National Common Entrance 2027: What Parents Need to Know About Unity College Entry

If your child is in Primary 6, you've probably heard other parents talking about "Common Entrance". It's the exam for getting into Federal Unity Colleges, the federal government secondary schools found in every part of Nigeria. Here's what you need to know, in plain words.

What the exam is

The National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE) is set by NECO for the Federal Ministry of Education. The ministry then uses the results to give out JSS1 places.

Places aren't given out on marks alone. The ministry's rule is 60% on merit, 30% on equality of states, and 10% for special cases. By our sum, that means for every 10 places, about 6 go to the highest scorers nationally, 3 are shared so every state gets a fair number, and 1 is kept for special cases.

How many children sit it

In 2026, the exam held on Saturday 6 June. According to the ministry:

• 60,357 children registered
• 56,950 actually sat the exam
• 3,407 were absent
• The highest score was 202 out of 210

The results covered admission into 83 Federal Unity Colleges.

Here are some of our own sums from those numbers:

• About 686 children per college. By our sum, 56,950 children sat for places in 83 colleges. That's not an official figure, and colleges take different numbers, but it shows how much competition there is.
• Fewer children registered. In 2025, 64,578 registered. By our sum, that's about 4,200 fewer in 2026, a drop of about 6.5%.
• About 1 in 18 registered children didn't show up. That's 3,407 children whose registration was wasted. At the ₦5,940 fee reported by education sites, by our sum that's over ₦20 million paid for children who never sat the exam.
• Lagos leads by far. Lagos had 13,228 registrations, by our sum about 1 in 5 of all candidates. Taraba had just 15.
• More girls than boys. NAN reported more than 31,000 girls and about 26,000 boys registered.

The Minister of State for Education explained why so many parents try:

"our Federal Unity Colleges have become the first port of call for most parents" Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, Minister of State for Education, July 2025

Who can sit it

• Your child must be in Primary 6.
• They should be at least 10 years old by September of the year they start JSS1.

When is Common Entrance 2027?

NECO hasn't announced the 2027 dates or fee yet. But the pattern is clear. Registration usually opens in January, and the exam is held in early to mid June. In 2025 it was on 14 June, and in 2026 on 6 June.

So if your child will be in Primary 6 in 2027, start getting ready now.

How registration works

Registration is done online on NECO's Common Entrance portal, ncee.neco.gov.ng. Education guides describe the steps like this:

1. Sign up as a parent or head teacher.
2. Pay the registration fee through Remita.
3. Add your child's details and photo.
4. Choose schools, one in each of the six geopolitical zones.
5. Print your child's photocard for exam day.

In 2025 and 2026, education sites reported the fee as ₦5,940. Always check the amount on the NECO portal itself.

After results, the admission list is published on the ministry's posting site, fmeposting.com.ng. For 2026/27, it came out on 24 August 2026.

What does a Unity College cost?

Tuition is free. But there are other charges. In May 2023, the ministry raised the approved first-term charges for new students (JSS1 and SS1) from ₦45,000 to ₦100,000. The main items are boarding (₦30,000), uniforms (₦25,000) and a textbook deposit (₦15,000), plus smaller charges.

By our sum, that's a 122% rise, and the ₦100,000 is about 1.4 months of the ₦70,000 minimum wage. Later terms usually cost less, because you don't buy uniforms and books again.

Beware of scams

Every year, someone tries to make money from worried parents. Protect yourself:

• Nobody can sell you a place. Since August 2025, the ministry says admission is fully automated, based on results and each school's capacity.
• Use only official NECO websites. Real NECO sites end in .neco.gov.ng. In 2026, NECO warned about fake websites copying its portals.
• Check fee lists. In August 2024, the ministry disowned a fake fee list that claimed new students had to pay ₦386,000. Its director said:

"The document is not only fake but also poorly constructed." Hajia Binta Abdulkadir, Federal Ministry of Education, August 2024

• Pay only through the official portal. Not into anyone's personal account.

A note on safety

In November 2025, the government temporarily closed a number of Unity Colleges because of security threats. All 47 affected colleges reopened in December 2025. When choosing schools, it's fair to ask about security and to talk to parents whose children are already there.

How to help your child prepare

• Cover the basics well. Strong maths, English and general knowledge matter more than cramming.
• Practise under time. Help your child get used to sitting an exam paper calmly and finishing on time.
• Don't miss the exam day. Over 3,400 registered children didn't sit in 2026. Plan transport and find the centre early.

If your child needs extra help before the exam, Scholarleveling has live classes with teachers on any phone, and you get a parent code to see how they're doing every week.

Read next: what to check when your child isn't improving in school, or whether expensive schools get better WAEC results.