The West African Examination Council has advised schools seeking to hold graduation ceremonies for WASSCE graduates not to graduate all students. According to WAEC, not all students who sit the exam pass for which reason graduating all students will be wrong. What happens after a school holds a graduation ceremony for all its candidates only to find out their results have been cancelled or some actually failed the exam or two or more papers?
With the WAEC WASSCE over in nearly all member states for the year 2025, anticipation are building across West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for results and their implications on higher education.
Seeing the word “PASSED” at the bottom of the results slip sparks immediate joy and celebration. But what if that “pass” doesn’t automatically mean you can wear a graduation gown or enroll in university?
This is a point of major confusion for many families, and a recent press release from the WAEC National Office in Liberia has brought this critical issue to the forefront. As an education blogger who has followed this for years across Ghana, Nigeria, and other member states, it’s a conversation we need to have.
Don’t graduate just any student who sits WASSCE explained
The most important thing to understand is that the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) does not set the requirements for high school graduation or university admission. Its primary role is to conduct the examination and certify that a student has passed a particular subject. If you pass even one, WAEC will issue you a certificate for that achievement. The “PASSED” remark on your results slip simply means you are eligible to receive a certificate for the subject(s) you passed. The actual criteria—how many subjects you need and which ones are compulsory—are national policies set by the Ministry of Education in each member country.
To see this in practice, let’s look at Liberia’s shifting standards. In 2018, a student there only needed to pass one WASSCE subject to be eligible for graduation. By 2020, the requirement was increased to three subjects. From 2022, the standard was raised again, mandating that a student must pass five subjects, specifically including English Language and Mathematics, to qualify for both graduation and university matriculation. This evolution clearly shows that graduation requirements are dynamic and determined at the national level, not by WAEC. Similar policies exist in Ghana, Nigeria, and other member nations, each with its own specific criteria.
So, how should you interpret your results? A WAEC certificate is awarded even for a single subject passed, which is why a candidate can combine certificates from different sittings to meet the overall requirements. The “PASSED” remark doesn’t mean “Passed for Graduation,” but confirms you’ve earned a certificate for at least one subject.
Think of passing individual subjects as collecting ingredients; it’s your country’s Ministry of Education that decides the final recipe for a complete “graduation meal.”
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To avoid disappointment, schools, students and parents should confirm the current graduation requirements directly with their school or the Ministry of Education’s official website at the beginning of the final year. School authorities should also proactively communicate these criteria to help everyone manage expectations and work towards a clear, common goal. Understanding this distinction is key to navigating your educational journey. A pass in a WASSCE subject is a significant accomplishment, but knowing the specific rules for graduation is what gets you across that final stage.
