How to Register for WAEC WASSCE in Nigeria
By Muntasir • Published Aug 07, 2026 • Africa Admissions & Exams
WASSCE registration for school candidates in Nigeria happens through your school, not individually, and your school pays the fee to WAEC on your behalf. For the 2026 cycle, the fee is N27,000 per candidate.
🎓 Your school compiles your subject list and registers you as a group, not one by one.
💵 2026 WASSCE fee: N27,000 per candidate.
📩 You always sit English Language and Mathematics, plus subjects your school selects.
⏱️ Biometric data capture happens before or alongside registration.
A proposed hike to N50,000 was suspended by the government in July 2026.
How WASSCE Registration Works
The West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) is set by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and taken by secondary school leavers across West Africa, including Nigeria. If you are a school candidate, meaning you register through a recognized secondary school, you do not register yourself directly on the WAEC website. Your school's exam officer compiles the list of candidates, their subject combinations, and passport photographs, then submits and pays for the batch through WAEC's official channels.
What Your School Needs From You
Your correct full name as it appears on your birth certificate.
A recent passport photograph meeting WAEC's specifications.
Your date of birth and other bio-data for your WAEC profile.
Your chosen subject combination, built around the compulsory English Language and Mathematics.
Your share of the registration fee, paid to the school before the deadline it sets.
2026 Registration Fee
For the 2026 cycle, the WASSCE fee for school candidates is N27,000 per candidate, according to Vanguard . In June 2026, the Federal Ministry of Education approved raising WAEC and NECO fees to N50,000 starting from the 2027 cycle, but the government suspended this plan on July 13, 2026 after public pushback, pending further consultation with schools, parents, and labor unions, as reported by Vanguard . Confirm the fee for your exact cycle with your school, since WAEC and the government revise it periodically.
Biometric Capture and Photographs
WAEC captures biometric data, fingerprints and a photograph, for every candidate as part of the registration process, usually arranged by the school at a designated center. This biometric record is what WAEC checks against you at the exam hall, so make sure the details your school submits match your official documents exactly.
Sitting the Exam
WAEC assigns candidates to an exam center, often the school itself or a nearby designated center, and issues each candidate a registration or examination number tied to their subjects. You write papers over several weeks, with objective, essay, and in some subjects practical components. Keep your identification and any WAEC-issued card with you for every paper.
If You Are Not in School
Candidates who are not enrolled in a recognized secondary school, or who missed the main WASSCE registration, cannot register as school candidates. Instead, they register as private candidates through WAEC's GCE exam, which runs on its own separate schedule and fee structure.
Common Reasons for Registration Problems
Name mismatch between your WAEC profile and your birth certificate or other results.
Missing or late payment to the school before WAEC's submission deadline.
Poor quality passport photographs that fail WAEC's specification.
Incomplete biometric capture before the exam.