The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has directed the University of Ghana (UG) to immediately reverse all fee increases and dues implemented for the 2025/2026 academic year, credit continuing students who have overpaid compared to the 2024/2025 rates with the excess applied to the next academic year.
The commission has also directed a full refund of the difference to final-year students who paid more than last year’s fees, revert all dues including SRC and GRASSAG contributions to the previous academic year’s rates, and suspend any newly introduced fees such as the 75th Anniversary dues and Development Levy (if applicable), while retaining only pre-existing fees at last year’s levels.
In a letter dated January 5, 2026, addressed to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, GTEC stated that publicly funded universities are not permitted to review or increase student fees without following due process, including obtaining prior approval from Parliament as required by law.
The directive follows public outcry over the university’s announcement last week of fee hikes exceeding 25% for the 2025/2026 academic year across all colleges.
The commission warned that failure to comply and provide evidence of adherence by January 12, 2026, would result in “serious regulatory sanctions” against the University of Ghana.
Copies of the letter were sent to the Minister of Education, the Deputy Minister, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education, the Chairman of Vice-Chancellors Ghana, and the Director of Internal Audit at the University of Ghana.
GTEC referenced an earlier communication dated November 3, 2025, in which it reminded all public tertiary institutions that fee revisions for the 2025/2026 academic year could only be implemented after parliamentary approval.
The university management had previously defended the increases, attributing much of the hike to third-party charges proposed by student leadership rather than decisions by the university authorities.
The directive is expected to bring relief to students and parents who had expressed concerns over the sharp rise in academic user fees and related charges.