The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has, through a circular, directed all tertiary institutions to stop making entrance examinations a compulsory requirement for admission, saying the practice is inconsistent with Ghana’s approved admissions framework.
In the circular, dated July 20, 2026 and signed by its Director-General, Prof. Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, the Commission expressed concern that some institutions had introduced entrance examinations as a precondition for admission, effectively replacing or bypassing the nationally approved minimum entry requirements, based on the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
According to GTEC, the practice undermines fairness, transparency and equitable access to tertiary education. It stressed that WASSCE remains the principal qualification for admission into tertiary institutions and that all admissions must be based on the prescribed minimum entry requirements.
The Commission clarified, however, that entrance examinations may only be used as supplementary assessment tools for highly competitive programmes and should never override WASSCE results or become mandatory for admission.
GTEC has, therefore, directed institutions that have issued or intend to issue admission notices requiring compulsory entrance examinations to immediately withdraw such notices and align their admission processes with the national regulatory framework.
The Commission also reminded tertiary institutions that under the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023), it has the legal mandate to formulate and implement policies governing admission criteria for higher education in Ghana.
In our view, this directive is not only timely but also necessary. The WASSCE is the nationally recognised examination used to determine whether students qualify for tertiary education. Students spend three years in Senior High School preparing for this examination, after which they are assessed by the West African Examinations Council under a standardised system accepted across the country and beyond.
It, therefore, defies logic that students who have successfully met the required grades must once again prove their academic ability through another examination before gaining admission into a university. If WASSCE is no longer considered credible enough for admission, then Ghana must have an honest national conversation about reforming the examination itself rather than allowing individual institutions to create parallel admission systems.
The Chronicle is even more concerned about the financial implications of these entrance examinations. Most of these tests come with additional charges, on top of application fees and other admission-related expenses. At a time when many Ghanaian families are battling rising living costs, imposing another financial hurdle on qualified students is difficult to justify. One cannot help but ask whether these examinations have become revenue-generating ventures disguised as academic assessments.
Universities certainly have the responsibility to maintain academic standards. However, that responsibility should not come at the expense of fairness, consistency and equal opportunity. Where specialised programmes require aptitude tests or interviews, such assessments should complement not replace the nationally approved admission requirements.
GTEC deserves commendation for stepping in before this practice became entrenched across the tertiary education sector. The Commission has acted within its legal mandate to protect the integrity of Ghana’s admissions framework and to ensure that access to higher education remains fair and transparent.
Universities should, therefore, comply without hesitation. Qualified students deserve a smooth transition from senior high school to tertiary education not another costly examination that serves little educational purpose. Ghana’s education system must inspire confidence, not unnecessary frustration.
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The post Editorial: Scrap The Needless University Entrance Examinations appeared first on The Ghanaian Chronicle.
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