How do the universities in Ghana compare?
Short answer: they differ in age, location and the subjects they put first, and none is "best" for everyone. Someone who wants engineering and a parent who wants the lowest published fee are asking different questions.
We read each university's own website on 12 October 2026 and the institution lists of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC). This page sets out what they say. We do not rank them. Ranking sites exist, but they use their own methods.
| Traditional universities | 16 |
| Public technical universities | 10 |
| Public degree-awarding and professional institutions | 7 |
| Chartered private tertiary institutions | 24 |
| Private institutions offering HND or degree programmes | 97 |
Source: GTEC, institutional categories. Last checked 12 October 2026.
Some institutions inside a category carry an expired status on GTEC's list.
The list: universities in Ghana compared side by side
We picked ten well-known public universities plus six private ones that students ask about often. This is a sample, not a full register. The sortable table carries founding year, main colleges, form price and accreditation status. Every link in it goes to the university's own page, GTEC or our cut-off pages.
Showing 16 of 16
Source: each university's own website (linked in the University, Founded and Colleges columns) and the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) institution lists, all checked 12 October 2026. Last checked 12 October 2026.
Application form prices are for the undergraduate form in GH¢ as the university prints them. Not published means we could not find it on the university's own pages.
Each university has a profile on our register, with the data we hold on it:
- University of Ghana
- KNUST
- University of Cape Coast
- University of Education, Winneba
- University for Development Studies
- University of Mines and Technology
- University of Health and Allied Sciences
- University of Energy and Natural Resources
- University of Professional Studies, Accra
- GIMPA
- Ashesi University
- Central University
- Valley View University
- Presbyterian University
- Pentecost University
- Methodist University Ghana
Some profiles carry older names, such as "University College", and our "accredited by" column can show "None matched" for an institution GTEC lists as active, such as Ashesi. The table follows GTEC's own list.
Public universities in Ghana: what each one says it is known for
Public universities were set up by an Act of Parliament or a government law. In the table, the ten public ones range from 1948 to 2011 by founding year.
The University of Ghana began in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast and became a university by Act 79 on 1 October 1961. Its four colleges are Basic and Applied Sciences, Education, Health Sciences and Humanities.
KNUST was established by a government ordinance on 6 October 1951 as Kumasi College of Technology and became a university on 22 August 1961. It is organised into six colleges.
UCC opened in October 1962 as a university college and became a full university on 1 October 1971. It calls itself a public research university. UEW was created from seven teacher-training colleges and puts teacher education at its centre.
UDS describes itself as the first public university in the north and runs a community-based training programme. It names 13 faculties and schools. UHAS calls itself the only state university in Ghana solely dedicated to healthcare education. UENR names energy, natural resources and sustainable development as its focus. UMaT began as the Tarkwa Technical Institute in 1952, and its faculties centre on mining, engineering, geosciences and petroleum.
UPSA calls itself Ghana's only professional university and has a Law School. GIMPA has five schools, from business and law to public service and technology.
Private universities in Ghana: what the six on our list offer
Private universities are owned by churches, foundations or companies, and GTEC lists 24 as chartered. Six that students ask about often are on this page.
Ashesi opened in 2002 with 30 students, received its charter in 2018, and says it educates ethical entrepreneurial leaders. It teaches engineering, computer science, business and a law programme. Central University traces its start to a pastoral training institute in 1988 and has schools of Pharmacy, Law, Medical Sciences, Nursing and Midwifery, and Architecture and Design.
Valley View University was established in 1979 by the West African Union Mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and received its charter in 2006. Presbyterian University lists faculties of Science and Technology, Medical Sciences, Law and Education. Pentecost University lists faculties of Law, Engineering Science and Computing, Business Administration, and Health and Allied Sciences. Methodist University Ghana began teaching in October 2000 and got its charter effective 3 March 2022.
A church name or a nice website does not prove accreditation. Check GTEC. Our pages on private universities and technical universities show GTEC status for the wider groups. For a ranked view of the universities that appear in published tables, see our universities page.
Which university is best in Ghana for medicine, engineering, business or law?
No page can honestly name one university best for a subject. What we can do is show which universities say, on their own sites, that they teach it. Then you check the programme's accreditation and the entry requirement.
