The current official procedure is to submit the request through the CMS Service Request Portal. AIOU also states that a change is normally allowed only once during a programme, and approval is not guaranteed.
Students who need to make a request can first open the official AIOU CMS Enrollment Portal. If you are unfamiliar with the system, our AIOU CMS Portal guide explains the main student services available there.
Can You Change Your AIOU Exam Centre?
AIOU does not normally allow examination-centre changes under ordinary circumstances. The university’s current instructions make an exception for certain hardship cases supported by documentary evidence.
There is also an important difference between these two situations:
AIOU allocated the wrong centre: If the examination centre does not correspond with the address or other information the student actually supplied at admission, AIOU’s FAQ says the student can request correction without paying the normal centre-change fee.
Your circumstances changed after admission: If you want an examination centre based on a different address or changed circumstances, the normal centre-change rules, evidence and prescribed fee apply.
Submitting a request does not mean that the new centre has been approved.
When AIOU May Consider a Change
The current AIOU instructions identify specific circumstances in which an examination-centre request can be considered.
Transfer, posting or new appointment
A student may apply when the student, father or husband receives a transfer, posting or appointment during the current semester.
The relevant order must be submitted as evidence and should be attested by a gazetted officer of at least BPS-17, with the officer’s name and designation shown on the stamp.
Marriage during the current semester
For a female student whose marriage takes place during the current semester before examinations, AIOU accepts the Nikah Nama along with copies of the husband and wife’s CNICs.
The documents must meet the attestation requirements stated in the university instructions.
Change of residence or place of business
A request may also be considered where the student, father or husband shifts to another station or changes the place of business during the current semester before the final examinations.
AIOU asks for evidence including a rental agreement on stamp paper and a residential certificate from the required gazetted officer.
AIOU says requests made for reasons outside its specified categories will not be considered under these instructions.
Documents Required for an Exam Centre Request
Before starting the request, prepare the documents relevant to your case. The official instructions list:
- documentary proof supporting the reason for the change
- an attested copy of the student’s CNIC
- the paid examination-centre-change fee receipt, where the fee applies
- the admit card or roll number slip
The exact supporting document depends on why you are requesting the change. Do not upload unrelated documents in place of the evidence AIOU asks for.
How to Submit an AIOU Exam Centre Change Request
AIOU’s current instructions require the request to be made through the CMS Portal using Service Request. The same document says a centre-change request submitted through another medium will not be considered under this procedure.
The practical process is:
- Sign in to your AIOU CMS account.
- Open the Student Service Request area.
- Select the relevant examination-centre-change service.
- Enter the required details and explain the reason accurately.
- Attach the documentary evidence required for your case.
- Attach your CNIC, roll number slip/admit card and paid fee receipt where applicable.
- Submit the request and keep the service-request number for follow-up.
AIOU’s CMS support material says students can follow a service request and see responses from university officials through the same request thread.
Using the CMS Portal
AIOU confirmed in an official August 2026 announcement that students seeking an examination-centre change can submit their applications through the Service Request Portal in CMS.
This is important because older AIOU help pages and third-party websites may still tell students to download a form and send it by post. Those older instructions should not replace the university’s newer dedicated centre-change instructions, which specify CMS Service Request.
Use the current CMS route rather than relying on an old downloadable form or postal procedure.
When to Apply
AIOU’s current examination-centre-change instructions publish the following schedule:
| Semester | Published deadline |
|---|---|
| Spring | By 29 August |
| Autumn | By 15 February |
The schedule covers SSC, HSSC, BA, AD, BS, B.Ed, M.Ed, MA, MSc, MPhil and PhD programmes in the current instruction sheet.
For Spring 2026, the published standard deadline was 29 August 2026.
AIOU may also issue a specific examination-cycle notice with a separate service-request window. For example, its Autumn 2025 examination notice opened centre-change requests through CMS for a defined period shortly before the March 2026 examinations.
For that reason, do not rely on an old semester’s date. Follow the latest official notice applicable to your own examinations.
Is There a Fee?
The current dedicated AIOU instructions prescribe a fee of Rs.1,000 for a normal examination-centre-change request.
AIOU states that the fee can be deposited through the available approved methods, including bank challan, Easypaisa or JazzCash, and the paid receipt must be uploaded with the request. It also says the fee is not refundable where a request is incomplete.
You may still see older pages quoting Rs.600. That amount appears in older AIOU help material and should not be used for a current application when the newer official instruction document specifies Rs.1,000.
There is one useful exception: AIOU’s FAQ says that if the university allocated a centre that does not match the data originally supplied in the admission form, a student can request correction free of cost.
Request Submitted but Centre Has Not Changed
A submitted AIOU exam centre request can remain unchanged for several reasons.
Your supporting evidence may be incomplete, the request may have been submitted outside the applicable period, the fee receipt may not have been attached correctly, or the university may not approve the reason given.
There is another practical limitation: AIOU says a centre change will only be allowed where question papers for the student’s programme or courses are available. The university does not promise to create a special examination arrangement simply because a particular centre was requested.
AIOU also reserves the right to approve or reject a centre-change application.
If you have already submitted through CMS, return to the service request and check its response or status. Keep the request number because it can help when following up on the case.
Check the Updated Roll Number Slip
Do not travel to a new examination centre merely because you requested it.
After submitting the request, check your latest AIOU admit card or roll number slip and verify the examination centre printed there. You can also use our AIOU Roll Number Slips section for programme-specific guidance.
AIOU has advised students to keep checking their CMS admit cards because an examination centre, venue or other examination detail can sometimes be revised. When a revised admit card is issued, students should use the updated version.
Also check the relevant AIOU Date Sheet guide before the examinations.
The important point is simple: the centre printed on the latest valid AIOU admit card or roll number slip is what you should verify before appearing for your paper.