Best universities in Ghana in 2023 

Unlike Nigeria, Ghana has spent around 25% of its annual budget on education for many decades. Although this allocation slightly falls below UNESCO’s 26% recommendations, Ghana has a sound education system to show for its investment in education. Unfortunately, that cannot

When making a choice of a good university in Ghana, many young potential students may be confused about which of the best universities and higher institutions in Ghana they would choose from. This guide is meant to help proffer an answer to the question, “what are the best universities in Ghana”?

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In this blog post, I’ll take you through some of the best universities in Ghana in 2023. This list is based on internet-driven research and data. Please note that this list is in no way exhaustive, meaning there are other great institutions of learning in Ghana that we will discuss in subsequent blog posts. 

Now, let’s get started with the best schools in Ghana in 2023. 

Best universities in Ghana in 2023

1. Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology The University started awarding its degrees in June 1964. Proudly Ghana's No. 1 University and seeking to maintain academic excellence, KNUST offers and continually upgrades its Undergraduate, Postgraduate and distance learning courses. The school is a public university and remains one of the best in Ghana.

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KNUST has six Colleges where you can study any of your desired courses, they are College of Science, College of Engineering, College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, College of Art and Built Environment, College of Health Sciences, College of Humanities & Social Sciences. The school delivers a high standard of education which reflects the pedigree of a University poised on attaining the status of being No. 1 in Africa.

This is undoubtedly one of the best universities in Ghana in 2023 and one of the schools you should try to enroll in.

2 University of Ghana 

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This is another one of the best universities in Ghana in 2023.

The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the British colony of the Gold Coast. It was originally an affiliated college of the University of London. 

After Ghana gained independence in 1957, the college was renamed the University College of Ghana. It changed its name again to the University of Ghana in 1961 when it gained full university status.

As the premier university in Ghana, the University aims to produce the next generation of thought leaders to drive national development. Through its research institutes and other centres of learning and research, faculty members are involved in studies that support policy-making for national development, often in collaboration with other international institutions.

The university of Ghana has a number of Colleges including College of Health sciences, College of Humanities, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, and collegte of education.

3 University of Cape Coast 

The University of Cape Coast was established in October 1962 as a University College and placed in a special relationship with the University of Ghana, Legon. On October 1, 1971, the College attained the status of a full and independent University.

From an initial student enrolment of 155 in 1963, the University of Cape Coast now has a total student population of over 74, 000. You can study under any of these faculties at the University of Cape Coast, Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Social Sciences, School for, Development Studies, School of Business, and School of Economics. 

This is one of the best universities you can study in Ghana in 2023.

4 University for Development Studies 

The University for Development Studies, Tamale was established in 1992 by the government of Ghana. The school is a newer generation school that ranks as one of the best schools in Ghana in 2023. The school is Ghana’s first public University in the North.

The University for Development Studies runs a multi-campus system which allows the spread f development across different parts of the communities the campuses are located. The campuses are: Tamale Campus, Nyankpala Campus, Tamale City Campus, Tamale City Campus and Eastern Campus, Yendi. 

The University began academic work in September 1993 with the admission of its first batch of forty (40) students into the Faculty of Agriculture (FoA). Other faculties, schools, institutes, etc were phased-in gradually from 1994 to date. Currently, the University has six (6) Schools, six (6) Faculties, three (3) Institutes and 4 Centers (including two Centers of Excellence).

Best universities in Ghana in 2023

5 Ashesi University 

Ashesi is a leading private university in Ghana. It is recognized as one of the finest universities in Africa, with a proven track record in fostering ethical leadership, critical thinking, an entrepreneurial mindset, and the ability to solve complex problems.

Ashesi University's mission is to propel an African renaissance by educating ethical, entrepreneurial leaders. Located in Ghana, this private, non-profit university combines a rigorous multidisciplinary core with degree programs in Computer Science, Business Administration, Management Information Systems, and Engineering.

The University is supported by Ashesi University Foundation, a non-profit, publicly supported US corporation

6 Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration

The Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) is a public co-educational university spread over four campuses (Accra, Tema, Kumasi, and Takoradi) and made up of six schools, and ten research centers located at Greenhill in Accra, Ghana.

Established in 1961, the Ghana Institute of management and public administration is one of the best universities in Ghana in 2023.

Over the years, GIMPA has transformed itself into the leading management development institute and is an independent public tertiary institution with financial and operational autonomy.

7 University of Education, Winneba

The University of Education, Winneba (UEW) is a university in Winneba, Central Region of Ghana. It was established in 1992.

The University College of Education, Winneba brought together seven diploma-awarding colleges located in different towns under one umbrella institution. These Colleges were the Advanced Teacher Training College, the Specialist Training College and the National Academy of Music, all at Winneba; the School of Ghana Languages, Ajumako; the College of Special Education, Akwapim-Mampong; the Advanced Technical Training College, Kumasi; and the St. Andrews Agricultural Training College, Mampong-Ashanti.

