FG raises WAEC, NECO exam fees to N50,000 from 2027

 

 

The federal government has increased the registration fees for the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO), pushing the cost to N50,000 from the 2027 session.

The approval, contained in a memo dated June 18, 2026, and signed by Adeniji Ibrahim, the director of senior secondary education at the Federal Ministry of Education, on behalf of Tunji Alausa, the minister of education, harmonises the fees charged by both examination bodies for the first time.

Under the new pricing, NECO’s internal SSCE fee rises to N50,000 from N30,000, an increase of about 67 percent, while WAEC’s fee climbs to N50,000 from N27,000, nearly doubling the current charge.

The memo, addressed to the registrar of NECO, noted that the review followed a meeting between examination bodies and the minister of education on March 31, 2026, at which the minister directed WAEC and NECO to adopt a uniform fee structure.

“I am directed to convey the minister of education’s approval of the sum of N50,000 only, as the new examination fee for candidates with effect from NECO SSCE internal 2027.” The memo read in part.

The affected examinations cover internal candidates completing senior secondary education. WAEC concluded this year’s exam a few weeks ago, while NECO’s is currently ongoing.

The fee adjustment is expected to widen the exposure of state governments that currently foot the exam bills of candidates in public schools, several of whom already owe arrears to the examination bodies.

Stakeholders believe that the higher unit cost could strain state education budgets already under pressure from other recurrent obligations, potentially deepening the backlog of unpaid dues to WAEC and NECO.

The policy shift has also stoked concern among parents, particularly in states where government subsidy covers only one of the two examinations. In Lagos State, for instance, the government pays WAEC fees for SSCE candidates, leaving households to independently cover NECO registration, a cost that will now rise sharply under the harmonised fee.

Stakeholders fear that in states with no government support at all, the near-doubling of fees could push registration beyond the reach of low-income households, potentially reducing candidate turnout for the 2027 examinations.