The Federal Government has approved an increase in the registration fee for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE), raising the cost to ₦50,000 per candidate from 2027.
The new fee represents an increase of about 82 per cent from the current registration charge of ₦27,500.
The approval was contained in a statement dated June 18 and signed by the Director of Senior Secondary Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, Adeniji Ibrahim.
According to the statement, the decision followed a request by WAEC for an upward review of the SSCE registration fee.
Ibrahim disclosed that the approval was reached after a meeting held on March 31, 2026, between the Minister of Education and representatives of the examination bodies, where the need to review examination fees was considered.
He added that the minister also directed both WAEC and NECO to adopt a uniform registration fee for the Senior School Certificate Examinations.
The new fee of ₦50,000 will take effect from the 2027 examination cycle.
The announcement has sparked criticism from some students and opposition figures, who argue that the increase could place an additional financial burden on many Nigerian families already struggling with the rising cost of living.
The Federal Government, however, said the review followed consultations with the examination bodies and was aimed at establishing a uniform fee structure for the two national examinations.