The three sites in Winneba now referred to as the Winneba campus is the seat of the Vice-Chancellor with a satellite campus at Ajumako.

The school is one of the best in Nigeria when it comes to training competent professional teachers for all levels of education.  

8 Ghana Technology, University College

Now, the Ghana Communication Technology University, The school was formerly known as Ghana Technology University College and Ghana Telecom University College. The change of name was done in 2020.

The university provides bachelor's degrees and graduate programs, particularly in Telecommunications Engineering and Information and Communications Technologies. The school also offers certificate programs, with courses that provide credit for the bachelor's degree, and other professional development seminars and workshops.

Since its first class of 350 students matriculated in 2006, GTUC has increased its enrollment to about 7,000 students in 2017.

GTUC's main campus is in the Tesano section of Accra, Republic of Ghana. A second campus has been opened in nearby Abeka, a nearby Accra suburb and a satellite campus at Nungua. Apart from Accra, there are satellite campuses in Kumasi, Takoradi, Koforidua and Ho. The school is one of the best institutions in Ghana.

9 African University College of Communication

African University College of Communication is a private tertiary education institution offering undergraduate and postgraduate programs in Communications and Business.

Over the years, the University College has pursued its mission of preparing lifelong learners to become innovative problem-solvers and ethical leaders in the fields of communication, business, and related areas through excellence in interdisciplinary teaching, research, and collaboration at the local, regional and global levels using a pan-African Framework.

The University admitted the first batch of Diploma students for its Communication Studies programme in 2002. It was formally accredited as a tertiary institution by the National Accreditation Board (NAB) of Ghana in 2004. 

African University College of Communications is one of the best schools in Ghana as a higher institution. 

Best universities in Ghana in 2023

10 University of Professional Studies in Accra (UPSA)

UPSA is one of the leading and top universities in Ghana. Located in Accra, Ghana, the university was founded in 1965 as a private professional business education tuition provider and was taken over by the government in 1978.

The main campus is located in Accra. UPSA is the first university in Ghana to provide both academic and business professional education. They offer undergraduate programmes, Diplomas, professional programmes and post-graduate programmes. 

11 Valley View University

Valley View University is another top higher institution in Ghana. The school is a private university with campuses located at Oyibi (Accra), Kumasi and Techiman (Sunyani) respectively in the Greater Accra, Ashanti and Bono East regions of Ghana.

It is part of the Seventh-day Adventist education system, the world's second-largest Christian school system. The school was established in 1979 by the West African Union Mission of Seventh-day Adventists (now Ghana Union Conference).

Valley View University has the singular distinction of being the first private university in Ghana to be granted a Charter. Valley View University received its Charter from President John Kufuor (President of Ghana), at a special function on 28 May 2006. The school ranks as one of the best universities in Ghana and ranks among the firsts.

12 University of Mines and Technology

The University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) started as the Tarkwa Technical Institute (TTI) on 3rd November 1952 but was officially commissioned by the Government of Ghana.

In 2001, the Council of KNUST considered and approved proposals and recommendations of the Academic Board to merge the School of Mines at Kumasi and the School of Mines at Tarkwa into the Western University College of KNUST, Tarkwa.

The philosophy of UMaT is to guide students to develop their intellectual capabilities and appreciate good social and moral values. The major aim is to produce world-class graduates capable of providing useful professional services.

13 The University of Health and allied studies 

The University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) is a public university located at Ho in the Volta Region of Ghana. UHAS is one of the youngest public universities in Ghana. Its operation started in September 2012, when the first batch of 154 students was admitted.

The university has two campuses:

Ho campus - main and central administrative campus

Hohoe campus where the School of Public Health is located.

The school ranks first among many other best schools in Ghana.

14 Lancaster University, Ghana

The University now has over twelve thousand full-time students studying at Lancaster for first and higher degrees, and about seven hundred academic staff out of a total staff complement of over three thousand.

In addition, the university confers the degrees of three colleges in Blackburn, Blackpool and Furness, and has partnerships with higher education institutes overseas, including BJTU in China, Sunway University in Malaysia and a first branch campus in Europe with Lancaster University Leipzig. There are now over 150,000 alumni across the world leading in their different careers, making the school one of the best universities in Ghana.

15 Central university 

The Central University was founded by the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC) in Accra, Ghana. It was founded as a pastoral training institute by Mensah Otabil in 1988. 

In June 1991, it was known as the Central Bible College. It later became the Central Christian College in 1993 and eventually became the Central University College in 1998. In 2016, Central University College attained the status of a fully-fledged University thus now Central University.

The university has seven schools and two faculties and remains one of the best universities in Ghana.