The Federal Government has approved an increase in the registration fees for candidates sitting the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), with the new fee set at N50,000 per candidate from 2027.
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‎The approval was conveyed through the Federal Ministry of Education, following a directive that both examination bodies adopt a uniform registration fee for their internal examinations.
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‎Under the new arrangement, NECO SSCE registration fee will rise from N30,000 to N50,000, while WAEC’s fee will increase from N27,000 to the same amount.
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‎A memo dated June 18, 2026, and signed by the Director of Senior Secondary Education at the ministry, Mr Adeniji Ibrahim, on behalf of the Minister of Education, communicated the approval to the examination bodies.
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‎The memo stated that the adjustment followed discussions between the minister and heads of examination bodies on March 31, 2026, where the need to review examination charges was considered.
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‎The ministry directed that the new fee should take effect from the 2027 NECO SSCE internal examination and urged relevant stakeholders to be informed of the development.
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‎The increase has, however, raised concerns among parents and stakeholders, with fears that more students may struggle to register for the examinations, especially in states where governments do not sponsor candidates’ fees.
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‎There are also concerns that the move could worsen the financial obligations owed to WAEC and NECO by some state governments that pay examination fees for students.