JAMB, WAEC harmonise O’Level verification, peg fee at N4,000

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) have moved to end the practice of candidates paying multiple times to verify their O’Level results, announcing that a single N4,000 fee will now cover the entire tertiary admission process.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, and signed by Moyosola Adesina, head of public affairs at WAEC, Yaba, Lagos, for the head of national office, the two agencies said the fee applies to candidates seeking admission through JAMB’s centralised process, and covers verification of West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results done once, remotely, on a dedicated online platform, rather than separately at each institution a candidate applies to.

“Candidates are to pay N4,000 only, once, for the verification of their WASSCE O’Level results on the specified platform and not through their desired institutions,” the statement read.

Read also: AI startup accelerating physical understanding launches with massive scale

Under the arrangement, JAMB will transmit verified results directly to tertiary institutions, which are now required to rely on that data for screening and admission processing rather than requesting independent verification from applicants.

“Tertiary institutions are to utilise the verified results shared by JAMB for screening, processing candidate admission and other administrative purposes. Candidates shall not be required to pay for another verification,” the agencies said.

WAEC has formally authorised JAMB to share verification outcomes with institutions for this purpose, a step the two bodies described as central to closing the gap that previously allowed candidates to be charged repeatedly for the same exercise.

The clarification builds on JAMB’s earlier rollout of a remote verification system, which let candidates upload and confirm their O’Level results from any internet-enabled location instead of visiting Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres. That system initially covered WAEC results only.

Tuesday’s statement resolves lingering ambiguity over whether the process was a one-time exercise or one institutions could repeat at candidates’ expense. JAMB and WAEC confirmed it is the former.

“Candidates who have successfully verified their WASSCE O’Level result through the Verification Service platform will not be required to repeat the same verification exercise,” the statement said.

The policy lands as candidates work through the 2026/2027 tertiary admission cycle, a process in which O’Level verification has historically added both cost and delay, particularly for applicants shortlisted by multiple institutions, each previously able to impose its own verification charge.

Beyond cost savings, JAMB and WAEC positioned the initiative as a check against the circulation of fake or altered certificates, arguing that centralising verification through one authenticated channel strengthens the integrity of academic records used in admissions.

“This collaboration underscores the commitment of both JAMB and WAEC to putting the interests of candidates first, reducing unnecessary costs and simplifying the admission process while maintaining the integrity and security of candidates’ academic records,” the statement said.

The two bodies urged candidates yet to verify their results to do so promptly through the official JAMB platform and to retain their verification records for subsequent use in the admission process.

Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date

Open In Whatsapp