GTEC Directs Universities to Stop Using Entrance Exams as Mandatory Admission Requirement

The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission has directed all tertiary institutions to stop requiring entrance examinations as a mandatory precondition for admission, saying the practice contradicts the country’s approved admissions framework.

In a circular dated July 20, 2026 and signed by the Director-General, Prof. Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, GTEC said the directive was to protect fairness, transparency and equal access to tertiary education and to ensure institutions comply with national admission standards. Copies of the circular were sent to all tertiary institutions.

The Commission said it had observed with concern that some institutions were making prospective students pass entrance examinations before considering them for admission, thereby bypassing or replacing the nationally approved minimum entry requirements based on the West African Senior School Certificate Examination.

According to GTEC, this undermines equitable access and is inconsistent with the national admissions policy, which recognises WASSCE results as the primary qualification for entry into tertiary institutions. The Commission stated that the practice effectively supersedes the minimum entry requirements and works against the principle of equal opportunity.

To ensure compliance, GTEC has instructed heads of tertiary institutions to base admissions on the prescribed minimum entry requirements, with WASSCE results serving as the principal basis.

The Commission clarified that entrance examinations may only be used as an additional assessment tool for highly competitive programmes and must not be used to override the minimum WASSCE-based requirements.

GTEC further directed any institution that has issued or intends to issue admission notices making entrance examinations a compulsory condition to immediately withdraw such notices and align their processes with the existing regulatory framework.

The Commission also reminded universities and other higher education institutions that under the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020, Act 1023, it has the statutory mandate to develop and implement policies governing admission criteria for tertiary education in Ghana.

Source: Graphic

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