The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has directed tertiary institutions across the country to stop treating entrance examinations as a mandatory condition for admission, stressing that prospective students must first be assessed based on the approved national minimum entry requirements.
The Commission said WASSCE results must remain the primary basis for determining whether an applicant meets the minimum requirements for admission into tertiary education.
The directive follows concerns over some tertiary institutions introducing entrance examinations as compulsory preconditions for admission. According to GTEC, such practices could undermine Ghana’s national admissions framework and create additional barriers for qualified students seeking access to tertiary education.
Entrance exams can be used, but not as a replacement
GTEC clarified that tertiary institutions are not prohibited from conducting entrance examinations. However, the examinations must be used only as an additional assessment tool, particularly in situations where institutions need to select candidates for highly competitive programmes.
The Commission emphasised that an entrance examination cannot be used to replace or override the approved minimum admission requirements based on WASSCE results.
“Entrance examinations shall only be used as an additional component to the prescribed requirements, based on competitiveness and not as a prerequisite that overrides the WASSCE-based minimum entry requirements,” GTEC stated.
This means that institutions may conduct additional assessments where necessary, but such examinations should not become a compulsory barrier for applicants who already meet the nationally approved minimum entry requirements.
Institutions ordered to withdraw compulsory exam notices
GTEC has consequently instructed heads of tertiary institutions that have already introduced, or are planning to introduce, admission notices requiring applicants to pass an entrance examination as a compulsory condition to withdraw those notices.
The institutions have instead been directed to bring their admission procedures in line with the approved national regulatory framework.
The Commission’s position is based on its mandate under the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023), which gives it responsibility for developing and implementing policies governing admission criteria and requirements for tertiary education in Ghana.
What the directive means for prospective students
The directive is expected to provide greater clarity for students applying to tertiary institutions, particularly those who meet the approved WASSCE-based entry requirements but may face additional compulsory examinations introduced by individual institutions.
GTEC said adherence to the national admissions guidelines is essential to promoting fairness, transparency and equal opportunity in access to tertiary education.
The Commission’s latest directive therefore reinforces the principle that institutional admission processes must operate within the national regulatory framework, while allowing entrance examinations to be used where appropriate as supplementary tools for assessing applicants, especially for competitive programmes.
Prospective students are encouraged to carefully review official admission requirements issued by their chosen institutions and ensure that they rely on verified information when applying for tertiary education.
