Candidates seeking admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions will no longer have to pay separate verification charges to individual schools after verifying their West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
The JAMB and West African Examinations Council (WAEC) announced on Tuesday that the N4,000 WASSCE O’Level verification fee is a one-off payment, with the verified result to be transmitted to the institution handling the candidate’s admission.
The clarification addresses a key concern surrounding JAMB’s newly introduced remote verification system, particularly whether candidates would incur another charge when their chosen universities, polytechnics, or colleges of education receive the same academic record.
In a joint statement issued after consultations between the two examination bodies, candidates were instructed to pay the N4,000 “only, once” through the designated JAMB platform and not to their preferred institutions.
The agencies stated that tertiary institutions must use the verified results supplied by JAMB for admission screening, processing, and related administrative procedures.
“Candidates shall not be required to pay for another verification,” the statement added.
The arrangement effectively creates a single verification point for candidates whose admissions are coordinated through JAMB. Once WAEC confirms the authenticity of a candidate’s WASSCE result, JAMB can pass the verification outcome to the relevant institution without requiring the applicant to repeat the exercise.
WAEC has authorised the board to share those verification outcomes with tertiary institutions for admission and other administrative purposes.
The development follows JAMB’s introduction of a technology-based service that allows candidates to upload and verify their O’Level results remotely from home or any location with internet access.
Previously, result verification could involve several layers of documentation and screening. Candidates could submit their credentials through JAMB while individual institutions imposed additional checks during their admission procedures. WAEC also operated its own verification channel.
For applicants navigating the 2026/2027 admission cycle, the new framework is therefore more than a change in payment. It is an attempt to eliminate duplication from a process that often required candidates to spend additional money and make repeated trips to institutions or JAMB-approved Computer-Based Test centres.
JAMB and WAEC said the system would also strengthen the integrity of academic records and make it harder for fake or altered certificates to pass through admission checks.
“This collaboration underscores the commitment of both JAMB and WAEC to putting the interests of candidates first,” the bodies stated.
It added that the arrangement would reduce unnecessary expenses while preserving the security of academic records.
Candidates who have already completed verification through the JAMB Verification Service platform will not be required to repeat the process.
The two agencies consequently advised applicants to complete their WASSCE verification through the designated JAMB platform and retain the relevant verification information for their admission proceedings.
Here, the central point is clear: the N4,000 covers the verification itself, not each institution that subsequently uses the verified result. For candidates applying to multiple institutions, that distinction could translate into a significant reduction in both cost and administrative stress.
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