The West African Examination Council (WAEC) administers the Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE), an internationally recognized certification exam. Successful completion of this examination opens doors for employment in various government, private, and public organizations.
Additionally, possessing the SSCE certificate is a critical requirement for admission into higher educational institutions, with WAEC being the preferred certification due to its global recognition.
Established in 1951 through collaborative efforts of the governments of Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Gambia, and Ghana, WAEC has since played an essential role in West Africa's educational landscape.
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The SSCE is an imperative milestone for students transitioning from secondary education to tertiary institutions.
While alternative certificates such as NECO, NABTEB, and GCE are accepted for admission, the WAEC SSCE certificate holds superior global acknowledgment, setting it apart from national examination bodies recognized solely within their respective countries.
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) oversees the administration of examinations for secondary school students in West Africa. With operations in Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, and Liberia, the council annually conducts examinations for over 2 million students across the region.
If you intend to take the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in 2025/2026, your first step should be to complete the online registration process.
This guide will provide comprehensive instructions, processes, requirements, eligibility, criteria, amount and on how to register for WAEC 2025 and cover all essential information you need to be aware of.
WAEC 2025 Registration Overview
The WAEC exam, typically held in May or June, covers a range of subjects including Mathematics, English Language, Physics, Biology, and Chemistry. It comprises two categories: the WASSCE for school candidates and the WASSCE for private candidates.
Eligibility Criteria
Prospective candidates must meet specific criteria including being a secondary school student in one of the five WAEC member countries, being in the final year of secondary school education.
WAEC 2025 Registration Fee
Candidates must pay a registration fee of Eighteen Thousand Naira (N18,000) to qualify for the WAEC 2025 registration. Registration fees may vary, especially for private schools.
Payment Locations
Payments can be made at any of the following banks:
- Access Bank Plc
- Guaranty Trust Bank Plc
- Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc
- United Bank for Africa Plc
- Ecobank Plc
- Heritage Bank Plc
- Standard Chartered Bank Plc
- Unity Bank Plc
- Fidelity Bank Plc
- Jaiz Bank
- Sterling Bank Plc
- WEMA Bank Plc
- First Bank of Nigeria Ltd
- Polaris Bank Ltd
- Union Bank of Nigeria Plc
- Zenith Bank Plc
- First City Monument Bank Plc
You can also make payments at WAEC Registration Centres and through accredited agents.
Requirements for WAEC 2025 Registration
In order to complete the registration process for the WAEC 2025 examination, please ensure that you have the following documents ready:
National Identity Number (NIN): From the year 2021, WAEC board announced that the provision of the National Identification Number is compulsory for the registration of the WAEC exam starting from 2022. Due to security purposes and to ensure accuracy in the data provided by the WAEC registrar, the NIN is the most effective way of achieving this.
How to get your NIN for WAEC registration
You can obtain your NIN at any National Identification Management Center near you. Currently, you can get your NIN by following the instructions provided on the National Identification Management website.
Thumb Printing for Candidates: All WAEC candidates are required to enroll their thumbprint data in the school where they wish to write the WAEC examination. Thumb printing is done by placing your fingers on the WAEC fingerprint scanner machine.
All the collected fingerprint data will be sent to the office of the West Africa Examination Council for proper registration. Without this thumb printing, you cannot register for WAEC in any school. This is one of the basic requirements for WAEC registration this year (2022). Thumb printing costs a sum of 1000 naira (though it may be less in some centers).
List of 9 Subjects to Register: WAEC requires you to provide them with the list of the nine subjects you wish to write on your exam. While there are more than forty subjects written in JAMB, you are required to choose only nine. English language and mathematics are compulsory subjects that you can’t omit, regardless of the course you want to study in higher institution.
How to choose the subjects for WAEC: Some subjects are already chosen for you by the WAEC board of directors. For science students, WAEC has already chosen English language, mathematics, chemistry, physics, and biology (and one of your country’s languages: Igbo, Hausa, or Yoruba for Nigerian candidates). You are only allowed to choose an additional four subjects to complete the nine.
