GTEC Directs University of Ghana to Reverse 2025/2026 Fee Increases.

The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has directed the management of the University of Ghana (UG) to immediately reverse all recent fee increases and associated dues announced for the 2025/2026 academic year.

According to GTEC, publicly funded universities are not permitted to review or introduce new student fees without following laid-down procedures, including obtaining Parliamentary approval as required under the Fees and Charges Act. The Commission stressed that failure to comply with these statutory requirements undermines the effective regulation of tertiary education institutions.

In a letter dated January 5, 2026, addressed to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, GTEC instructed the university to take several corrective measures. These include crediting continuing students who have paid more than the previous academic year’s approved fees, with the excess carried forward into the next academic year. Final-year students who have already paid fees above the previous year’s rates are to be refunded the difference.

GTEC further directed the university to revert all dues, including SRC and GRASSAG dues, to their 2024/2025 academic year rates. In addition, the university is to suspend any newly introduced charges, such as the 75th Anniversary dues and the Development Levy, where applicable, except for fees that were already in place in the previous academic year.

The directive follows public backlash last week after the University of Ghana announced fee increases of over 25 per cent across various colleges for the 2025/2026 academic year. In response to the uproar, the university’s management explained that the increases were largely driven by third-party charges imposed by student leadership rather than by the university authorities themselves.

However, GTEC, referencing an earlier letter dated November 3, 2025, noted that public tertiary institutions have repeatedly reviewed student fees without adhering to approved procedures, resulting in implementation challenges. The Commission reiterated that no new or revised fees for the 2025/2026 academic year can be charged without prior Parliamentary approval.

In the January 5, 2026 correspondence, copies of which were sent to the Minister of Education, the Deputy Minister of Education, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education, the Chairman of the Vice Chancellors of Ghana, and the Director of Internal Audit at the University of Ghana, GTEC warned of consequences for non-compliance.

“You are hereby requested to provide GTEC with evidence of compliance not later than January 12, 2026. Failure to do so will result in the Commission instituting serious regulatory sanctions against the University of Ghana,” the letter stated.

The directive places immediate responsibility on the University of Ghana to align its fee structure with existing legal requirements while awaiting the necessary Parliamentary approvals.