More than 8,000 candidates who selected Aburi Girls’ Senior High School as their preferred school in the 2026 Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) are competing for just about 800 available places.

The Coordinator of the CSSPS, Sherif Sulemana, disclosed that Aburi Girls’ received 8,225 applications for approximately 800 vacancies, highlighting the intense competition for admission to some of Ghana's most sought-after senior high schools.

Speaking on JoyFM's Super Morning Show (SMS) on Wednesday, September 2, Mr Sulemana said the situation was particularly competitive among candidates with strong academic results.

According to him, about 3,000 of the 8,225 applicants to Aburi Girls’ obtained aggregates between six and 12, all competing for a share of the approximately 800 available places.

“This year, for Aburi Girls’, the available space as declared is about 800. Now, the candidates who have chosen to be in selected Aburi Girls’ is about 8,225.

"And out of that selection, the available space is 800. Out of that, you have candidates getting aggregate from six to 12, being about 3,000, to be in Aburi Girls," he said.

The figures mean thousands of candidates who selected the school as their preferred choice will have to compete for placement in other schools when the 2026 CSSPS results are released on Friday, September 4.

Mr Sulemana explained that placement under the CSSPS was not based solely on candidates’ aggregate scores.

He said candidates were first ranked nationally from the best aggregate to the weakest, while candidates competing for the same school, programme and residential status with identical aggregates were separated using their raw examination scores.

Programme choices and residential preferences are then matched against the vacancies available in the various schools.

• Read also: About 14,800 candidates with aggregates 6–12 apply for 1,300 Achimota places – CSSPS

Mr Sulemana explained that in some instances, a candidate with what may appear to be a weaker aggregate could secure placement ahead of another candidate based on higher raw scores used in breaking a tie.

He therefore urged candidates and parents not to base their placement expectations solely on aggregate scores.

“Those are the realities within which we operate, and we want the general public to understand,” he said.