The unpaid tuition fees have resulted in some being withdrawn from their universities
Ghanaian PhD students in the United Kingdom have announced plans to stage a demonstration on Friday, April 17, 2026, at the Ghana High Commission in London, citing prolonged delays in the payment of stipends and tuition fees.
The protest, organised by the executive body of the PhD cohort, follows what the students describe as months of neglect by the Ghana Scholarship Authority (GSA), formerly known as the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat.
In a statement dated April 6, 2026, the group said many students have not received their stipends for months, leaving them in severe financial distress.
“For the past several months, students have not received their statutory stipends, with most now owed between 15 and 40 months of living allowances,” the statement said.
The students added that unpaid tuition fees have resulted in some being withdrawn from their universities, while others face possible deportation.
“Several students have been blocked from accessing their university learning portals due to non-payment of tuition fees, while hundreds have been reported to debt management agencies,” it stated.
They described their living conditions as worsening, with some forced to rely on food banks.
Ghanaian PhD students in the UK begin mass withdrawals over unpaid scholarships
“The situation has become severe such that some sponsored students in the UK are now living in deplorable conditions and feeding from food banks,” the statement added.
The group also criticised authorities for allegedly continuing to award new scholarships to students in other countries while neglecting those already studying in the UK.
“To make matters worse, the management of the Scholarship Authority continues to issue non-bilateral scholarships to new students while those already at various stages of their studies in the UK are neglected,” it said.
A major concern raised is the failure of the Authority to issue renewal letters required for students to re-enrol.
According to the group, these letters have not been issued for over 15 months.
“The renewal letters are a prerequisite for successful registration… however, eight months into the academic year, no renewal letters have been issued,” the statement said.
The students noted that an earlier planned protest was suspended following assurances from officials at the Ghana High Commission in London that the issues would be resolved by mid-February.
“Unfortunately, all five concerns presented remained unresolved,” it indicated.
They further expressed concern over delays in the release of scholarship funds.
“We have observed that the GH¢256 million allocated remains undisbursed. Instead, a paltry GH¢37 million has been proposed,” the statement said, adding that the Authority owes about GH¢56 million to PhD students alone.
The students said they will assemble at Belgrave Square before proceeding to the Parliament of the United Kingdom and the BBC to engage lawmakers and the media.
They emphasised that the protest is a lawful exercise of their rights and warned that further action could follow if their concerns are not addressed.
“We further clarify that should there be no urgent resolution to the issues, we shall hold another demonstration on Sunday, 31st May 2026, by which time the president of Ghana himself will be in the UK. We wish to reiterate that, since all past promises have failed, this protest can only be called off if the government urgently releases funds to the Scholarship Authority and evidence of payment begins before April 17, 2026,” it stressed.
Read the full statement below
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