Which universities in Ghana are still taking applications?

Which universities in Ghana are still taking applications today?

Short answer: it depends on the intake you want. For first-degree applicants who finished senior high school, the main public windows have closed. The University of Ghana closed regular undergraduate applications on 8 September 2026, UCC closed its regular window on 25 September 2026, and KNUST says its undergraduate and top-up e-vouchers for 2026/2027 are closed. Applications are still open in other places, and that is where this guide spends its time.

We read each university's own admissions page on 12 October 2026. Where a page gives a closing date, you will see it below. Where it does not, we say so and do not guess. If you only remember one thing, remember this: a university that says "open" with no end date can close without warning, so do not wait.

Key dates at a glance (checked 12 October 2026)

The list: universities in Ghana still taking applications on 12 October 2026

This is the list in the plain order that helps most: those with a published closing date first, then those that are open with no date, then the ones we found closed, then the ones we could not confirm. Each link goes to the institution's own admissions or application page.

Open with a published closing date

• University of Cape Coast, distance programmes: undergraduate and postgraduate distance applications run from 19 June to 31 October 2026.
• CKT-UTAS: undergraduate, diploma and postgraduate applications for 2026/2027 run from 13 April to 31 October 2026.
• Koforidua Technical University: its application page says admission ends on Friday 20 November 2026.
• KNUST Institute of Distance Learning: forms for undergraduate top-up and diploma programmes close on 30 November 2026.
• Cape Coast Technical University: its admissions portal says admission ends on Sunday 31 January 2027. Another CCTU page, on a different web address, still says 2025/2026 admissions have closed, so confirm with the university before you pay.

Open, but no closing date published

• University of Education, Winneba: the deadlines page lists direct applications as "Ongoing" and the page announces that 2026/2027 admissions are open. Mature entry closed on 16 September 2026 and sandwich on 30 June 2026.
• Accra Technical University: a notice dated 30 September 2026 extends the sale of 2026/2027 vouchers. ATU says the closing date for online applications will be announced.
• Kumasi Technical University: the page says 2026/2027 admissions are open and shows the deadline as "In Progress".
• GIMPA: the page shows a September 2026 intake with admission in progress, and no closing date. Its FAQ lists application fees of GH¢200 for bachelors and diploma, GH¢250 for masters, GH¢450 for a PhD and US$100 for international students. The application portal at apply.gimpa.edu.gh showed no intake status or closing date on 12 October, so confirm before you pay.
• Tamale Technical University, Ho Technical University and Dr Hilla Limann Technical University: each says 2026/2027 admission is open and none gives a date. Ho's notice carries a page date of 29 April 2026, so check it is still current. The Dr Hilla Limann admissions portal also gives no date. It offers undergraduate applicants a free e-voucher, and says postgraduate vouchers are bought by USSD without stating the amount.
• Central University: its online application page says October admissions are open to all disciplines, including nursing, law and midstream entry at Levels 200 and 300. It says February admissions are open to most disciplines except Pharmacy and Nursing. No closing date is listed. Form fees are GH¢200 for undergraduate and diploma, GH¢270 for masters and GH¢320 for doctoral programmes.
• Presbyterian University: the diploma, undergraduate and graduate forms are labelled October 2026/2027, and a graduate form for January 2027 is also listed. No closing date is given. E-vouchers cost GH¢100 for diploma, GH¢150 for undergraduate and GH¢200 for graduate programmes.
• Ashesi University: lists application rounds by month only. Round 3 is October and Round 4 is December, both for a January start. It gives no day. The page does not state the application fee. It says payment details are on the application portal, and that you can email admissions@ashesi.edu.gh to ask for a fee waiver.
• Lancaster University Ghana: says it is accepting applications for its October 2026 Foundation Programme intake. The page is undated.

Checked and found closed

• University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho: a notice dated 7 September 2026 says 2026/2027 applications were still open, but it sets the last day to buy an e-voucher as Tuesday 8 September and the last day to submit as Wednesday 9 September 2026 at 5.00pm. The entry requirements page gives an earlier deadline of 14 August 2026, so the later notice is the current one. The admissions portal lists local undergraduate, postgraduate, access and sandwich e-vouchers at GH¢230.
• University for Development Studies: the admissions portal marks the 2026/2027 cycle "Applications Closed". It gives e-voucher purchase deadlines of 5 October 2026 for undergraduate and 30 September 2026 for postgraduate applicants. Vouchers cost GH¢200 and GH¢250. Forms went on sale on 16 January 2026.

