The University of Ghana (UG) has challenged a JoyNews report that estimated the institution collected over GHS11 million in graduation fees without providing medallions and scroll holders to all February 2025 graduates.

According to JoyNews sources, revenue from the school’s 2025 graduation charges, including penalties on late gown submissions and certificate collections, is expected to exceed GHS11 million. However, the school failed to provide all items that made up the GHS500 graduation fee per head charge.

The university, in a statement dated February 17, 2025, though could not disclose the actual total revenue, stated that “if each of the 15,776 expected graduands pays the Graduation Fee of GHS500, the expected total should be GHS7,888,000 and not GHS11 million” as reported JoyNews.

UG's Public Affairs Directorate reiterated that the missing items were due to procurement delays, which had been communicated in an earlier notice on February 10.

Additionally, the university clarified that the GHS500.00 graduation fee per graduand covers multiple essential services and items, including: rental of graduation gown set – this includes the gown and, where applicable, a cap or hood; congregation publication – the official publication related to the graduation ceremony; graduation medallion – a commemorative medallion for graduates; scroll holder – a holder for the official graduation certificate; university souvenir – a university-branded scarf for female graduates and a tie for male graduates; water – provided to graduands during the ceremony; and administrative overheads.

“We would like to put on record that the University provided all the above-listed items except for the medallions and scroll holders,” the statement stressed.

JoyNews checks revealed that as of Saturday, January 15, 2025, some students were still graduating without the promised medals and scroll holders.

“I sincerely don’t know what is going on. I was expecting to take pictures with my medal, but I was told there was a challenge in receiving it that day and that the school would provide it at a later date,” one of the affected graduands told JoyNews.

Beyond the school’s inability to provide medallions and scroll holders as promised, some students also bemoaned the short turnaround time for submitting gowns within 24 hours, which attracts a penalty of GHS250.

"The university has no moral right to charge me GHS250 for late gown submission when it failed to deliver everything promised in the graduation package—yet faces no consequences," one of the frustrated graduands argued.

"I graduated on Wednesday and was supposed to return the gown the following day. However, I felt sick and couldn't return it. I sent the gown to the office early Friday morning around 8 a.m. When I arrived, I was informed that I had to pay a late return fee of GHS250. I nearly cried, but then I remembered that this would be my last graduation at UG," another graduand lamented.

Read full statement below: