The Students Loan Trust Fund (SLTF) has disclosed that more than 70,696 first-year tertiary students have benefited from the government’s “No Academic Fees” initiative for the 2025/2026 academic year.

The disbursements form part of the “No-Fees-Stress” policy aimed at ensuring no qualified Ghanaian is denied tertiary education due to financial constraints.

SLTF CEO Dr Saajida Shiraz told the Ghana News Agency, "The Fund received 184,489 admission records from 163 public tertiary institutions for first-year admissions. Of that number, 161,170 students have completed validation and are being prepared for payment."

Under a hybrid implementation arrangement, SLTF introduced a direct-to-institution disbursement model for colleges of education, colleges of agriculture, and health training institutions.

Fees for 41,007 students have already been paid directly to 137 institutions.

An additional 11,000 first-year students in public universities and technical universities have also had their fees fully settled.

The fund has launched a “No-Fees-Stress” status checker on its website to let students track validation and reimbursement status.

"The platform is designed to improve transparency, accountability, and fairness," Dr Shiraz said.

Some students of Accra Technical University, however, told GNA they were yet to receive reimbursements for the 2024/2025 academic year despite completing all required processes.

SLTF assured that all outstanding beneficiaries will be paid in subsequent phases after full document validation.

The government has allocated GH¢537 million in the 2026 Budget to support the “No-Fees-Stress” policy, with an additional GH¢25 million earmarked for free tertiary education for persons living with disabilities.

NAD/AE

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