We could not confirm the current status

• The University of Ghana banner still reads "Admission open" for several programmes, although the deadline table shows every regular deadline has passed. See the next section.
• UMaT's announcement page lists its 2026/2027 undergraduate window as 22 April to 16 September 2026, which would mean it has closed. The text of that announcement still says 2024/2025, and the undergraduate overview page, which is undated, says 2026/2027 vouchers are on sale (BSc GH¢230, diploma GH¢200). We cannot tell which is current, so we do not list UMaT as open or closed. Its site blocks automated checks, so we read these pages through a separate reader.
• Takoradi Technical University's site blocks automated checks. Its applicant portal is headed 2026/2027 and its Facebook page carries a post titled "2026/2027 Admissions Underway", but we found no closing date or fee on any page we could read.

Application windows on one timeline

The chart shows every window that has a published date. A closed window is grey and an open one is green. The red line is 12 October 2026. Windows with a single dot publish only the closing date.

The second chart answers a more practical question: how long do you have? It counts the days from 12 October to each published closing date.

Two things stand out. First, the closed windows closed a few weeks ago, not months ago, which is why so many people are still asking. Second, the open windows with a date are mostly distance, top-up, diploma or technical programmes. If you want a regular first-degree place at a public university, the practical options now are the technical universities, CKT-UTAS, UEW direct entry, some private universities, and next year's cycle.

Why the University of Ghana, UCC and KNUST have closed

Many readers type "is Legon admission still open". Here is what the university says today.

The University of Ghana opened undergraduate applications on 16 April 2026 and its deadlines page shows 8 September 2026 as the closing date for Ghanaian undergraduate applicants other than the selected health programmes. The selected College of Health Sciences programmes, which include medicine, dental surgery and midwifery, closed on 24 July 2026, with the computer-based entrance examination held from 3 to 8 August. Diploma to degree applicants closed on 21 August and postgraduate applicants on 14 August. International undergraduate applicants have no closing date yet ("to be determined").

Here is the confusing part. At the foot of the same page there is a block that still says "Admission open" for undergraduate, post-first degree, postgraduate and mature access. We cannot reconcile that with the deadline table, and we are not going to guess which one is right. If you missed the 8 September date, write to the admissions office before you assume anything. Yen.com.gh reported the 2026/2027 admission list as out on 17 September. When we looked on 12 October, UG's own announcements page, which lists notices up to 9 October, did not carry an admission list notice.

UCC closed regular applications on 25 September 2026. Its sandwich window for the campus closed on 30 June, and distance runs to 31 October. KNUST announced that e-vouchers for undergraduate degree and top-up programmes for 2026/2027 are closed. The KNUST postgraduate deadline was 30 September 2026, though the page still shows those forms as on sale, so a postgraduate applicant should ask rather than assume. UPSA closed WASSCE entry on 18 September 2026 and its postgraduate windows on 25 September, and it lists the four-year LLB closing date as "to be announced".

UHAS and UDS have closed as well. UHAS's last day to submit was 9 September 2026, and the UDS admissions portal marks the cycle closed after e-voucher deadlines of 30 September and 5 October. The UDS page is slightly untidy, so if you missed it, ask the registrar before you give up.

If you want the exact entry marks for these three, use our pages on University of Ghana cut-off points, KNUST cut-off points and UCC cut-off points.

Technical universities still taking applications in Ghana

Technical universities are where most of the open undergraduate places are right now. Ghana has ten public technical universities, and the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission lists all ten as active. Seven of the ten say 2026/2027 admission is open: Koforidua (closes 20 November 2026), Cape Coast (31 January 2027), Kumasi (deadline shown as "In Progress"), Accra (voucher sales extended on 30 September 2026), and Ho, Tamale and Dr Hilla Limann (no dates). For the other three we found a portal but no clear 2026/2027 notice, or the site blocked our check. Takoradi's applicant portal is headed 2026/2027, but it gives no date or fee.

