University in Ghana
Legon, Accra, Ghana
University profile
The University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) is a public university in Ghana that provides both academic and professional higher education. It is the only public institution in the country with the mandate to award academic degrees and also provide tuition for business professional qualifications, a combination expressed in its motto, Scholarship with Professionalism. It is regarded as the oldest Ghanaian institution for human resource development in professional accountancy and management.
The campus is in Madina, Accra, near the University of Ghana. The University teaches through four faculties and schools: the Faculty of Accounting and Finance, the Faculty of Management Studies, the Faculty of I.T. and Communication Studies and the UPSA Law School. Other academic units are the School of Graduate Studies, the Institute of Professional Studies, the Distance Learning School, the Evening School, the Weekend School and the Office of Doctoral Programmes.
Programmes run from diploma to doctoral level. Undergraduate offerings include accounting, accounting and finance, banking and finance, business economics, actuarial science, data science and analytics, applied statistics, information technology, marketing, logistics and transport management, real estate management and finance, agribusiness and finance, public relations, communication studies, applied French and communications, business administration and the Bachelor of Laws. Postgraduate study covers PhD, MPhil, MBA, MSc, MA and LLM programmes. Professional tuition is offered for bodies such as ICAG, ACCA, CIMA, CIM, CIB, ICSA, CILT and CIPS.
Centres and institutes include the Drolor Centre for Strategic Leadership, the Otumfuo Centre for Traditional Leadership, the Centre for Public Accountability, the Research and Consultancy Centre, the Centre for International Education and Collaboration, the Institute of Work, Employment and Society, the UPSA Language Centre and the Centre for Practical and Multidisciplinary Legal Education and Training.
Students can live in the University hostel complex, whose residence halls are Opoku Ampomah, Nelson Mandela, Liberty and Yaa Asantewaa, or in private hostels near campus. Campus services include a food court in the Students Centre, a bank on campus, a counselling unit, a gender unit, a clinic, and sports courts and facilities. International applicants apply through the same online portal; the University is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programmes (ACBSP) in the USA, and admissions follow requirements set by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC).
Launched in 2016 by UPSA with the Drolor Education Foundation and the Drolor Centre for Strategic Leadership, the scheme supports brilliant but needy new or continuing diploma and undergraduate students from the Shai and other Ga-Dangbe Traditional Areas. It covers tuition only. Applicants send the application, an introductory letter from their Traditional Council and the other documents required by the eligibility criteria to the Drolor Centre for Strategic Leadership Secretariat at UPSA. Details: Drolor Scholarship Scheme.
The University does not give direct financial assistance or loans, but its Financial Aid Services unit (Lecture Block Complex, ground floor, Room 108/109) provides introductory letters and recommendations for students seeking support from corporate bodies, religious bodies, district assemblies, MP Common Fund, philanthropists and NGOs, and endorses aid application forms. It also helps students access Students Loan Trust Fund (SLTF) loans (a SSNIT number, one guarantor, an e-zwich account and an application at sltf.gov.gh; allocation by means testing, disbursed half each semester) and the Tertiary Education Scholarship Trust (TEST) for Ghana scholarship (applications open February to June and August each year at testforghana.com). Details: Financial Aid Services.
Fees are fixed for the duration of a programme and paid in two instalments of 50%, or in full. For 2026/2027 the annual academic facility user fee for Ghanaian students is GH¢4,420 for diploma and GH¢4,975 for undergraduate (regular, evening and weekend) programmes. Fees page: Fees schedule.
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View scholarships for University of Professional Studies, Accra →Applicants need credit passes (A1-C6 for WASSCE; A-D for SSSCE/GBCE) in three core subjects, English Language, Mathematics and Integrated Science or Social Studies, plus any three elective subjects. American High School Grade 12 with a final GPA of at least 3.0 is also accepted. Final-year SHS students writing the May/June 2026 WASSCE or GBCE may apply and must give their index numbers on the online form. Admissions follow GTEC equivalences and the University's own criteria.
