FG Approves N50,000 Uniform WAEC, NECO Examination Fee for 2027 Candidates

The Federal Government has approved a new uniform examination fee of ₦50,000 for candidates sitting the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO), with the new rate taking effect from 2027.

The revised fee represents an 82 per cent increase from the current registration fee of ₦27,500, following a request by WAEC for an upward review of examination charges.

The approval was conveyed in a circular dated June 18, 2026, signed by Adeniji Ibrahim, Director of Senior Secondary Education in the Federal Ministry of Education. According to the ministry, the decision followed deliberations at a meeting between the Minister of Education and examination bodies held on March 31, 2026, where the need to review examination fees was discussed.

As part of the outcome of the meeting, the Minister directed both WAEC and NECO to adopt a single examination fee for their SSCE examinations to ensure uniformity across the two examination bodies. The ministry subsequently approved ₦50,000 per candidate, with implementation scheduled to begin from the 2027 NECO SSCE (Internal) and to apply to WAEC examinations as well.

The ministry also instructed that the decision be communicated to all relevant stakeholders to facilitate preparations ahead of the 2027 examination cycle.

Confirming the development, Folasade Boriowo, Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, said the government had indeed approved the upward review of the examination fees after consultations within the ministry.

The new fee is expected to have significant implications for parents, guardians and prospective candidates, as education stakeholders assess the impact of the increase on access to secondary school certification examinations beginning in 2027.