GTEC directs University of Ghana to reverse 2025/2026 academic year fee increases

By admin
January 5, 2026

The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has asked that the management of the University of Ghana should reverse any recent fee increases and/or dues for the 2025/2026 academic year immediately.

According to GTEC, publicly funded universities cannot review student fees without adhering to proper procedures, including seeking Parliamentary approval as mandated by law.

Accordingly, the university has also been asked by GTEC to credit all continuing students who have overpaid compared to last Academic Year’s fees for the next Academic Year.

Again, the university is to refund the difference to final-year students who have paid in excess of the fees for last Academic Year and revert all dues, including SRC and GRASSAG dues, to last Academic Year’s rates and in addition suspend any new fees, such as the 75th Anniversary dues and Development Levy (if newly introduced), except for those that were already in place.

This was contained in a letter dated January 5, 2026, addressed to the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, following last week’s information that the university has increased fees.

Following the announcement and uproar last week of over 25 per cent increase in academic fees for the 2025/2026 academic year across all colleges, the management of the university explained that the increase was largely due to third-party charges imposed by student leadership, and not by the university authorities.

In GTEC’s letter dated January 5, 2026, a copy of which has been seen by Graphic Online and copied to the Minister of Education, his deputy, Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education, Chairman of the Vice Chancellors of Ghana (VCG) and the Director of Internal Audit at University of Ghana, GTEC referred to an earlier letter dated November 3, 2025 where it explained that it had noted that public tertiary education institutions have, over the years, reviewed student fees without adhering to proper procedures, causing implementation difficulties.

It said to ensure compliance with statutory requirements under the Fees and Charges Act and in line with its mandate to promote the effective and efficient operation of tertiary education institutions, GTEC was reminding all universities that new fees for the 2025/2026 academic year cannot be charged without prior approval from Parliament, as mandated by law.

It therefore asked Vice Chancellors to maintain the current student fees and only implement the revised fees for the 2025/2026 academic year after obtaining approval from Parliament.

In the January 5, 2026 letter addressed to the Vice Chancellor of UG, GTEC said it had been made aware that the University of Ghana has increased fees by 25% and, in certain instances, introduced new fees without prior approval from the relevant authorities as required by law.

“Informed by this, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission, by this letter, requests the University of Ghana to do the following:

Reverse any fee increases and/or dues immediately.
Credit all continuing students who have overpaid compared t o last Academic Year’s fees for the next Academic Year.
Refund the difference to final-year students who have paid i n excess of the fees for lastAcademic Year.
Revert all dues, including SRC and GRASSAG dues, to last Academic Year’s rates.
Suspend any new fees, such as the 75th Anniversary dues and Development Levy (if newly introduced), except for those that were already in place. The fees must be set at the last Academic Year’s rate.”You are hereby requested to provide GTEC with evidence of compliance not later than January 12, 2026. Failure will result in the Commission instituting SERIOUS REGULATORY SANCTIONS against the University of Ghana,” the letter added.

Source: graphic.com.gh