Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch) has raised concerns about a projected significant decline in tertiary admissions for the 2025/2026 academic year.

The education policy advocacy group warned that financial barriers could leave tens of thousands of qualified students unable to enrol despite securing admission.

In a statement shared on its official Facebook page, the education policy advocacy group revealed that analysis of the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results, combined with preliminary data from its tertiary admissions monitoring, suggests that admissions for the 2025/26 academic year could fall to about 160,000.

This represents a notable drop from approximately 195,000 admissions recorded in the previous academic year.

According to Eduwatch, while the performance trends from the 2025 WASSCE have had an impact on admissions, financial hardship remains a major contributing factor to the decline.

“Beyond the WASSCE effect, a significant number of qualified tertiary applicants remain at home with their admission letters due to financial reasons, even as lectures have already commenced,” the organisation stated.

Eduwatch indicated that many students who have met the academic requirements and gained admission into tertiary institutions are unable to report to campus because they cannot afford fees and related costs, raising concerns about equity and access to higher education.

The advocacy group further noted that immediate government intervention could still reverse the downward trend.

It suggested that the release of funds by the Ministry of Finance to absorb or support the fees of students currently unable to enrol could result in several thousand additional admissions for the academic year.

“If the Ministry of Finance were to release funds immediately to absorb the fees of those currently at home, several thousand additional admissions could still be recorded,” the statement said.

Eduwatch warned that failure to act promptly could have long-term consequences for Ghana’s education system.

It is projected that the tertiary transition rate, the proportion of students moving from secondary to tertiary education, could decline from about 40 per cent in the 2024/25 academic year to around 35 per cent in 2025/26.

Such a decline, the organisation noted, would make the current transition rate one of the lowest recorded in the past decade.

The group also disclosed that it has been flagging these risks to policymakers for several months.

“Eduwatch has consistently communicated these risks since November 2025. Immediate and decisive action is required,” the post emphasised.