As the name implies, the National Examination Council (NECO) is an examination body that conducts the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination in Nigeria.
Unlike the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), NECO exams are conducted in Nigeria and accepted by all higher institutions within the country.
NECO was created in 1999 by Abdulsalami Abubakar, Nigeria's former head of state as the first Federal organisation to offer subsidised registration to academic candidates in Nigeria.
If you intend studying in Nigeria, you won't have any issues getting admission with your NECO results but where the major issue arises is when you want to move out of the Nigerian shores.
I've received several emails from Nigerian secondary school leavers interested in knowing whether universities in countries like Canada, United States, Ireland, China, India, Russia and others accept students with good NECO results.
Why NECO Is Not Recognised Abroad
NECO, unlike the WAEC is only recognised within the environs of Nigeria. There are exams like WAEC, TOEFL and ILETS test that would guarantee you admission to your dream institution.In fact, asking if NECO can be used to study abroad is similar to asking if universities in Ghana accept JAMB results. This is not possible as the countries also have internal examinations being conducted within their environs.
The schools abroad won't be able to vouch for the students with NECO since they know nothing about the curriculum or the topics covered by the NECO examination.
NECO as an examination body doesn't include any international firms or organisations in carrying out their examinations. In fact, some online sources also stated that it is not recognised in West Africa.
Most higher institutions abroad offer admission to foreign students without subjecting the to other exams like JAMB or Post UTME. This means that for them to give you admission, they need to be sure that the results you present are good enough. The need students with high degrees of academic excellent and intelligence.
Which examination in Nigeria is recognised to study abroad?
The West African Examination Council (WAEC), organised by the government of West Africa, which is widely recognised and acceptable by several countries in the world.So if you intend furthering your education in any foreign country, you can easily do that by getting enrolled in the mandatory WAEC examinations and working hard to get a good result.
Also note that WAEC result is mostly used for students who intend pursuing an undergraduate degree, which is the Bachelor’s degree.
I heard some schools abroad accept NECO results, how true is that?
While researching on this article, I ran across a blog that stated that some schools abroad accept students with NECO results. According to the writer, applicants will also be given other tests like TOEFL, GMAT, IELTS, GRE, PSAT, ACT and SAT. The is to test the applicant's fluency of English.If you know anyone that has gotten admission to study abroad with his/her NECO results, kindly drop a comment below with the institution. It'll help in guiding other fresh applicants who might be needing such information.
Before you leave, also check out our previous article on 5 important things you should know before studying abroad as a Nigerian.
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