The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has ordered the University of Ghana (UG) to immediately reverse a reported 25 percent increase in academic fees for the 2025/2026 academic year and suspend the collection of any newly introduced charges.
The directive follows the Commission’s discovery that the University of Ghana increased student fees by about 25 percent and, in some cases, introduced new charges without obtaining the required approval from the relevant authorities.
In a letter dated January 5, 2026, signed by GTEC Director-General Professor Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai and addressed to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, the Commission said the action contravenes an earlier directive issued on November 3, 2025.
That directive instructed all publicly funded tertiary institutions not to implement any fee increases for the 2025/2026 academic year without parliamentary approval, as required under the Fees and Charges Act.
The Commission therefore directed the University of Ghana to immediately carry out the following actions:
Reverse all fee increases and cancel any newly introduced dues for the 2025/2026 academic year,
Restore all student-related charges, including SRC and GRASAG dues, to the 2024/2025 academic year rates,
Ensure that continuing students who have already paid the increased fees have the excess amounts credited to their accounts for the next academic year,
Refund final-year students who paid fees above the 2024/2025 rates in cash, and
Suspend the collection of any newly introduced levies, including the 75th Anniversary dues and the Development Levy, if they were not part of the approved fee structure, and ensure all fees remain at 2024/2025 levels unless otherwise authorised.
GTEC further directed the University of Ghana to provide the Commission with evidence of full compliance no later than January 12, 2026.
The Commission warned that failure to comply with the directives will result in what it described as “serious regulatory sanctions” against the institution.
The letter also indicated that the Deputy Minister for Education, Dr. Clement Apaak, has been designated as the official liaison between the Ministry of Education and the University of Ghana on the matter.
The directive follows widespread public and student backlash after the University of Ghana released its provisional fee schedule for the 2025/2026 academic year, which showed increases of over 25% across several programmes.
Students and parents raised concerns about affordability, prompting debate on social media and calls for intervention from authorities.
