President John Mahama has announced that an initial 15,000 students in tertiary institutions across the country have had their academic user fees refunded under the government’s flagship No Fees Stress policy.
He made the announcement during the official launch of the policy at the SDA College of Education in Koforidua on July 4, 2025.
Speaking at the event, President Mahama disclosed that of the applications submitted through the official portal, over 34,000 claims have so far been verified, with close to 15,000 students’ accounts already credited—a significant milestone in fulfilling one of the government’s key policy commitments.
“Per the records, the academic user fees for the first batch of 15,000 have been refunded to the accounts submitted to the Students Loan Trust Fund. I want to notify students, parents, guardians, and all stakeholders that the policy has been duly launched.
“This is just the beginning of this groundbreaking initiative. Over the coming weeks, all duly verified claims will be vetted, and the cash transferred to such groups of students to ease the financial burden in schools across the country,” he stated.
President Mahama further reiterated his administration’s strong commitment to ensuring that no Ghanaian is denied access to tertiary education due to financial constraints.
“It is the firm resolve of my administration that, henceforth, no Ghanaian will be denied access to higher education due to a lack of resources to pay school fees. This plan is our pathway to building a more just and equitable society where every dream and potential is valid. We must take conscious steps to ensure no talent is left to waste.
“We owe it to posterity as a nation to make education not only a right but an enduring legacy accessible to all classes of people in society.”
The No Fees Stress policy is a flagship intervention aimed at reducing social exclusion in Ghana’s educational sector by removing financial barriers to tertiary education.
Under the policy, the government will cover the academic user fees of all first-year students in public tertiary institutions across the country, starting from the 2025 academic year.
According to the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission, over 150,000 students are currently enrolled at Level 100 for the 2025 academic year.
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Story by Sika Togoh |univers.ug.edu.gh
