FG approves 82% increase in WAEC, NECO examination fee to N50,000

The Federal Government has approved an 82 percent increase in the registration fee for the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO), raising the fee from N27,500 to N50,000 per candidate from 2027.

The approval was conveyed in a circular dated June 18, 2026, and signed by Adeniji Ibrahim, director of senior secondary education at the Federal Ministry of Education.

According to the circular, the decision followed a request by WAEC for an upward review of examination fees and discussions held during a meeting between examination bodies and the Minister of Education on March 31, 2026.

The ministry said the minister had directed both WAEC and NECO to adopt a uniform fee structure for the conduct of their SSCE 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

“Consequently, I am directed to convey the Honourable Minister of Education’s approval of the sum of fifty thousand naira (N50,000.00) only, as the new examination fee per candidate, with effect from NECO SSCE (Internal), 2027,” the circular stated.

The ministry directed that the decision be communicated to all relevant stakeholders for implementation.

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The new fee represents an increase of N22,500 over the current registration charge and comes amid rising operational costs faced by examination bodies, including logistics, security, printing, technology deployment and personnel expenses.

The move is expected to generate concerns among parents and education stakeholders already grappling with rising education costs and persistent inflationary pressures that have eroded household incomes.

WAEC and NECO examinations are the two principal school-leaving examinations for senior secondary school students in Nigeria and are widely used for admission into tertiary institutions.

The fee review comes as the Federal Government pursues broader reforms in the education sector, including efforts to improve learning outcomes, strengthen education data systems and expand access to quality basic and secondary education.

While the ministry did not provide a detailed breakdown of the factors behind the increase, the decision underscores growing funding pressures within Nigeria’s examination system and the challenge of balancing cost recovery with affordability for millions of students seeking certification each year.