For art students, WAEC has already chosen English language, mathematics, government, literature in English, and any other religious study of your choice. You only have to choose an additional four subjects to complete the nine.
Candidates Passport Photographs: You are required to provide four passport photographs when registering for WAEC. The passport will be used for three different occasions: one for providing a WAEC card for you, the second for attaching to your WAEC result certificate after the examination, and the third will be held by WAEC board in case of any loss, as well as your school or examination center.
You are required to snap this passport in your WAEC examination center if you’re a student or an internal candidate. For external candidates, they can snap the passport elsewhere with the proper school uniform of the WAEC examination center they wish to write the examination in. You are required to submit the passport before any other registration procedure begins.
Validation of Date of Birth (Birth Certificate): WAEC candidates are required to submit a photocopy of their birth certificate. This birth certificate submission is to ensure that all the data you provided is correct. They use it to check and confirm your date of birth, age, and your place of birth. You can get this birth certificate at the hospital where you were born or in your local government area headquarters.
Local Government of Origin, State of Origin, and Nationality: These documents are also needed to ensure that what you provide is correct. They use the local government of origin to confirm the local government in the address you gave them. They also use the state of origin to confirm whether you are truly from the state in the data you provided, and the nationality is to confirm your country. You can get these documents from your local government headquarters with the sum of five hundred naira per document.
Address and a Valid Email Address: You are required to provide your full address information to the WAEC examination management board. The address must contain your full name, place of birth, residential address, your valid phone number, your guardian’s valid phone number, and your email.
Guide to WAEC 2025/2026 Registration Process
To complete the registration process for the WAEC 2025 examination and obtain the registration form online, adhere to the following straightforward steps:
- Visit the nearest WAEC office or secondary school.
- Request the 2024/2025 WAEC registration form.
- Furnish all requisite details and submit the form.
- A designated official will guide you through the online registration process, which encompasses fingerprint enrollment and inputting personal information using the WAEC Biometric Data Capture software.
- Upon form submission, the system will allocate an examination center to you and generate your unique examination number.
WAEC 2025 Registration Dates
The following are important dates for the WAEC 2025/2026: registration and examination.
- Commencement of WAEC 2025 Registration: 5th February 2025
- WAEC Registration Deadline: 26th March 2025 with no extensions.
- WAEC 2025 Registration Fee: a mandatory fixed amount of N18,000
- The WAEC 2025 Examination is scheduled to commence on 30th May 2025
The 2025 WAEC examination presents an important academic opportunity for students across West Africa, and candidates are advised to adhere to the outlined registration procedures and deadlines to ensure their eligibility for the examination.
NOTE: The registration portal for the 2025/2026 academic session of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) will close on 26th March 2025.
We encourage prospective candidates to complete their registrations promptly to meet the deadline.
Frequently Asked Questions about WAEC
What is the age limit for WAEC?
The age requirement is that candidates you must be 18 or of legal age in your jurisdiction, to accept the Terms of use. If you are below the legal age in your jurisdiction, your parent or guardian's permission is required and you must have completed or be in their final year of secondary school.
Does the WAEC Certificate expire?
The WAEC certificate does not have an expiry date and remains valid for a lifetime once obtained.
Can I change the age on my WAEC certificate?
It is possible to change the age on a WAEC certificate through a standard procedure. To do so, the following documents must be provided:
- Birth certificate
- Affidavit Formal application letter
- Photocopies of original registration forms
- Passport photographs (6 copies)
- Original WAEC certificate to be corrected
Can I combine two WAEC results?
Combining two WAEC results for admission to tertiary institutions in Nigeria is acceptable and widely practiced by most institutions.
Can I sit for WAEC twice?
Candidates are permitted to sit for the WAEC examination more than once.
Can I use only WAEC results for university admission?
WAEC results alone are sufficient for gaining admission into universities, polytechnics, or colleges of education in Nigeria.
Additionally, other SSCE results, such as NECO, WAEC GCE, NECO GCE, and NABTEB, can also be used for admission into tertiary institutions.