How foreign and local students can avoid unaccredited universities and programmes in Ghana

Ghana has become the most preferred destination for foreign students seeking to acquire education at the university level in Africa.  However, very often, many of them end up in tertiary institutions that do not have accreditation to run the very programs they run. In some instances, these tertiary institutions may have accreditation as a college or university, but they do not run the accredited programmes per their accreditation by The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC).

The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) is the only public institution in Ghana that offers accreditation to public and private universities in Ghana.

In a recent publication, the GTEC informed the public that all programmes on offer at such study centres and branch campuses are unaccredited and SHALL NOT BE RECOGNISED since programme accreditation is site-specific. This means that certificates issued to students will also be illegal where ever it finds itself for work and for further studies. The full press release here

How foreign/local students can avoid unaccredited universities and programmes in Ghana

How to know if a public or private university is accredited and qualified to run the programme you want to study there?

Ask the following questions

#1. Ask the officers of the officers and current students of the college or university if the institution is accredited.

Advice: Never attend a public or private tertiary institution that does not have accreditation from The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC). You will only waste time, money, and effort in such an institution.

#2. Which of your programmes are accredited by The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC)

If the university or college indicates that they have been accredited, find out from them if their programmes are accredited by GTEC.

Advice: Do not ever offer or study a programme that GTEC has not accredited a university or college to run. What this means is that a university or college may be accredited to run specific programmes only. Any other programme they run which is not accredited is a red flag. Do not be deceived in studying any unaccredited programme because you will regret it later in life after wasting time, effort and money on studying.

#Visit the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC)

Do not believe any of the answers you receive from a public or private university or college after asking the two above questions. Having been informed by the institution of their accreditation status, visit the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) website and look for the name f the institution and the programmes they have been accredited to run by GTEC.

If you do not find a specific programme on the GTEC site, do not study it in that college or university. Again, if the university is not accredited in Ghana, it means anything you study there is trash and when it is time for the validity of your certificate to be confirmed, GTEC will disapprove it. This means you can not further your education with the certificate awarded you by the institution and getting employed will be very difficult if not impossible.

GTEC categorises tertiary institutions’ accreditation in Ghana and what they mean. 

A University Status Accreditation in Ghana

An educational institution designed for advanced instruction and research in several branches of learning, conferring degrees in various faculties, and often embodying colleges, schools and similar institutions.

University College Status Accreditation in Ghana

An institution of higher learning that is affiliated to a university and that offers instructions based on programmes approved by the university to which it is affiliated and whose degrees/diplomas/certificates are awarded by the parent university.

Polytechnics Status Accreditation in Ghana

An institution of higher or further education in which courses in a large range of subjects, especially, of a technical or vocational kind are available.

College Status Accreditation in Ghana

An establishment for further or higher education in the liberal arts (Pure Science/Humanities) or professional studies, sometimes, part of a university, e.g. Business College; College of Music; Naval College.

School Status Accreditation in Ghana

An educational institution devoted to a special branch of higher education, e.g. School of Education, School of Economics, School of Medicine, School of Law.

Institute Status Accreditation in Ghana

An establishment offering advanced courses in the professions, or the arts, or science and technology.

Academy Status Accreditation in Ghana

A place of study or training in a special field, e.g. Military Academy, Academy of Dance, Maritime Academy.

Tutorial College Status Accreditation in Ghana

An institution which prepares students to take the examinations of a university or a recognised professional body.

Note that there are different types of accreditation in Ghana within the tertiary institution’s space and that a tutorial college is not a university but a college where students can learn to prepare for an external examination.

The examination taken by the student is external, and the certificate is awarded by the external body. Any certificate awarded by the tutorial college can be described as fake and illegal, and anyone who is awarded such a certificate receives no recognition whatsoever.

How to search for a college or university and their approved or accredited programmes on GTEC’s website.

#1. Oo to https://gtec.edu.gh/

#2. On the home page, click on Accreditation and choose accredited institutions.

#3. Once you click on Accredited Institutions, it will take you to a page as shown below.  All accredited institutions in good standing are found here.

If the university or college you want to attend is not here but it is claiming to be accredited, be extra careful and advise yourself before you are fooled into believing you are in a recognized tertiary institution in Ghana.

#4. Check from the right category of tertiary institutions in Ghana on the page to find the full details about the institution. If the status of the institution shows its accreditation has expired, that is another red flag.

Double-check before applying for admission to such institutions. If the information you find is not clear, do the following.

#5. Click on the search bar on the GTEC website and type the name of the school into it, and search. This will pull up the institution’s details on the GTEC site.

If you do not find any information about the university or college of GTEC, it means it is first of all not accredited.

However, if you find the details, look out for the following.