GTEC orders public universities to maintain current fees for 2025/2026 academic year

The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has taken firm action to ensure regulatory compliance within the country’s tertiary education sector.

In a new directive, the Commission has ordered all public universities to keep student fees at their current levels for the 2025/2026 academic year.

The circular, dated November 3, 2025, makes it clear that no university is permitted to introduce new or increased fees without first obtaining the required approval from Parliament, as mandated by the Constitution.

The regulatory action is a direct response to GTEC’s observation that public tertiary education institutions have, “over the years, reviewed student fees without adhering to proper procedures,” a practice that has caused significant “implementation difficulties”.

The circular stresses that this measure is necessary “to ensure compliance with statutory requirements under the Fees and Charges Act”, which governs how state entities, including public universities, set their charges.

The statement, issued under the subject “2025/2026 ACADEMIC YEAR FEES”, explicitly reminds Vice Chancellors of their legal obligations:

“Vice Chancellors are hereby reminded to maintain the current student fees and only implement the revised fees for the 2025/2026 academic year after obtaining approval from Parliament.”

The directive was signed by Dr. Emmanuel Oware Nyarko, Director, Quality Assurance & Compliance, on behalf of the Director General, signalling a high-level commitment to enforcing the law.

The circular was distributed directly to the Vice Chancellors of all Traditional Universities and the Vice Chancellors of all Technical Universities.

The instruction serves as a definitive warning to tertiary institutions that all fee adjustments are subject to stringent parliamentary scrutiny, ensuring that student financial obligations are transparent, legal, and non-exploitative as the new academic year commences.