Ghanaian Phd Students in UK Forced to Withdraw as Government Fails to Pay Fees
- Numerous Ghanaian PhD candidates in the UK are leaving programmes due to unpaid tuition and living costs
- Students are staging protests in response to government's inaction over scholarship funding and visa issues
- Affected students petitioned the UK Prime Minister for humanitarian intervention amidst financial distress
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Ghanaian students in the UK are again in an embarrassing position after several PhD candidates have begun leaving their doctoral programmes.
This exodus has been prompted by the government's failure to settle outstanding tuition fees and living stipends through the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat.
Source: Getty Images
Joy News reported that the Executive Body of the PhD Cohort-UK convened an emergency session, resolving to launch a sustained series of demonstrations across major UK cities and at the Ghana High Commission in Belgrave Square, London.
Despite numerous petitions sent to the Office of the President at the Jubilee House and the Ministry of Finance, the financial obligations to UK universities remain unhonoured.
The situation has reached a breaking point, with university administrators in the UK reportedly issuing "final warnings" to Ghanaian scholars. Some have faced deportation in the past, per a letter they shared online.
Unlike previous years, where "letters of comfort" from the Secretariat were accepted, many UK institutions are now demanding immediate settlement or the termination of student visas.
Having exhausted local avenues, the students took the extraordinary step of petitioning the UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, in 2025.
The petition urged the British government to intervene on humanitarian grounds, citing that the sudden withdrawal of scholarship funding has left many international students in a state of "legal and financial limbo".
The students requested a reprieve on visa cancellations for those affected, arguing that the default lies with a sovereign state agreement and not the individual academic performance or conduct of the scholars.
In the latest development, the Executive of the PhD Cohort-UK issued a stern directive on Friday, January 17, calling for a two-day nationwide protest.
The leadership has called on all affected students to register for the protest by contacting the president and the welfare officer to build the necessary momentum to force a response from Accra.
One anonymous student lamented:
"I am in my final year of research. My university has blocked my library access and my portal. If the fees aren't paid by the end of this month, my Tier 4 visa will be curtailed, and I will be deported with nothing but debt."
According to a 2025 petition, the government owes over £3.6 million in fees.
Ghanaian students in Morocco beg for stipends
Meanwhile, some Ghanaian students who went to Morocco to study on scholarship staged a protest in May 2024 to demand stipends that were not paid.
According to the students, life in the country had become difficult because they were unable to meet basic needs, such as food and accommodation.
The students on scholarship pleaded with President Nana Akufo-Addo to visit them, saying they were struggling to concentrate on empty stomachs.
Ghanaian students in the UK left stranded
In a related story, YEN.com.gh reported that many Ghanaian students studying in the UK on government scholarships were left stranded because the scholarship secretariat had not released their monthly stipends.
While some students had been expelled from their institutions, others were being ordered to leave their rental apartments by their landlords, with many calling on the government to address the situation with urgency.
Source: YEN.com.gh
