FG increases WAEC, NECO registration fee to N50,000 from 2027

The Federal Government has approved a new registration fee of N50,000 for the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE) conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO), effective from 2027.

With the approval, candidates registering for either the WAEC or NECO internal SSCE will pay a uniform fee of N50,000.

The new policy increases NECO's registration fee from N30,000 to N50,000, while WAEC's fee will rise from N27,000 to N50,000.

The approval was contained in a memo dated June 18, 2026, signed by the Director of Senior Secondary Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, Adeniji Ibrahim, on behalf of the Minister of Education.

According to the memo, the decision followed a meeting held on March 31, 2026, between the Minister of Education and officials of the examination bodies, during which stakeholders agreed on the need to review the examination fees and adopt a uniform charge for both WAEC and NECO SSCE.

The ministry subsequently directed NECO to implement the new registration fee from the 2027 Internal Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination and notify all relevant stakeholders accordingly.

The development has, however, generated concerns among stakeholders, with fears that the increase could place additional financial pressure on state governments that sponsor candidates' examination fees.

Parents have also expressed concern that the new fee may make it more difficult for students in states that do not provide examination sponsorship to register for the examinations.

In Lagos State, the government currently pays the WAEC registration fees for students in public secondary schools, while parents who can afford it are responsible for the registration fees for NECO.