The Federal Government has approved a new registration fee of N50,000 for candidates sitting the Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO), with the new rate taking effect from the 2027 examination cycle.
The approval was conveyed in a statement dated June 18 and signed by Adeniji Ibrahim, Director of Senior Secondary Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, following a request by WAEC for a review of the current examination registration fee.
Under the new arrangement, candidates for both WAEC and NECO SSCE will pay a uniform fee of N50,000, representing an increase of about 82 per cent from the existing N27,500 charged per candidate.
According to the ministry, the decision followed deliberations at a meeting between the Minister of Education and representatives of examination bodies held on March 31, 2026, where the issue of rising examination costs was discussed.
The statement explained that the minister directed both examination bodies to adopt a single registration fee for their Senior School Certificate Examinations.
“You may recall that at a meeting of examination bodies held with the honourable minister of education on 31 March, 2026, where the need for upward review of examination fees was discussed, the honourable minister directed that WAEC and NECO should adopt a uniform fee for the conduct of WAEC and NECO SSCE,” the statement read.
