The University of Ghana’s (UG) recent hike in academic fees and/or dues for the 2025/2026 academic year has sparked reactions from parents, students and several stakeholders in the education sector.

Adding their voice to the increase is the tertiary education regulator, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC).

In a statement issued on January 5, 2026, by Prof. Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, Director-General of GTEC and addressed to the Vice Chancellor of UG, ordering the management of the school to reverse the over 25% increase.

The tertiary education regulator referred to Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2022 (Act 1080), which states that any adjustment of publicly funded universities' fees must be approved by Parliament before implementation. Institutions cannot unilaterally introduce new charges or increase existing ones.

It ordered 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.

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.

"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 to last Academic Year's fees for the next Academic Year. Refund the difference to final-year students who have paid in excess of the fees for the last academic 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”

It further added that the school management provide a compliance letter in the next seven days, warning that failure to do so will attract sanctions.

"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.

UG last week announced an over 25% upward adjustment in academic fees. Following the backlash meted out to the school, the management, represented by the Pro Vice Cancellor Gordon Awandare, during an interview with Citi TV, attributed the hike to increased third-party fees.

He said management has limited control over third-party charges included in the overall academic fees.

He explained that these fees are imposed by student leadership bodies, namely the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) and the Graduate Students’ Association of Ghana (GRASAG), to support their programmes and activities.

According to him, the charges were approved through the students’ own governance structures and communicated to students more than two weeks ago.

“What is being reported as fee increases relates to third-party fees imposed by student leadership. University management did not impose these charges. If students have concerns, they should direct them to their SRC or GRASAG leadership,” he stated.

Professor Awandare further stressed that the university’s core academic fees remain modest and affordable, with no marginal increase, especially when viewed against current economic conditions.

“When you consider fees of about GH¢2,000 for an entire academic year at Ghana’s premier university, it is difficult to describe them as excessive. Utilities and operational costs have risen significantly, yet university fees have largely remained unchanged since 2022. Even students acknowledge that the previous fee levels were no longer sustainable, which is why they adjusted their own components to reflect the cost of running their activities,” he added.

Management maintains that the current adjustments reflect economic realities rather than unilateral decisions by the university.

The increase according to the document shared by the school management, freshmen of the Humanities College will pay GH¢3,110 for the 2025/26 academic year, representing a 34% hike from the GH¢2,319 charged in the 2024/25 academic year, while continuing students at the college will pay GH¢2,253, marking a 27 percent increase from the previous GH¢1,777.

Similarly, at the University of Ghana School of Law, undergraduate freshers under the College of Humanities will pay GH¢3,226, a 33 percent increase from GH¢2,435 last academic year. Continuing law students will also see their fees rise from GH¢1,890 to GH¢2,396.

Other colleges, including Health Sciences, Basic and Applied Sciences, and Education, have also recorded fee hikes ranging between 25 and 35%.

According to management, one of the major drivers of the hike is a result of an increase in third-party fees. While third-party fees stood at GH¢255 during the 2024/25 academic year, they have increased to GH¢767 for freshmen and GH¢455 for continuing students for the 2025/26 academic year.

A breakdown of these charges includes an SRC Hostel Development Levy of GH¢300, a GH¢100 contribution towards the university’s 75th Anniversary Legacy Project, SRC welfare dues of GH¢50, and reprographic fees of GH¢5. Fresh Level 100 and diploma students are also required to pay GH¢312 for a Telecel data package, while continuing students may opt into a Telecel data and airtime package at GH¢10.22 per month.