- Medicine and health: UHAS lists Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy. UDS names a School of Medicine. UG has a College of Health Sciences and KNUST has a College of Health Sciences. Among private universities, Central has a School of Medical Sciences and Presbyterian has a Faculty of Medical Sciences.
- Engineering: KNUST has a College of Engineering. UMaT has a Faculty of Engineering and others centred on mining and petroleum. UENR has a School of Engineering and a School of Energy. UDS has a School of Engineering, and Ashesi lists an Engineering department.
- Business: UG's Humanities college includes business. UPSA, GIMPA, UCC, UEW, Central, Presbyterian and Valley View each name a business school or faculty.
- Law: UG's Humanities college includes law. UPSA, GIMPA and Central each name a Law School. Presbyterian and Pentecost list a Faculty of Law, and Ashesi lists a Law department.
A programme must be accredited, not only the university. GTEC's institution pages have a "View Programmes" link for each institution.
University of Ghana vs KNUST, and UCC vs UG: how to read the comparison
These are the most searched pairs, and they are not like for like. UG is in Accra and KNUST is in Kumasi. UG names four colleges, including Health Sciences and Humanities, while KNUST names six, including Engineering and Art and Built Environment. UCC opened in 1962 as a university college and its online catalogue now lists 528 programmes.
UG and KNUST both became universities in 1961, and UCC became independent in 1971. Which suits you depends on the programme, the city and the cut-off. Use our University of Ghana cut-off points, KNUST cut-off points and UCC cut-off points, each copied from the university's own page or guide. A lower aggregate means a more competitive programme within the same university. Do not set aggregates from different universities side by side without reading how each calculates them.
How much do universities in Ghana cost? Is there a cheapest university?
We cannot name the cheapest university in Ghana, and no one can from published data. There is no national fee list. Universities set their own fees, publish them in different forms, and often only as PDF files by college or programme.
What we can compare is the price of the undergraduate application form, where the university prints it. Nine of the universities on this page do.
That is only the form, not tuition. UG, KNUST, UEW, UHAS and UENR publish fee schedules as PDF downloads, so check the one for your programme and year.
Where tuition is on a page, the bases differ. UPSA's 2026/2027 schedule lists undergraduate academic facility user fees of GH¢4,975 a year for Ghanaian regular, evening and weekend students, and US$2,000 a year for international undergraduates. Ashesi lists tuition of GHS 53,498 per term for Ghanaians. A per year figure and a per term figure cannot be put in one chart. Pentecost names fee categories without amounts, and Methodist points to a student fee portal.
How big are the universities in Ghana?
Only some universities state their size.
UCC states 74,720 students on its about page, UPSA says more than 32,245, and GIMPA says over 6,000. None gives a year. The other universities here state no total on the pages we read, and we do not fill gaps with press numbers.
What are cut-off points, and where can you see them?
A cut-off is the aggregate a programme used in a past year. KNUST says its cut-offs are a guide and vary each year with the pass rate and the places available. KNUST also states 24 as the weakest aggregate it accepts for first-degree entry, and the programme cut-offs on our page run from 6 to 24.
We hold cut-off tables for three universities only, because those are the three that publish a table we could copy: UG, KNUST and UCC. For all other universities the table above says "Not published on our register". That is not a statement that they have none. It means we have not found a published table we can copy. See also our overview of university cut-off points, and use the WASSCE grade calculator to add up your grades.
How to choose a university in Ghana, step by step
- Start with the programme, not the university name. Write down two or three courses you want.
- Search each university's own programme list. Some, like UHAS, teach only health subjects; others, like UG, teach a wide range.
- Check GTEC. The university should show as active, and the programme should be listed.
- Match your WASSCE grades to the entry requirement and, where we hold it, the cut-off.
- Look at the form price and ask for the fee schedule for your programme and year.
- Think about where you can live and travel, then check the closing date on the university admission calendar or in our guide to universities still taking applications.
Our university register and pathways page help with the first three steps.
What we could not confirm
- Fee amounts for UG, KNUST, UEW, UHAS and UENR. Their schedules are PDF or download files, and we did not read the amounts.
- UDS tuition. The fees page we found lists a 2023/2024 schedule, so we show no amount.
