UG clarifies fee hike largely due to student-imposed charges, not management

The University of Ghana (UG) has clarified that the reported over 25% increase in academic fees for the 2025/2026 academic year across all colleges is primarily due to third-party charges imposed by student leadership, not the university authorities.

The clarification comes after students expressed concerns over what they described as a significant fee hike, with the provisional schedule showing substantial increases for both fresh and continuing students.

According to the university, the increases are mainly fees set by the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) and the Graduate Students’ Association of Ghana (GRASAG) to support their activities. Management has urged students to direct concerns to their respective student leadership bodies.

Speaking to Citi News, UG’s Pro Vice-Chancellor, Professor Gordon Awandare, explained that management has limited control over third-party fees included in overall academic charges.

“What is being reported as fee increases relates to third-party fees imposed by student leadership. These are fees approved through their governance structures and communicated to students over two weeks ago. University management did not impose these fees. If students have issues with these charges, they should take them up with their SRC or GRASAG leadership. These fees are meant to support student programmes and activities,” he said.

Professor Awandare further noted that overall academic fees remain relatively modest given current economic conditions.

“When you look at fees of about GHS 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 increased significantly, yet university fees have largely remained unchanged since 2022. Even the students themselves recognise that the previous fee levels were no longer realistic under current economic conditions, which is why they adjusted their component of the fees to match the cost of running their activities,” he added.

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