Educational institutions and study programmes
Ghanaian educational institutions and study programmes
Below we explain what types of educational institutions and degree programs there are in Ghana. We also explain how we check whether these are recognised and/or accredited. We check the and/or to make sure that the quality is sufficient. We give the necessary information per educational sector.
Recognition
The government of a country grants an official status to an educational institution and/or study programme. Usually, if the government recognises an educational institution, all its study programmes are also recognised. However recognition may also be arranged at the programme level. This means that the government must recognise not only the educational institution, but also its study programmes. We only evaluate diplomas from recognised institutions and recognised study programmes. Read more about recognition in the EAR manual.
Accreditation
An organisation checks and assesses the quality of education. Usually the accreditation is valid for a certain period. In some countries, accreditation is compulsory, in others it is voluntary. The government of a country often appoints one or more organisations responsible for accrediting institutions and/or study programmes. In addition, there are also private accreditation organisations. We only mention and (in the case of diploma evaluations) consult accreditation organisations appointed by the government of that country. Read more about accreditation in the EAR manual.
Secondary education | diplomas
In secondary education, you should especially pay attention to whether a student has a recognised diploma. These are the recognised diplomas of secondary education:
- Basic Education Certificate, the lower secondary education diploma; and
- West African Senior School Certificate, the upper secondary education diploma.
Please note:
- Both diplomas are issued by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) of Ghana. Documents issued by the high school are not sufficient.
- You can check study results online.
Higher education | educational institutions
There are different types of higher education institutions in Ghana, such as:
- universities;
- technical universities and polytechnics;
- specialised educational institutions.
Higher education institutions can be public or private.
Universities
Universities offer both profession-oriented and research-oriented study programmes. These can be bachelor’s, master’s and PhD programmes and study programmes for other diplomas as well.
Often, universities check the quality of education offered by other educational institutions, such as university colleges. Students following their study programme at the university college get their official diplomas from the university to which the university college is affiliated.
Technical universities and polytechnics
Technical universities and polytechnics offer profession-oriented study programmes, such as HND programmes. In many cases, the admission requirements of these institutions are less strict than those of universities.
Before 2016, many technical universities were polytechnics, which means they were not allowed to issue degrees (bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees and PhDs). Now that they have changed into technical universities, they are allowed to offer study programmes for the Bachelor of Technology (BTech) and the Master of Technology (MTech).
Specialised educational institutions
Some educational institutions specialise in certain fields of study. For example:
- Colleges of Agriculture, which offer study programmes in agriculture.
- Colleges of Education, offering teacher training programmes.
- Nursing Training Colleges, which offer study programmes in nursing and/or midwifery.
Checking the accreditation of higher education institutions
Higher education institutions need to be accredited by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC). You can check the accreditation of a higher education institution in the following way:
- Open the GTEC database.
- In the top right corner, click on the magnifying glass and type the name of the educational institution. The search results will appear below the search bar.
- Please note: you can also search in another way, by opening the overviews listed under ‘Category’.
- Is the educational institution listed in the search results? If so, click on it.
- Are no dates mentioned at ‘Date of Accreditation’ and ‘Expiry Date’? Then the accreditation is in order; the educational institution is accredited indefinitely. This is often the case for the somewhat older educational institutions.
- Are dates mentioned at ‘Date of Accreditation’ and ‘Expiry Date’? In that case, check if the accreditation is still valid: ‘Date of Accreditation’ indicates the effective date of the accreditation; ‘Expiry Date’ indicates the end date.
- Is the educational institution not listed in the search results? Then it is probably not accredited.
- Are you not sure? Please contact us for a credential evaluation.
Higher education | study programmes
In higher education, there are study programmes for various diplomas. We describe the diplomas we often see on our webpage about Ghanaian higher education. From the academic year 2015-2016, higher education programmes need to be accredited, just like the educational institutions. From 2015 until approximately mid-2020, the National Accreditation Board (NAB) was responsible for the accreditation of study programmes. From 2020 onwards, the GTEC has been responsible for this (the NAB has merged with the GTEC).
Checking the accreditation of higher education programmes
Study programmes completed in the 2015-2016 academic year must be accredited. You can check the accreditation as follows:
- First check if the higher education institution is accredited (see ‘Checking the accreditation of higher education institutions’ above).
- Is the higher education institution not mentioned in the search results? Then it is probably not accredited, and neither are its study programmes.
- Is the higher education institution listed in the search results? If so, click on it.
- Under ‘Total’, click on ‘Program’. You will then see an overview of study programmes and their accreditation statuses.
- Is the study programme listed in the overview? If it mentions ‘Current’ under ‘Status’, then the accreditation is still valid. If it mentions ‘Expired’ instead, then the study programme is no longer accredited.
- Is the study programme not listed in the overview? Then it is probably not accredited.
- Are you not sure? Please contact us for a credential evaluation.