Ghana: Mahama launches ‘No Fees Stress’ policy, Clears Fees for First 15,000 Tertiary Students

The Ghanaian government has cleared academic user fees for 15,000 first-year students in public tertiary institutions.

President John Mahama announced this on Friday, July 4, during the launch of the ‘No Fees Stress’ policy in Koforidua, Eastern Region.

He said the initiative aims to remove financial barriers to higher education and will commence with the 2025/2026 academic year.

Under the policy, the state will pay academic-related fees for all newly admitted students in public universities, technical universities, colleges of education, and nursing training colleges.

Mahama added that the policy was backed by Ghana’s Constitution and designed to ensure that no student is denied tertiary education due to financial constraints.

This is the path to a more just society,” he said. “No Ghanaian child will be denied tertiary education simply because they cannot afford fees.”

The president also announced reforms to the Student Loan Trust Fund, including doubling loan funding next year and introducing a simplified application process. Students with disabilities will receive free tertiary education, and those in self-funded programmes without public equivalents can receive up to GHS 2,500 in refunds.

More than 150,000 students apply to public tertiary schools each year. Many defer or drop out due to fees that can reach up to GHS 8,000. Mahama said the new policy would put an end to that.

He urged public institutions to implement the policy with transparency and called on development partners and the private sector to support it through bursaries and endowments.

The policy is part of the Mahama administration’s education reform agenda under the RESET Ghana framework.

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