Majority of final-year students of African University of Communication and Business (AUCB) have rejected the university’s decision to award them AUCB degrees instead of certificates under the seal of the University of Ghana (UG), insisting they were admitted under the University of Ghana affiliation arrangement and must graduate under the same framework.

The affected students, numbering 253 and belonging to the 2022/2023 admission cohort, argue that they enrolled in the institution when it operated as the African University College of Communications (AUCC) under the academic mentorship and certification structure of the University of Ghana.

According to the students, the sudden decision by management to replace the expected University of Ghana degrees with AUCB certificates amounts to a breach of the understanding and representations upon which they accepted admission into the institution.

The disagreement follows a directive issued by AUCB management on April 27, 2026, announcing that students would receive AUCB degrees after the institution obtained a Presidential Charter in December 2024.

The Presidential Charter granted the university autonomy to award its own degrees and marked the transition of AUCC into AUCB.

However, the students contend that the charter should not apply retrospectively to students who were admitted before the institution attained its new status.

The students maintain that throughout their academic journey, they operated fully under the University of Ghana affiliation system. They point to the fact that they were assigned index numbers beginning with the “AUUG” designation, paid affiliate-related fees, studied curricula moderated under University of Ghana standards, and wrote examinations supervised within the University of Ghana affiliation structure.

According to the students, admission letters and institutional documents consistently referenced the University of Ghana arrangement, reinforcing their expectation that they would graduate with University of Ghana-affiliated degrees.

Some students also cite provisions in the institution’s student handbook which, according to them, indicate that graduating students under the affiliation arrangement would receive certificates under the seal of the affiliate or mentoring institution.

“We were admitted under the University of Ghana affiliation structure and everything throughout our education reflected that arrangement. It is unfair to change the degree structure at the final stage of our programme,” one affected student said.

The students further argue that the timing of the announcement has heightened anxiety and uncertainty on campus because it was communicated only weeks before final examinations without extensive consultations with the affected students.

Several students say the issue goes beyond the name on the certificate and touches on trust, institutional accountability, and the expectations under which they committed financially and academically to the university.

The students are demanding that management rescind or suspend the directive and formally confirm that all students admitted during the 2022/2023 academic year under the AUCC-University of Ghana affiliation arrangement would receive degrees under the seal of the University of Ghana.

They are also calling on the university to engage the University of Ghana to resolve the matter amicably and protect what they describe as their “accrued academic rights.”

Some of the students said if management fails to address their concerns, they may pursue further actions, including petitions and legal remedies, to challenge the university’s decision.