The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) have clarified that candidates seeking admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions will pay N4,000 only once for the verification of their WASSCE O’Level results.
The clarification is expected to end concerns among admission seekers over possible additional charges by universities, polytechnics and other tertiary institutions for verifying the same academic credentials.
In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, the two examination bodies said candidates whose admissions fall under the JAMB process would complete the verification through the board’s designated Verification Service platform.
Once verified, the result would be transmitted to the institution concerned for admission screening, processing and other administrative purposes.
The agencies specifically warned that candidates should not be asked to make another payment for verification by their chosen institutions.
“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 said.
JAMB and WAEC further directed tertiary institutions to make use of the verified results supplied by JAMB instead of conducting another paid verification exercise.
“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,” they stated.
The policy followed JAMB’s recent deployment of a remote O’Level result verification system designed to enable candidates to complete the process from home or any other internet-enabled location.
The new system initially covers WAEC results and is intended to allow JAMB to authenticate candidates’ academic records directly with the examination council.
The board had said the technology was introduced to make admission services more convenient, efficient and secure, while reducing the need for candidates to visit JAMB-approved Computer-Based Test centres for routine verification.
Under the latest arrangement, candidates who successfully complete the verification exercise will not have to repeat it when the verified result is required by their chosen tertiary institution.
WAEC has consequently authorised JAMB to share verification outcomes with relevant institutions.
The joint statement said WAEC “has agreed to permit JAMB to share the outcome of the verification exercise with the relevant tertiary institutions” for admission and other related administrative purposes.
The agencies said the decision was aimed at eliminating multiple verification exercises and reducing the financial and logistical pressures faced by candidates during admission.
They explained that the new arrangement would replace a fragmented process in which candidates could be required to submit their O’Level credentials through different channels and undergo additional verification demanded by individual institutions.
Candidates seeking admission have traditionally been required to upload recognised O’Level results, including WAEC and NECO results, as part of the admission process, while institutions may also conduct separate screening and document checks.
The introduction of the centralised verification system is expected to reduce duplication and make it easier for institutions to access authenticated academic records.
JAMB and WAEC also said the collaboration would strengthen the credibility of candidates’ academic credentials and help prevent the presentation of forged or altered results during admission exercises.
“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 to use only the designated JAMB platform for the verification and to keep their verification information for subsequent admission procedures.
The N4,000 charge, they stressed, is therefore a one-off payment rather than a recurring fee or a charge payable separately to every institution where a candidate seeks admission.
The arrangement effectively introduces a “one verification, multiple uses” system, under which an authenticated WASSCE result can be used by the relevant institution without requiring the candidate to pay for another verification exercise.
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