NATIONAL MINIMUM ENTRY REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION

TO TERTIARY EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

 

 

 

 

A.  MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION TO FIRST DEGREE PROGRAMMES

 

 

 

1.   Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations (SSSCE) and West African Senior

School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) Candidates

 

The general requirements for admission of WASSCE and SSSCE candidates to first degree programmes are three (3) credit passes in three core subjects and three (3) credit passes in three relevant elective subjects.

 

i.      SSSCE Candidates: Passes (A-D) in six (6) subjects comprising three core subjects, including English and Mathematics, plus three (3) relevant elective subjects.

 

ii.      WASSCE Candidates: Credit Passes (A1-C6) in six (6) subjects comprising three core subjects, including English language and Mathematics, plus three (3) relevant elective subjects.

 

 

2.   General Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced Level Candidates

Passes in three (3) subjects (at least, one of the passes should be Grade D or better). Also, the

applicant must have had credit passes (Grade 6) in five GCE Ordinary Level subjects including English, Mathematics and a Science subject (for non-science students) and an Arts subject for (Science students).

 

 

 

3.   Admission of Higher National Diploma (HND) Candidates to First Degree

Programmes

 

Applicant must have graduated with a good HND certificate (i.e. at least 2nd Class Lower Division).  In  addition,  the  applicant  must  have  acquired  a  2-year  post-HND  qualification working experience. Institutions under mentorship should follow their Mentor Institutions’ practice with regard to entry levels for HND applicants.

 

Other Diploma qualifications from elsewhere assessed to be equivalent to HND may be similarly considered.

4.   Advanced Business Certificate Examination (ABCE) Candidates

 

Passes in three (3) subjects (at least, one of the passes should be Grade D or better). Also, the applicant must have had credit passes in five (5) subjects including English Language, Mathematics, Integrated Science or Social Studies in the General Business Certificate Examination (GBCE).

 

5.   Mature Students’ Entry

 

Mature students entry avenues to tertiary education provide opportunities for people who could not do so earlier in their lives to further their education at the tertiary level after some years in the workplace (preferably, the formal workplace). Such applicants should normally not exceed

5% (for Public Tertiary Educational Institutions) and 20% (for Private Tertiary Educational

Institutions) of the total admissions of an institution in a given academic year.

 

i.      The applicant must be at least 25 years old, and show proof of age with birth certificate or any legitimate documentary proof of birth date which is at least 5 years old at the time of application;

 

 

 

ii.      For admission into chartered institutions , applicant must pass Mature Students’ Entrance Examinations conducted by the institution itself (English Language, Mathematics and an Aptitude Test).

 

iii.      In the case of non-chartered institutions, the examinations should be moderated and the marked scripts, vetted by their Mentor Institution. In lieu of such examinations, the applicant should show proof of credit passes in English and Mathematics in WASSCE or any other nationally recognized standard High School level examinations (for qualifications from countries outside WAEC’s aegis).

 

 

 

 

B.  MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION TO DIPLOMA PROGRAMMES

 

1.   Science and Technology Programmes

 

i.      SSCE Candidates: Passes (A-D) in  five (5) subjects comprising three core subjects, English language, Integrated Science and Mathematics, plus two (2) elective subjects.

 

ii.      WASSCE Candidates: Credit Passes (A1-C6) in five (5) subjects comprising three core subjects, English language, Integrated Science and Mathematics, plus two (2) elective subjects.

2.   Arts, Business and Humanities Programmes

i.      SSCE Candidates: Passes (A-D) in  five (5) subjects comprising three  core subjects,

including English Language and Mathematics, plus two (2) elective subjects.

 

ii.      WASSCE Candidates: Credit Passes (A1-C6) in five (5) subjects comprising three core subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, plus two (2) elective subjects.

 

 

 

C.  DIPLOMA IN BUSINESS STUDIES (DBS) CANDIDATES

 

Four WASSCE credit passes (A1-C6) or four SSCE passes (A-D) including English Language and Mathematics,  plus the DBS qualification could be used as entry qualification for relevant Higher National Diploma programmes.

 

Diploma in Business Studies (DBS) qualification cannot, in itself, be used for admission into first degree programmes.

 

 

 

D.  PROFESSIONAL AND OTHER ENTRY QUALIFICATIONS

 

All professional certificates and any other qualifications beyond the ones specified above must be referred to the National Accreditation Board for the establishment of their equivalencies, to determine their eligibility for admission to tertiary education institutions-universities, university colleges, polytechnics, etc.

 

 

E.  ACCESS COURSE FOR  ADMISSION TO HND SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING PROGRAMMES

 

The  National  Board  for  Professional  and  Technician  Examinations  and  polytechnics  will organize access course for SSCE/WASSCE holders who could not obtain the grades required for direct entry into tertiary institutions, to foster their enrollment in Higher National Diploma Science and Engineering programmes.

 

 

 

F.  FOREIGN QUALIFICATIONS

 

All foreign qualifications should be referred to the National Accreditation Board (NAB) for determination of equivalences and  eligibility for admission to tertiary  institutions in Ghana (National Accreditation Board Act, 2007 [Act 744 (2(2b)]).

 

It should be noted that the American SAT, TOEFL etc. cannot in themselves be acceptable as entry qualifications into Ghanaian tertiary educational institutions.