The Federal Government has approved a uniform registration fee of N50,000 for candidates participating in the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO).
The revised fee will take effect from the 2027 examination exercise and will apply to school-based (internal) candidates nationwide.
Under the new policy, candidates registering for either WAEC or NECO will pay the same amount of N50,000. This represents a significant increase from the current charges, with NECO moving from N30,000 to N50,000, while WAEC rises from N27,000 to N50,000.
DIP CONNECT NEWS gathered that the approval was contained in an official communication dated June 18, 2026, issued by the Federal Ministry of Education. The document was signed by the Director of Senior Secondary Education, Mr. Adeniji Ibrahim, on behalf of the Honourable Minister of Education.
According to the ministry, the decision followed consultations with the country's examination bodies over the increasing financial requirements for administering national examinations.
The document recalled that during a meeting held on March 31, 2026, the Honourable Minister of Education directed both WAEC and NECO to adopt a single registration fee for their Senior School Certificate Examinations. Following that directive, approval was granted for a uniform fee of N50,000, beginning with the 2027 NECO SSCE Internal Examination and the corresponding WAEC examination cycle.
The ministry also instructed that all relevant stakeholders should be informed of the new fee structure ahead of its implementation.
The announcement is expected to spark widespread debate among parents, education stakeholders and state governments, many of whom already bear a substantial share of examination costs for students in public secondary schools.
Several state governments currently sponsor WAEC and, in some cases, NECO registration for eligible students. Analysts believe the increase could place additional pressure on state budgets, particularly in states experiencing financial constraints.
Education stakeholders have also expressed concern that the higher registration cost may discourage some students from sitting for the examinations, especially in areas where governments do not subsidise examination fees.
In states such as Lagos, where the government pays WAEC fees for qualified public school students while many families personally fund NECO registration, the new uniform charge is expected to increase the financial burden on parents and guardians.
Adeola Kunle
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