JAMB Now Allows Candidates to Change Lost Phone Numbers and Emails — Once
Key Takeaways
- •JAMB now permits a single update to the GSM number, email address, or both for candidates who lost access to the contact details supplied during registration.
- •Every request requires strict identity and biometric verification and must be handled in person at designated centres such as Professional Testing Centres, Professional Registration Centres, and State Offices.
- •Candidates must provide a duly executed court affidavit, scanned and ready for upload, to complete the update process.
- •The new option reverses a restriction, reported since January 2024, under which registration phone numbers and email addresses could not be changed once submitted.
- •JAMB warned candidates against using unauthorised persons or channels and stressed that the update can be carried out only once per candidate.
Nigeria's Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the agency that coordinates admissions into Nigeria's tertiary institutions, has introduced a one-time update option for candidates who have lost access to the GSM number, email address, or both, linked to their registration.
The board announced the change on its official X account on Monday, September 21, saying the new service is available to candidates with genuine cases through a “secure and controlled process.”
Under the new arrangement, every request will be subject to strict identity and biometric verification and must be processed at designated Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres.
The change reverses a previous restriction under which candidates could not change the phone numbers and email addresses supplied during JAMB registration.
Why Losing a SIM Mattered
JAMB had consistently advised candidates to use personal phone numbers and email addresses during registration because of their importance to candidate profiles.
In January 2024, reports emerged that the phone numbers and email addresses used for registration could not be changed once submitted. In December 2025, board official Clement Ojo also advised candidates preparing for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to register with personal SIM cards and email addresses, describing them as identifiers that could not be swapped once used.
The registered phone number is particularly important because candidates use it to generate their profile code by sending their National Identification Number (NIN) to the board, tying the profile to a verified identity record. Those who lost access to their registered SIM cards had previously been advised to recover the number through their network provider.
The new policy offers candidates with genuine cases an alternative route where recovering the original number is no longer possible. The option is tightly scoped, however: one update per candidate, processed in person at designated centres, with biometric verification and a court affidavit required.
Requirements for Updating JAMB Contact Details
According to JAMB, candidates seeking the update must provide the new GSM number, email address, or both, depending on what they need to change.
They must also present a duly executed court affidavit, which should be scanned and ready for upload during the process.
Requests can only be processed at designated JAMB centres, including Professional Testing Centres (PTC), Professional Registration Centres (PRC), and State Offices where applicable.
JAMB warned candidates against using unauthorised persons or channels to access the service. The board also stressed that the update can be carried out only once, meaning candidates must ensure the new contact details they provide are valid and will remain accessible to them.