The entry route is different from the traditional universities. Most technical universities offer HND, BTech and diploma programmes as well as degrees, and each charges its own voucher fee. Read the programme list before you buy a voucher, because a diploma and a BTech are not the same qualification. Our page on technical universities shows the full list with each one's accreditation status.

Private universities still taking applications

Private universities tend to run more than one intake, so "open" can mean the next one. Central University says October admissions are open. Presbyterian University labels its diploma and graduate forms October 2026/2027. Ashesi works in rounds by month, and the October round is the current one. Lancaster University Ghana reports a Foundation Programme intake in October. Regent University College announced on 21 May 2026 that undergraduate and postgraduate admissions were open, and has not published a closing date.

We could not find a dated 2026/2027 notice for Academic City University, Pentecost University or Methodist University Ghana, so we do not list them as open. They may well be taking applications. Check their portals and ask. Methodist's own e-voucher page does list form prices, GH¢150 for a Ghanaian undergraduate form, which suggests forms are on sale, but it gives no date. Our register of private universities and tertiary colleges shows which ones the commission lists as accredited.

Colleges of education and nursing training

If you want teaching or nursing, the picture is different. On 30 September 2026 the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission told colleges of education to begin 2026/2027 admissions with immediate effect, according to MyJoyOnline. The principals' conference notice gave 31 August 2026 as its application deadline, as reported by Coleman Publications, so check the colleges' portals for any extension. We keep a separate page for colleges of education admissions, and one on nursing and midwifery programmes.

Is 2026/2027 admission out?

People ask this in two ways, and the answers differ. If you mean "can I still apply", see the lists above. If you mean "is the admission list out", that is a different event, because each university publishes its own list on its own portal and there is no national list.

• University of Ghana: reported out on 17 September 2026 by Yen.com.gh. We found no notice on UG's own announcements page on 12 October.
• KNUST: it said on 16 September 2026 that no general undergraduate list had been released, as reported by Yen.com.gh. A letter release for BA History was reported on 28 September. We have found no later general list.
• UCC: new Level 100 students were reported to report on 26 September 2026.

Our university admission calendar keeps the dated entries and marks each as official or reported by the press. Press reports are labelled because a news item is not the same as the university's notice.

How much do admission forms cost?

Form prices are set by each institution and change each year. Here are the ones we could confirm for 2026/2027 on the institution's own pages. Pay only through the bank or voucher channel the university names, and keep your receipt.

The prices are for the application form only. They are not tuition. The postgraduate forms we saw cost more: UCC GH¢320, UEW GH¢325, ATU GH¢250 for the master's form, UDS GH¢250, GIMPA GH¢250 for masters, and Central University GH¢270.

How to apply for a university in Ghana, step by step

Every university has its own portal, but the order is nearly always the same. Here is what UCC and the University of Ghana describe on their own pages.

1. Find the official website. Type the address yourself or follow it from the university's page on our register. Official Ghanaian universities use .edu.gh.
2. Check that the window for your intake is open, and read the closing date. Regular, distance, sandwich, top-up and mature entry each have their own dates.
3. Check the entry requirement for your programme. UCC, for instance, asks for credit passes in six subjects with an overall aggregate of 36 or better at WASSCE, with three of the six in English Language, Core Mathematics, and Integrated Science or Social Studies, and three in relevant electives.
4. Buy the form or e-voucher through the channel the university names. Do not send money to a person.
5. Fill in the online form. If you are still waiting for results, pick the "Awaiting Results" option, as UCC asks. If you already have your results, do not pick it.
6. Submit and save a copy. UCC says no hard copy should be posted or delivered.
7. Wait for the admission list, then accept your offer on the portal as the university tells you.

Change of programme after you submit may not be allowed. UCC says so in plain words: change of programme after submitting the completed online form is not allowed. Choose carefully the first time.

Can I apply with WASSCE results still pending?

Yes, at the places that allow it. UCC's announcement says people awaiting 2026 WASSCE results must select the "Awaiting Results" option before they enter their examination details. UDS said in January that candidates writing the May and June 2026 examinations could apply as awaiting results applicants. The University of Ghana says applicants who will be writing in 2026 are eligible to apply.

