The Federal Government has approved a uniform registration fee of ₦50,000 for candidates sitting the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE) conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO), with the new pricing taking effect from the 2027 examination cycle.
The approval, contained in a June 18, 2026 memo signed by the Director of Senior Secondary Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, Adeniji Ibrahim, on behalf of the Minister of Education, introduces a single examination fee for both bodies and represents one of the most significant increases in recent years.
Under the revised structure, NECO’s SSCE registration fee will increase from ₦30,000 to ₦50,000, while WAEC’s fee will rise from ₦27,000 to ₦50,000, translating to an average increase of about 82%.
According to the ministry, the decision followed consultations between the Minister of Education and examination bodies during a meeting held on March 31, 2026, where officials considered requests for a review of examination charges in response to rising operational costs.
The memo stated that both WAEC and NECO were directed to adopt a uniform registration fee beginning with the 2027 NECO SSCE Internal examination. The Federal Ministry of Education also confirmed the approval through its Director of Press and Public Relations, Folasade Boriowo.
The increase comes as examination bodies continue to grapple with higher expenses linked to logistics, security, printing of examination materials, technology deployment, personnel costs and inflationary pressures that have significantly raised the cost of conducting nationwide examinations.
However, the announcement has generated strong criticism from opposition politicians, parents’ groups and civil society organisations, who argue that the increase will deepen financial hardship for millions of households already struggling with elevated living costs.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar described the decision as economically insensitive, warning that higher examination fees could worsen Nigeria’s out-of-school children challenge by making secondary school certification less affordable for low-income families.
Similarly, the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) rejected the scale of the increase, arguing that while an upward review may be justified by inflation, an increase of more than 75% is excessive. The association urged the government to adopt a more gradual adjustment to avoid preventing eligible students from registering for their final examinations.
The Campaign for Equal Rights and Opportunities for All Nigerians (CERON) also criticised the policy, saying it risks increasing school dropout rates and widening educational inequality.
Beyond households, the higher fees are expected to place additional pressure on state governments that subsidise or fully sponsor SSCE candidates. While some states fund WAEC registration, others provide support for both examinations, raising concerns about increased budgetary commitments from 2027.
Although the revised fee is intended to ensure the financial sustainability of Nigeria’s major examination bodies, education analysts warn that without expanded scholarship programmes or targeted subsidies for vulnerable students, the policy could reduce examination participation and undermine efforts to improve access to secondary education.
