be available only once to each candidate.
The service is available only at designated JAMB Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres, including State Offices where applicable.
Candidates seeking to use the service are required to provide the new GSM number and/or email address, as applicable, as well as a duly executed court affidavit scanned and ready for upload.
They are required to log into their e-Facility profiles using their existing credentials, including their email address, registration number or profile code.
Candidates are then expected to select “SIM Swap/eMail Change Payment” from the menu and pay the prescribed fee before proceeding to a JAMB CBT centre to access the SIM Swap/eMail Change Quicklink.
At the centre, candidates will enter their profile code or existing GSM number and select “Fetch Details” before undergoing biometric verification.
They will then select the required service, whether GSM number only, email address only, or both GSM number and email address.
After entering the new contact details, candidates are required to upload the scanned court affidavit and click “Update” to complete the process. A confirmation message will be displayed after a successful update, according to the board.
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