FG Approves N50,000 WAEC, NECO Registration Fee for 2027 SSCE Candidates

The Federal Government has approved a significant increase in the registration fees for the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations conducted by the West African Examinations Council and the National Examinations Council, with candidates expected to pay N50,000 from the 2027 examination cycle.

The approval, granted through the Federal Ministry of Education, introduces a uniform registration fee for both examination bodies, replacing the current charges of N27,000 for WAEC and N30,000 for NECO.

The new fee will apply to internal candidates sitting for the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination beginning in 2027.

While WAEC recently concluded its 2026 examination, NECO’s ongoing SSCE is still in progress under the existing registration structure.

The decision was conveyed in an official memo dated June 18, 2026, and signed by the Director of Senior Secondary Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, Adeniji Ibrahim, on behalf of the Minister of Education.

The letter, addressed to the Registrar of NECO, explained that the policy followed deliberations between the Minister of Education and heads of examination bodies earlier this year.

According to the memo, “Re: Upward review of registration fees for examinations conducted by NECO

The West African Examinations Council has requested an upward review of the examination fees for the Senior School Certificate Examination for school candidates, with effect from 2027.

“You may recall that at a meeting of examination bodies held with the Honourable Minister of Education on 31st March, 2026, where the need for upward review of examination fee was discussed, the Honourable Minister of Education directed that the West African Examinations Council and the National Examinations Council 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) only, as the new examination fee for candidates with effect from NECO SSCE internal 2027.

“You are to bring the content of this letter to all stakeholders.

Please accept the Honourable Minister’s warm regards.”

The approval means candidates registering for either WAEC or NECO’s internal SSCE from 2027 will pay the same examination fee, a move aimed at standardising charges across both examination bodies.

However, the development has raised concerns among stakeholders over its possible impact on access to secondary school examinations, particularly for students from low-income families.

There are also fears that the increase could place additional financial pressure on state governments that currently shoulder the examination costs of public school candidates, potentially widening the outstanding liabilities owed to the examination bodies.

Parents have similarly expressed concern that the higher registration fee could discourage or prevent many students from sitting for the examinations in states where governments do not subsidise or fully pay the fees.

In states such as Lagos, where the government currently pays WAEC registration fees for eligible public school candidates while parents bear the cost of NECO registration, the revised fee structure is expected to increase the financial burden on households that sponsor both examinations.