A note on grades. UCC counts A1 to C6 as a credit pass for admission. A pass grade below that does not count toward the six credits it asks for. If you are comparing your own grades with an entry rule, our WASSCE grade calculator shows how the grades add up.

How to check that a university is accredited

Before you pay for a form, check the institution is on the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission's list. On 12 October 2026 the commission's category page showed 16 traditional public universities, 10 public technical universities, 7 public degree-awarding and professional institutions, and 24 chartered private tertiary institutions. It also lists 97 private institutions that offer HND or degree programmes. The page shows no "as at" date, so we cannot say how fresh those counts are.

The commission also publishes warnings. A notice dated 8 July 2026 names 15 learning centres of public universities that it has not accredited, and 34 institutions whose institutional accreditation has expired. A list dated 30 September 2026 names 110 foreign institutions it does not recognise. If a school is not on the list, ask why. A public notice from the commission is a better guide than an advert.

Our university register carries the commission's status next to each institution, and you can see how we compile it on our methodology and how we verify pages.

Common mistakes and scams to avoid

Treat any form, voucher or admission offer that does not come from the university's own website with care. A few simple habits cover most of the risk.

• Do not pay anyone for a "guaranteed" place. A place comes from the university's own admission list.
• Do not trust a link on a social media post. Search for the university's own site and open it from there.
• Do not buy a voucher on a page that does not have the university's own address.
• Do not wait for an admission list before you apply to a second option. If your first choice closes, an open window is a better plan than a hope.
• Do not assume an old page is current. Several university pages mix 2025/2026 and 2026/2027 notices.

What we could not confirm

We checked the pages of 13 public universities, 10 technical universities and 15 private institutions, and could not reach about seven more private ones. UMaT's announcement page lists a window that ended on 16 September, but its overview page still says vouchers are on sale, so we left it out of the lists. Takoradi Technical University's site blocks automated checks and shows no dated 2026/2027 notice on the pages we could read. GIMPA's pages give fees but no closing date. Central University, Presbyterian University, Ashesi and Dr Hilla Limann say they are open and publish no closing day. UENR, AAMUSTED and UniMAC all say admissions are open or give requirements, and none gave a closing date. Academic City University, Pentecost University and Methodist University Ghana did not give us a dated notice. Where we could not confirm something, it is not in the list above as open.

If you work at one of these institutions and have a dated notice, write to us at the address on our about page and we will update the guide.

How we checked this guide

On 12 October 2026 we opened each institution's own admissions or application page, read the dates and fees shown, and copied them with the page address. We labelled press reports as press reports. We did not estimate any date. The charts use only the dates in the table, and each chart has a data table underneath. This guide is checked again every month while admission season runs, and we show the check date at the top of the page.

Frequently asked questions

Which universities are still open for 2026 applications in Ghana?

On 12 October 2026, these had an open window with a published closing date: the University of Cape Coast (distance, to 31 October), CKT-UTAS (to 31 October), Koforidua Technical University (to 20 November), KNUST distance top-up and diploma (to 30 November) and Cape Coast Technical University (to 31 January 2027). Several others say they are open but give no closing date, and they are in the list above.

Which university is still giving admission now?

Admission lists are published after the application window closes. As of 12 October 2026, the University of Ghana list was reported out on 17 September, and KNUST had said on 16 September that no general list was out. If you mean "which university can I still apply to", see the list above.

Which university can I still apply for now?

If you want a regular first degree, look at the technical universities, which are still taking applications, and at CKT-UTAS, which closes on 31 October. If you want a distance programme, look at UCC and the KNUST Institute of Distance Learning. Always confirm on the portal.

Is 2026-2027 admission out?

Applications opened for 2026/2027 at the University of Ghana on 16 April 2026 and at UCC on 26 March 2026. The admission list is a separate release, and each university publishes its own. See "Is 2026/2027 admission out?" above for what is known.

What is the deadline for University of Ghana forms?

For Ghanaian undergraduate applicants other than the selected health programmes, the University of Ghana's deadlines page shows 8 September 2026. The selected College of Health Sciences programmes closed on 24 July 2026. International undergraduate applicants have a date "to be determined".

Is Legon 2026-2027 admission out?

