- University of Ghana’s Pro Vice-Chancellor explained plans to reduce undergraduate admissions to address an overstretched student-to-teacher ratio
- The University is targeting a student population of between 70,000 and 75,000 by admitting fewer students each year than the number graduating
- The school also plans to more than double its postgraduate enrolment from the current 14–15% to at least 25%
The University of Ghana (UG) has announced plans to scale back undergraduate admissions, while simultaneously pushing to expand its postgraduate enrolment.
Pro Vice-Chancellor of Academic and Student Affairs, Professor Gordon Awandare, announced Campus Exclusive on July 14, 2026, outlining a strategy that would reshape how the institution manages student numbers across all its colleges.
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The school’s goal is to tackle its student-to-teacher ratio.
Under the proposed framework, Radio Univers reported that each college’s dean will be responsible for regulating how many students are admitted annually.
The core principle is straightforward: no college should admit more students in a given year than the number graduating from it.
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The measure is designed to bring the University’s total student population down to a stable range of between 70,000 and 75,000, a target UG has been pursuing since 2020.
“We are working to stabilise student numbers at around 70,000 to 75,000 to bring down the number of students. We are talking to the deans: you cannot enrol more students than have graduated,” Professor Awandare said.
The approach represents a deliberate effort to align enrolment figures with the University’s actual capacity to deliver quality teaching and learning, rather than allowing demand to outpace available academic resources.
Push Towards Greater Postgraduate Enrolment
Alongside the reduction in undergraduate admissions, Professor Awandare outlined an ambition to significantly grow the University’s postgraduate numbers. Currently, postgraduate students account for between 14% and 15% of UG’s total enrolment. The University is aiming to raise that figure to at least 25%.
“Our strategy as a University is to move towards greater graduate student enrolment. Our target is to have at least 25%, moving from the current 14%–15%,” he stated.
The shift reflects a longer-term repositioning of UG as an institution that places greater emphasis on research and advanced academic training, consistent with the direction many leading African universities have taken in recent years.
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If the measures are implemented as outlined, prospective undergraduate applicants to the University of Ghana can expect a more competitive admissions process in the years ahead, with places more strictly governed by available teaching capacity.
Source: YEN.com.gh
