Ghanaian PhD students in the United Kingdom have announced plans to stage a protest in London over delays in the payment of tuition fees and living stipends.
In a statement issued on April 6, 2026, the group representing Ghanaian PhD students in the UK said the demonstration will take place on April 17 at the Ghana High Commission in London.
According to the students, the protest follows months of unsuccessful efforts to engage the Ghana Scholarship Authority (GSA) on what they describe as worsening financial challenges.
They claim that many beneficiaries of the government scholarship scheme have not received their stipends for extended periods, ranging from 15 to as much as 40 months.
“Many of us have gone for months, in some cases years, without stipends, making it extremely difficult to survive and continue our studies,” the statement said.
The students also raised concerns about unpaid tuition fees, which they say have led to serious academic consequences. Some students have reportedly been withdrawn from their programmes, while others face the risk of deportation due to non-payment of fees.
“Our tuition fees remain unpaid, and this has resulted in withdrawals from programmes and even threats of deportation from universities,” they stated.
In addition, the group accused the Scholarship Authority of prioritising new scholarship awards in other countries while neglecting those already studying in the UK.
“To make matters worse, the management of the Scholarship Authority continues to issue non-bilateral scholarships to new students to study in Canada, USA, Germany and China, while those already at various stages of their studies in the UK are neglected,” the statement noted.
Another major concern raised is the delay in issuing renewal letters for continuing students. These letters are required for students to register for new academic terms and continue their studies.
“At present, all continuing students who require renewal letters to re-enrol and continue their studies have been left to their own fate,” the group said.
“The letters have remained unissued for more than 15 months.”
They added that the delay has made it impossible for many students to register for the current academic year.
“Eight months into the 2025/2026 academic year, no renewal letters have been issued, thereby making it impossible for continuing students to register and engage in their studies,” the statement stressed.
The students say the planned protest is intended to draw urgent attention to their situation and push authorities to take immediate action to address the delays and support affected students.
By: Janice Opoku-Agyemang
