The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has officially released the results of the 2026 Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates, but a significant number of students may face delays in accessing their results due to unpaid debts owed by their state governments to the examination body.
State Debts Block Result Access
Dr Amos Josiah Dangut, Head of WAEC Nigeria National Office, announced that candidates sponsored by states indebted to the council will not have their results released until the outstanding payments are made. This decision affects students regardless of their performance or any examination-related offence.
“I need not restate the fact that the results of candidates who are sponsored by States indebted to the Council will not be released now until payment is made,” Dangut said. “We appeal to the concerned to do so to enable the affected schools/candidates access their results.”
Malpractice Cases Also Withheld
In a separate development, WAEC withheld the results of 167,486 candidates over suspected examination malpractice. This figure represents 8.59 per cent of the total candidates who sat for the examination, a decrease from the 9.7 per cent recorded in 2025.
According to Dangut, major contributors to malpractice include the increasing use of mobile phones inside examination halls despite the ban, and organised cheating in some schools. Supervisors and invigilators found to have aided malpractice have been apprehended.
Special Needs Candidates Supported
WAEC also disclosed that 1,213 candidates with special needs participated in the 2026 WASSCE, including 137 visually challenged candidates and 491 with impaired hearing. The council provided support measures to ensure their full participation.
How to Check Results
Candidates with released results can check them online via http://www.waecdirect.org within 12 hours of the announcement. WAEC has also introduced a portal for generating electronic PINs, and digital certificates are available 48 hours after checking results, with hard copies within 90 days.
However, candidates affected by state debts must wait until the obligations are cleared. The council has not provided a timeline for resolution but appealed to indebted states to settle their debts promptly.
