GTEC bans compulsory entrance exams for university admissions
The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has directed all tertiary institutions across the country to stop making entrance examinations a mandatory requirement for admission, stating that the practice violates Ghana’s approved admissions framework.
In a circular dated July 20, 2026, GTEC said the directive is aimed at promoting fairness, transparency, and equal access to higher education while ensuring institutions adhere to nationally approved admission standards.
The circular, signed by the Commission’s Director-General, Prof. Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, and copied to all tertiary institutions, noted with concern that some schools had begun requiring applicants to pass entrance examinations before they could be considered for admission. According to GTEC, this effectively replaces or bypasses the nationally recognised minimum entry requirements based on the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
The Commission stressed that the practice contradicts the national admissions policy, which recognises WASSCE results as the primary qualification for entry into tertiary institutions, and warned that it undermines equitable access to higher education.
To ensure compliance, GTEC instructed heads of tertiary institutions to admit students based on the prescribed minimum entry requirements, with WASSCE results remaining the principal basis for admission.
However, the Commission clarified that entrance examinations may still be used as supplementary assessment tools for highly competitive programmes, provided they do not replace or override the minimum WASSCE-based admission criteria.
GTEC also directed institutions that have issued, or intend to issue, admission notices requiring entrance examinations as a compulsory condition for admission to immediately withdraw such notices and align their admission procedures with the existing regulatory framework.
The Commission further reminded universities and other tertiary institutions that, under the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023), it has the legal mandate to formulate and implement policies governing admission requirements for tertiary education in Ghana.
Reaffirming its position, GTEC emphasised that all institutions are expected to comply with the national admissions policy to preserve fairness, consistency, and equal opportunities for prospective students seeking higher education.
