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 (WASSCE) O’Level results under a new arrangement between the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
The new system is intended to end repeated verification of academic credentials by different institutions during the admissions process and reduce the financial and administrative burden on applicants.
Under the arrangement, candidates whose admissions are regulated by JAMB are expected to complete their WAEC result verification once through the JAMB Verification Service platform.
The outcome of the verification will then be shared with the relevant tertiary institution for admission screening, processing and other related administrative purposes.
The two examination and admission bodies disclosed the arrangement in a joint statement signed by WAEC’s Head of Public Affairs, Moyosola Adesina, on Tuesday.
They said the collaboration was designed to prioritise candidates’ interests by cutting unnecessary expenses, reducing administrative stress, and simplifying the admissions process while maintaining the integrity and security of academic records.
JAMB and WAEC specifically warned that the ₦4,000 verification fee must be paid only through the designated JAMB Verification Service platform.
Candidates are not expected to make the payment directly to tertiary institutions.
The institutions have also been directed to use the verified results supplied by JAMB for their admission-related processes.
As a result, tertiary institutions are not permitted to demand another payment from candidates to verify the same WAEC result after it has already been verified through the JAMB platform.
The policy followed a series of meetings and consultations between JAMB and WAEC aimed at streamlining the verification procedure and reducing the financial and logistical difficulties faced by candidates.
WAEC has authorised JAMB to provide the outcome of the verification exercise to relevant tertiary institutions for purposes connected with admission.
The bodies said the arrangement would ensure that candidates who complete the verification of their WASSCE O’Level results through the JAMB Verification Service would not have to repeat the process.
Another feature of the system is that candidates can initiate the verification from their homes or any location with internet access.
This, JAMB and WAEC said, would reduce the need for candidates to make repeated trips to tertiary institutions or JAMB-approved Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres in order to complete the verification process.
The two organisations consequently urged admission seekers to take advantage of the new arrangement by verifying their WASSCE O’Level results once through the JAMB-provided platform.
Once verified, the result will subsequently be made available to the institution where the candidate is seeking admission.
The initiative is expected to provide a more streamlined verification process for admission seekers while preventing the duplication of charges for the same academic credential.
