Admission seekers and their parents are raising concerns over the rising cost of securing university placement in Nigeria, with a new N4,000 charge for verifying O’Level results on the JAMB portal now added to the list.
Many families say they have already spent heavily on registration, post-UTME screening, transportation and document printing, and the new fee is adding further pressure at a difficult time.
Parents with more than one child going through the admission process say the costs are becoming especially hard to manage.
According to JAMB, the verification fee is meant to strengthen the integrity of O’Level results and reduce the need for repeated visits to institutions and CBT centres.
However, candidates and parents are calling for more transparency on what the payment actually covers.
Many are also urging authorities to consider the overall financial burden families carry throughout the admission process, rather than looking at each fee in isolation.
As the 2026 admission cycle continues under JAMB’s Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), several stakeholders are appealing for a more affordable path to tertiary education for qualified candidates.
The development has sparked wider conversation among Nigerians on whether such fees are truly necessary or whether they add unnecessary strain to an already expensive admission journey.
Digital Operations Manager at The Students Forum Nigeria.
