Candidates Will Pay ₦4,000 Once to Verify WAEC Results as JAMB and WAEC Eliminate Repeated Charges by Tertiary Institutions

Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board and the West African Examinations Council have finally put an end to the nightmare of repeated O'Level verification fees that has bled Nigerian parents dry for years. In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, the two examination bodies announced that candidates seeking admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions will now pay a one-off fee of ₦4,000 to verify their West African Senior School Certificate Examination results. The verification will be done once through a JAMB-provided platform, and the outcome will be shared with the institution where the candidate is seeking admission.

For years, admission seekers have been forced to pay separate verification charges to every institution they applied to, often paying the same fee multiple times for the same result. Some institutions charged as much as ₦5,000 or more per verification, and candidates who applied to three or four schools could end up paying over ₦20,000 just to prove their results were genuine. The new arrangement means that one successful verification will be valid for all institutions, eliminating the need for repeated payments and multiple trips to JAMB-approved Computer-Based Test centres or the institutions themselves. "Candidates are to pay ₦4,000 only, once, for the verification of their WASSCE O'Level results on the specified platform and not through their desired institutions," the joint statement read.

The two bodies said the initiative was designed to reduce the financial and logistical burden on candidates, particularly those seeking admission into multiple institutions. WAEC has also authorised JAMB to share the verification outcome with relevant tertiary institutions for admission screening and other administrative purposes. "The institutions, therefore, are not expected to demand another payment from candidates for verification of the same WASSCE O'Level results," the statement warned. Candidates can initiate the verification process from the comfort of their homes or any internet-enabled location, reducing the need for repeated visits to institutions or CBT centres.

However, while the new policy is being hailed as a welcome relief, it also raises uncomfortable questions about the broader context of economic hardship in which Nigerian families are already struggling to survive. The ₦4,000 fee, while less than what candidates previously paid in total, is still a significant sum for a family that may already be grappling with the cost of JAMB registration, post-UTME fees, and other expenses associated with the admission process. At a time when petrol prices have climbed above ₦1,300 per litre and the cost of living has soared, even a one-off ₦4,000 payment can feel like an insurmountable burden for many.

The irony is not lost on observers: the same institutions that once charged candidates multiple verification fees are now being told to stop. The new policy effectively exposes how much candidates were being overcharged by some institutions, and how the system had been allowed to run unchecked for years. It also raises questions about what happens to the revenue that institutions were collecting from these fees—and why it took so long for JAMB and WAEC to step in. Some have argued that the new fee, while a step in the right direction, is still too high for many families, and that the government should consider making the service free or subsidised, particularly for candidates from low-income backgrounds.

JAMB and WAEC have described the arrangement as part of their commitment to putting candidates' interests first by reducing unnecessary costs and simplifying the admission process. "The collaboration was designed to put candidates' interests first by cutting unnecessary costs, reducing administrative stress and simplifying the admission process while safeguarding the integrity and security of academic records," the statement said. They urged candidates to take advantage of the new arrangement by verifying their results once through the JAMB-provided platform.

For the thousands of Nigerian youths navigating the 2026/2027 tertiary admission process, the announcement offers a glimmer of hope—a chance to escape the cycle of repeated payments and bureaucratic hurdles that have made the admission process a nightmare for so many. But for many families, the question remains: is ₦4,000 truly affordable in a country where millions are struggling to put food on the table? The answer may depend on whether the government is willing to go further and ensure that the cost of education, from primary school to university, does not remain a privilege for the few.

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