Yen.com.gh reported the University of Ghana's 2026/2027 admission list as out on 17 September 2026. We did not find a notice for it on UG's own announcements page when we checked on 12 October. Check your status on the University of Ghana admissions portal.

Has KNUST started admitting students for 2026-2027?

KNUST has closed undergraduate degree and top-up e-vouchers for 2026/2027. It said on 16 September that no general admission list had been released, as reported by Yen.com.gh, and a letter release for BA History applicants was reported on 28 September. We have not found a general list since.

Is KNUST forms still available for 2026-2027?

For undergraduate degree and top-up programmes, no. KNUST says those e-vouchers are closed. Forms for undergraduate top-up and diploma programmes through the Institute of Distance Learning are on sale until 30 November 2026.

Which university is still open for 2027 applications?

We have not seen any university open applications for the 2027/2028 year, so none is listed. This year's windows opened in February (University of Ghana, postgraduate) and March (UCC, regular), so if the pattern holds, the next ones will open at a similar time. We will note it in the update log when they do.

Has UG started giving admission?

The University of Ghana opened its 2026/2027 undergraduate applications on 16 April 2026, and its 2026/2027 admission list was reported out on 17 September 2026. The admissions portal is where you check your own result.

How can I get admission into a Ghanaian university?

Check the entry requirement for your programme, buy the form or e-voucher through the university's named channel, complete the online application before the closing date, and wait for the admission list. The seven steps above set out the order.

Is E8 a pass in WASSCE?

For university entry, what matters is the credit grades. UCC counts A1 to C6 as a credit, and asks for six credits with an aggregate of 36 or better. An E8 does not count toward those credits. If you are looking for places that accept weaker grades, look at diploma and technical routes, and check each institution's own rule.

Sources

• University of Ghana Admissions, Deadlines (checked 12 October 2026)
• University of Ghana, Applications open for undergraduate admissions 2026/2027 (28 April 2026)
• University of Ghana, announcements (checked 12 October 2026)
• University of Cape Coast, application portal (checked 12 October 2026)
• University of Cape Coast, Admission of regular first degree students 2026/2027 (8 April 2026)
• UCC e-voucher page (checked 12 October 2026)
• KNUST, applying (checked 12 October 2026)
• UPSA, admission deadlines (checked 12 October 2026)
• CKT-UTAS, application deadlines (checked 12 October 2026)
• CKT-UTAS, admission form prices (checked 12 October 2026)
• University of Education, Winneba, cost of application vouchers (checked 12 October 2026)
• University for Development Studies, applications open 2026/2027 (12 January 2026)
• University for Development Studies, admissions portal (checked 12 October 2026)
• UHAS, notice to applicants (7 September 2026)
• UHAS, undergraduate entry requirements (checked 12 October 2026)
• UHAS, admissions portal (checked 12 October 2026)
• UMaT, 2026/2027 undergraduate admissions announcement (checked 12 October 2026)
• UMaT, undergraduate overview (checked 12 October 2026)
• Takoradi Technical University, applicant portal (checked 12 October 2026)
• Dr Hilla Limann Technical University (checked 12 October 2026)
• Dr Hilla Limann Technical University, admissions portal (checked 12 October 2026)
• Central University, online application (checked 12 October 2026)
• Methodist University Ghana, how to apply online (checked 12 October 2026)
• Lancaster University Ghana (checked 12 October 2026)
• Koforidua Technical University, online application (checked 12 October 2026)
• Cape Coast Technical University, admissions (checked 12 October 2026)
• Kumasi Technical University, how to apply (checked 12 October 2026)
• Accra Technical University, how to apply (checked 12 October 2026)
• GIMPA, admissions (checked 12 October 2026)
• Ashesi University, how to apply (checked 12 October 2026)
• Presbyterian University, how to apply (checked 12 October 2026)
• Ghana Tertiary Education Commission, institutional categories (checked 12 October 2026)
• Ghana Tertiary Education Commission, unaccredited centres notice (8 July 2026)
• Yen.com.gh, University of Ghana releases admission list 2026/2027 (press report, 17 September 2026)
• Yen.com.gh, KNUST on circulating admission list reports (press report, 16 September 2026)
• MyJoyOnline, GTEC orders colleges of education to begin 2026/2027 admissions (press report, 30 September 2026)