Post UTME Already On, Can I Change Institutions/Courses?

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The change of institutions and courses process remains open throughout the admission year, allowing candidates to adjust their choices based on new cut-off marks or admission offers, even after post-UTME forms are on sale.

You can be reading this post just at the time when schools are releasing their post-UTMEs/screenings. If yes, you should have knowledge of things going on in the post-UTME arena by now.

Among the recent developments are:

1. Some schools released cut-off marks lower than expected and candidates who scored lower marks want to consider them e.g. UNIOSUN, LAUTECH, OKE OGUN POLY, EDE Poly, IBARAPA Poly, and more. Check my Post UTME Category for more than 100 screening updates already covered. 
2. Some schools released higher cut-off marks instead and candidates want to consider other schools that favor them. 
3. Some candidates want to consider changing their polytechnics or colleges of education to the first choice because of their lower marks and to broaden their chances to be admitted.
4. Some schools are inviting those applicants who didn’t choose them from the beginning to consider them and effect changes in institutions.

 
Recommended: JAMB UTME Result: Can I Use My Score for 3 or More Years?

But here is the question, “Is it not too late to change institution or course by now that your proposed institution form is already out on sale?’

You need to ask this question really. This is because the change of institution exercise has begun some months back. And now that schools are already selling their post-UTME forms, won’t it be too late to change to them?

These are the usual questions in admission seekers' minds regards this:

1. If I change institutions now, won’t it limit my admission chance? These candidates believe that the new schools would know they didn’t choose them from the beginning.
2. Will my information be sent to the new schools before they start or end their post-UTME/screening exercise?
3. Will the new schools treat me equally with those who had chosen them from UTME registration time?
4. How many times can I change my institution in case I don't meet up? 
5. If I am not offered admission by one school, can I change to another? 

Ok. I understand your fear and this post will clear the air for you.

Recommended: JAMB Change of Institutions and Courses: Universities, Polytechnics, and Colleges You Can Consider

JAMB Change of Institution Before 2017 and Beyond

Before 2017, this is the picture of how the change of institutions and courses were treated by JAMB and schools.

1. Some weeks after UTME results were released, the body announced that all candidates should do possible corrections within 3 weeks or thereabout.
2. Candidates rushed to correct things. This time they didn’t have time to know what the cut-off mark for a school would be for that admission year. Instead, they made their decisions based on the previous year's cut-off marks.
3. After the closure of the exercise, the body would forward the updated list of students that chose schools to various institutions. With this, no schools would know if any candidate had changed to them or not. They only received the "updated changes" among the final list.
4. Then schools will conduct post-UTMEs/screenings for their candidates. 

Recommended: Do I Need NIN for Post UTME/Screening Registration?

Beyond 2017, the system changed as soon as the current Registrar took over. Here is the new picture:

1. After the UTME result is released, JAMB announces the change of institutions and courses exercise which opens from the day of announcement till the admission year ends and even beyond. In other words, the change of institution doesn’t end/close again. Quote me anywhere for this!
2. Candidates will change their institutions and courses continually till they’re offered admissions and even after - if need be.
3. In most cases, candidates need to wait for their proposed schools to declare the cut-off marks before proceeding to effect any changes. If you wait for more schools to announce their cut-off marks, you can change to the one with a higher chance of offering you admission.
4. If a candidate is eventually denied admission by a school (even after post-UTME), he or she can change to another school (which has not conducted the post-UTME/screening).
5. Generally, candidates now have a continual opportunity to change their institutions and courses - as many times as they can afford to pay. 
6. Meanwhile, if a school will not accept new students through the change of institutions, JAMB will update that on its correction portal that such school cannot be changed to – hence you consider another.

Recommended: Is Printing of JAMB Original Result Compulsory for All Admission Seekers? See Answer.

JAMB Increased the Duration of Post-UTME to Accommodate this Continual Change of Institutions

As earlier said, JAMB's change of institutions and course exercise doesn't close again across the admission year. If a school post-UTME/screening is still on, its change of institution remains open too. 

Another reason for this is to allow candidates to still be able to change their schools or courses if other schools give them admission or other courses are eventually given to them by their proposed schools.

This is why the exercise remains open almost indefinitely.

Recommended: List of Commercial Courses in Polytechnics

Similarly, some schools won't have as many candidates. As a result, they want to be available for interested candidates when they fail the post-UTMEs/screening of other competitive schools.

Also, JAMB usually forwards the list of candidates who could not eventually gain admission to their intended schools to institutions with openings (even though they didn't choose or change to the latter). These schools, with vacancies, will later contact students through SMS or emails to ask them for consideration. If interested, candidates will be able to effect changes.

I have covered more on universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education that will accept changes and those that won't. There, you will see those that will stop changes when they start selling forms, those that will still be accepting changes when the post-UTME/screening registration is ongoing, and those that will remain open to changes till the admission year ends.

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