WAEC Registration 2027: Dates, Fees, Requirements and Deadlines for School Candidates

WAEC registration for 2027 is no longer something to “wait for” — it has already started, in phases. According to WAEC’s registration circular for the 2027 WASSCE for School Candidates, dated 16 October 2026, schools are already uploading Continuous Assessment Scores (CASS), offline registration opens on Monday 2 November 2026 — two days from now — and online registration runs from 23 November 2026 to a final closing date of Friday 22 January 2027. The circular puts the normal entry fee at ₦30,000 per candidate and confirms the 2027 exam will mix computer-based and pen-and-paper papers. This guide walks through every phase, every deadline and everything a candidate, parent or school needs to do — starting this weekend.

The 2027 Registration Calendar at a Glance

The phases overlap on purpose: CASS upload and offline entry run side by side through November and December, so a school that starts late on scores will feel it in its entries. The examination itself is still at the proposal stage — the harmonised calendar proposes 11 May to 18 June 2027, but WAEC publishes the final timetable separately. Our exam hub tracks which dates are confirmed and which are still proposed, body by body.

How the Three Phases Fit Together

Phase 1 — CASS upload (now open). Schools upload each candidate’s Continuous Assessment Scores for SS1 and SS2, year by year, on WAEC’s CASS platform. SS3 scores follow before the examination begins. No CASS, no clean entry: the scores are part of the candidate’s record, and a subject you have no CASS for is a subject you should not be entered for.

Phase 2 — Offline registration (2 November – 22 December). The school collects its remittance sheets and entry documents from the nearest WAEC office, receives its offline PIN and materials, and completes entries offline. This is the checking stage: the school prints the entries and each candidate must check and certify their own details — name spelling, date of birth, gender, subjects and photograph — before anything is uploaded. The certified offline document is then submitted to the WAEC office.

Phase 3 — Online registration (23 November – 22 January). The school uploads the certified entries to WAEC’s registration portal with its PIN and signs the undertaking to follow the examination rules. When the portal closes on 22 January 2027, the entry list for the 2027 school WASSCE is set.

Fees: ₦30,000 Entry — and What Not to Add Together

The circular’s headline figure is a normal entry fee of ₦30,000 per candidate. Around it sit charges levied per school or per item, not per candidate: a Chief Examiners’ Report at ₦6,500 per school, the offline PIN at ₦500 per school, the photo album at ₦3,500, past questions books at ₦24,000 for a set of four per school, and a four-figure table at ₦1,500 per candidate. Do not add that list together and call it “the WAEC fee” — most of it is shared across a school’s entire entry.

The proposed uniform ₦50,000 fee for 2027 was suspended by the Federal Government pending consultations — it is not what the circular charges. Pay the amount on your school’s authorised WAEC invoice, through the channels on that invoice: WAEC states it no longer accepts cash or bank drafts. If anyone demands ₦50,000, or cash to a personal account, verify with the school and the nearest WAEC office first.

What Every Candidate Must Have Ready

• National Identification Number (NIN). Every candidate must have a valid NIN, and it must be correct before the school submits the entry. If you do not have one, start that process now — it is the single most common cause of registration panic.
• Learners Identification Number (LIN). The circular also requires a valid LIN for every candidate. Confirm yours with your school if you are unsure.
• Complete CASS records. Your SS1 and SS2 scores must be uploaded for the subjects you are entering.
• A proper passport photograph. Captured by digital camera, face fully visible, nothing obscuring it — no caps, sunglasses or veils over the face. WAEC’s warning is blunt: a faded or poor-quality photograph automatically invalidates the entry.
• Accurate personal details. Names, date of birth and gender must match your identification and school records exactly. You will be asked to certify the printed entry — actually read it.

Worked Walkthrough: One Candidate, Start to Finish

Take an illustrative SS3 candidate — call her Adaeze. This weekend, she checks her NIN slip against her school record and finds her birth year one year off on one of them. Because she looked in October, not January, there is time to correct it before her entry is certified. During offline registration, her school prints her entry: nine subjects, photograph clear, details matching. She reads every line, signs the certification, and the school submits the certified document before the 22 December deadline. From 23 November, the school uploads the certified entries online, well before the 22 January close. The lesson is the order: identity first, certification second, upload last — every error is cheap in November and expensive in January.

Subjects and the Hybrid Exam Format

Candidates register for a minimum of eight and a maximum of nine subjects, built around English Language and General Mathematics, and the circular states the subject registration guidelines used in 2026 remain unchanged for 2027. Because combinations depend on what your school is approved to present, confirm your final list with your examination officer — and make sure you hold CASS records for every subject on it.

The 2027 WASSCE will combine computer-based papers (CB-WASSCE) with pen-and-paper papers. No subject-by-subject split has been published, so prepare for both: written answers with clear workings, and timed objective practice on a screen in our free CBT practice area, where the questions, timer and instant marking mirror the computer-based experience.

What to Do This Weekend

• Students: find your NIN slip, compare it line by line with your school record, and note any mismatch for your exam officer on Monday — the day offline registration opens.
• Parents: ask the school for its registration timetable and its authorised invoice. Budget around the ₦30,000 entry fee plus the school’s stated charges, and pay only through the channels on that invoice.
• Schools: CASS upload closes 17 December. Entries certified late leave no room to fix photograph or biodata problems before the online window closes.
• Everyone: keep one eye on the exam hub for the final timetable and on our WAEC, JAMB and NECO 2027 roundup for how the other bodies’ calendars are moving.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does WAEC registration for 2027 close?

Online registration closes on Friday 22 January 2027. The earlier phases close sooner: offline registration ends on Tuesday 22 December 2026, and the upload of CASS 1 and 2 ends on Thursday 17 December 2026. Schools work to all three deadlines, so candidates should have their documents ready in November, not January.

How much is WAEC registration for 2027?

WAEC’s 2027 circular puts the normal entry fee at ₦30,000 per candidate. Separate charges apply per school or per item — such as the ₦500 offline PIN per school and the ₦1,500 four-figure table per candidate — and your school’s authorised invoice is the document that states your exact total. The proposed ₦50,000 uniform fee was suspended and is not the fee in the circular.

Can I register for WAEC 2027 by myself online?

Not for the school examination. WASSCE for School Candidates entries are made by schools: the school completes the offline entry, you check and certify your details, and the school uploads the certified entry. Candidates who are not in school enter the separate WASSCE for Private Candidates (WAEC GCE), which WAEC announces on its own schedule.