- Form prices for UG, KNUST, UPSA, Ashesi, Valley View and Pentecost. None printed one on the pages we read.
- Founding year for Presbyterian and Pentecost. Neither site states one. Presbyterian says its Synod decided in 1996 and its committee was set up in 1998.
- Central University's founding year. 1988 comes from the home page only.
- Student numbers and programme counts. Most universities state neither, and Valley View's pages give 43, more than 50 and 46 programmes.
- Rankings. We found no official ranking by GTEC or the ministry.
Frequently asked questions
What are the top universities in Ghana?
There is no official top list. GTEC publishes whether an institution is active and its category, not an order. Use the table above to compare by programme, place and cost.
How many public universities are there in Ghana?
On 12 October 2026 GTEC lists 16 traditional universities and 10 public technical universities, all as active. It also lists 7 public degree-awarding and professional institutions, and three of those show an expired status. Public colleges of education are listed separately.
Is KNUST better than UCC?
No published source says so. They differ in city, size and focus. KNUST names six colleges including engineering and built environment. UCC describes itself as a public research university and has a strong education base. Compare the programme you want and read each cut-off page.
Which university in Ghana has the lowest school fees?
We cannot say. Fees are set by each university, published in different formats, and billed per year, per semester or per term. The only like-for-like figure is the undergraduate form price, where Presbyterian University's GH¢150 is the lowest of the nine we found.
Which private university in Ghana is the cheapest?
No published comparison exists. Presbyterian and Central publish form prices (GH¢150 and GH¢200), and Ashesi publishes tuition per term. Ask each for a fee schedule for your programme.
What is the Big 4 university?
We found no official definition of a "Big 4" on GTEC or on any university site we read. The phrase is not a recognised category, so do not use it to choose.
Which private universities in Ghana offer nursing?
On their own sites, Central University lists a School of Nursing and Midwifery, Presbyterian University lists a School of Nursing and Midwifery, and Valley View University lists Nursing and Health Sciences within its Faculty of Science. Check that the specific programme is accredited.
What is the hardest university to get into?
No source can answer this across universities. Within one university, a lower cut-off aggregate means a more competitive programme. Our pages show the cut-offs for UG, KNUST and UCC. KNUST's programme cut-offs run from 6 to 24.
Are the university rankings in Ghana official?
No. GTEC does not publish a ranking. Ranking sites use their own methods. Check the programme and accreditation before you pay a form fee.
Sources
- Ghana Tertiary Education Commission, institutional categories (checked 12 October 2026)
- GTEC, traditional universities list (checked 12 October 2026)
- GTEC, chartered private tertiary institutions list (checked 12 October 2026)
- University of Ghana, history (checked 12 October 2026)
- University of Ghana, colleges and schools (checked 12 October 2026)
- KNUST, history (checked 12 October 2026)
- KNUST, colleges (checked 12 October 2026)
- University of Cape Coast, about (checked 12 October 2026)
- University of Cape Coast, programme catalogue (checked 12 October 2026)
- University of Cape Coast, e-voucher page (checked 12 October 2026)
- University of Education, Winneba, brief history (checked 12 October 2026)
- University of Education, Winneba, cost of application vouchers (checked 12 October 2026)
- University for Development Studies, history (checked 12 October 2026)
- University for Development Studies, programmes (checked 12 October 2026)
- University of Mines and Technology, history (checked 12 October 2026)
- University of Mines and Technology, faculties and schools (checked 12 October 2026)
- University of Health and Allied Sciences, background (checked 12 October 2026)
- University of Energy and Natural Resources, about (checked 12 October 2026)
- University of Professional Studies, Accra, history (checked 12 October 2026)
- University of Professional Studies, Accra, fees schedule (checked 12 October 2026)
- GIMPA, about (checked 12 October 2026)
- Ashesi University, about (checked 12 October 2026)
- Ashesi University, how to apply (checked 12 October 2026)
- Central University, home page (checked 12 October 2026)
- Valley View University, history (checked 12 October 2026)
- Presbyterian University, about (checked 12 October 2026)
- Pentecost University, vision and mission (checked 12 October 2026)
- Methodist University Ghana, about (checked 12 October 2026)