GTEC orders tertiary institutions to stop mandatory entrance exams
In a statement, GTEC said some tertiary institutions had begun making entrance examinations a precondition for admission.
The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission has directed tertiary institutions to stop using entrance examinations as a compulsory requirement for admission.
The Commission says admissions must be guided by the approved minimum entry requirements, with WASSCE results remaining the primary basis for qualification.
In a statement, GTEC said some tertiary institutions had begun making entrance examinations a precondition for admission.
It warned that the practice undermines the national admissions framework and may restrict fair access to tertiary education.
According to the Commission, institutions are not barred from using entrance examinations entirely.
However, such examinations can only be used as an additional assessment tool where necessary, especially in competitive admission situations.
They cannot replace or override the minimum WASSCE-based entry requirements approved for tertiary education in Ghana.
“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.
The directive was issued under the Commission’s mandate in the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020, Act 1023.
GTEC said it is responsible for developing and enforcing policies on admission criteria and requirements for tertiary institutions.
It has therefore instructed heads of institutions that have already issued admission notices making entrance exams compulsory to withdraw them.
Institutions planning to introduce such notices have also been directed to align their processes with the approved regulatory framework.
The Commission said compliance is necessary to protect fairness, transparency and equal opportunity in admissions.
It added that prospective students must not be denied access to tertiary education simply because an institution has imposed an entrance examination outside the approved national framework.
