GTEC Cracks Down on Fake Degrees and Rogue Entrance Exams

Ghana Tertiary Education Commission

In one of its most consequential moves this year, GTEC directed all universities, colleges and other tertiary institutions to stop requiring entrance examinations as a mandatory condition for admission. Going forward, admissions must be based on approved minimum entry requirements, with WASSCE results serving as the primary basis for assessment.

The Commission, acting under the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023), said some institutions had introduced compulsory entrance exams that conflicted with the national admissions framework and risked limiting equal access to tertiary education. Entrance exams aren't banned outright GTEC says they may still be used as an additional assessment tool but institutions can no longer make them a hard requirement that overrides WASSCE-based eligibility. Any institution that had already issued notices requiring compulsory entrance exams has been told to withdraw them.

What this means for you: if you meet the standard WASSCE-based entry requirements, no institution should be able to turn you away or force you through an extra exam gate just to qualify for admission consideration.

Separately, GTEC has been publishing and updating a list of institutions both Ghanaian and international that it says are not currently recognised due to quality assurance concerns. An announcement in June covered 70 institutions in total, spanning the United States, Ghana, Nigeria, India and the United Kingdom, with the US and Ghana accounting for the largest shares.

GTEC's message has been consistent: certificates from these institutions may not be valid for academic, professional, or employment purposes in Ghana, and the Commission is urging students, employers and the general public to verify accreditation status before relying on any qualification.

GTEC's scrutiny hasn't stopped at private or obscure institutions. In July, the Commission flagged 15 learning centres and satellite campuses affiliated with public universities including University of Ghana learning centres in Koforidua, Cape Coast, Tamale, Ho/Tsito, Wa, Bolgatanga and Sunyani, plus University of Education, Winneba centres hosted at partner colleges for operating without proper accreditation.

This matters because these are centres tied to well-known, reputable public universities, which can make it easy to assume every satellite campus carries the same accreditation automatically. GTEC's message is that it doesn't each learning centre needs its own accreditation, and students should check before enrolling.

How to check if your institution is accredited

• Visit the GTEC website and search for the institution under its accredited, unaccredited, or unrecognised lists
• Contact GTEC directly to confirm an institution's status before enrolling or relying on a certificate
• If you're evaluating a foreign credential, GTEC's Credential Evaluation Management System (CEMS) accessible under the "Services" menu on their site handles that process

Professor Ahmed Abdulai Jinapor

Alongside the enforcement actions, GTEC's Director-General, Professor Ahmed Abdulai Jinapor, has been pushing a parallel message: confidence in Ghana's accredited universities. Speaking at the investiture of the new Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, he urged Ghanaians to "purchase Ghana education," arguing that accredited local universities have the capacity and expertise to produce graduates who can compete globally. He framed the recent crackdowns not as an attempt to discourage tertiary education, but to protect students and professionals from investing time and money in qualifications that ultimately won't hold value.