Level 200 routes include GCE A-Level (three passes plus General Paper and five O-Level credits), GCSE/Cambridge O and A Level, the ABCE full diploma, Post-Secondary Teacher's Certificate 'A' or a Diploma in Education, ACCA (3 papers), CIB (5), CIM (3), CIMA (4), ICAG (4) or ICSA (4) Level 1, an HND with Second Class Lower, or a university diploma with FCGPA of 1.00 to 2.49. Level 300 routes are an HND with Second Class Upper, a university diploma with FCGPA of at least 2.5, or a completed Level 2 professional qualification (ACCA 9 papers, CIB 10, CIM 6, CIMA 8, ICAG 10, ICSA 8). Applicants for Level 200 (categories D to G) and Level 300 must also hold WASSCE/SSSCE/GBCE passes of at least D7/D in three core and three elective subjects, or five O-Level credits including English and Mathematics. Entry to Level 200 or 300 of the LLB is not available to diploma, HND or professional applicants, and Level 300 is not available for Business Economics, Actuarial Science, Real Estate Management and Finance, Data Science and Analytics or Applied Statistics.
WASSCE applicants need passes (A1-D7) in three core subjects including English Language, Mathematics and Integrated Science or Social Studies, plus any three electives, with at least three credit passes (A1-C6) and a credit in the relevant elective. SSSCE/GBCE applicants need credits (A-D) in the same subjects. GCE A-Level applicants need two passes plus General Paper and five O-Level credits including English, Mathematics and a science subject.
Applicants must be at least 25 years old by 5 June 2026, show a birth certificate at least five years old, have five years of work experience with proof of employment, and hold at least E8 (WASSCE) or E (SSSCE) in six subjects including English Language and Mathematics. They must pass the Mature Access Course Entrance Examinations (Mathematics, English Language and an Aptitude Test) with 40% in each paper, and a selection interview. Successful applicants are placed at Level 100. Examination fees are GH¢250 for Mathematics, GH¢250 for English and GH¢300 for the Aptitude Test. The 2026 access course ran from 5 June to 1 August and examinations were set for 7 and 8 August 2026. Mature entry to the LLB is not available.
Applicants need a bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline with at least Second Class Lower, or a Third Class degree with screening and an interview, or a full recognised professional qualification such as ICAG, ACCA, CIMA, CIM, CPA, ICSA or CIB. International applicants need a bachelor's degree or equivalent recognised by GTEC and, if from a non-English-speaking country, evidence of English proficiency. Some programmes set specific requirements, for example MPhil Finance (Second Class Lower in a finance-related field), MBA Accounting and Finance, Auditing, Internal Auditing and Petroleum Accounting and Finance (degree or professional certificate in accounting or finance), and MSc Insurance Risk Management, Procurement Management and Pensions Management (related degree with Second Class Lower, or a non-related degree with two years' relevant experience, or a relevant professional qualification). PhD applicants need a master's degree (research or coursework) with a minimum CGPA of 3.0, a selection interview, and GTEC verification of foreign certificates. PhD applications also need two recommendation letters, a personal statement, a 3 to 5 page research proposal, a CV and a birth certificate.
Applicants buy an Online Serial Number (OSN) at Ecobank, Access Bank, GCB or Zenith Bank branches, Ghana Post, by USSD (*789*877#) or mobile money (*887*9#). The OSN costs GH¢250 for undergraduate and diploma Ghanaian applicants and GH¢350 for postgraduate Ghanaian applicants; it is US$120 for international applicants. The form is completed and submitted on the online portal with scanned PDF copies of certified certificates, transcripts, proof of date of birth and, for professional applicants, confirmation from the professional body. 2026/2027 closing dates: post-first-degree LLB 2 May 2026; mature 5 June 2026; university diploma, HND and professional 21 August 2026; WASSCE 18 September 2026; postgraduate (MPhil, MBA, MSc, MA, LLM, distance learning) 25 September 2026; PhD 29 May 2026. Applications opened on 18 March 2026. Bachelor's programmes last four years, MPhil, MBA and MSc two years, MA one year.
UPSA is a single-campus university at Madina, Accra, close to the University of Ghana, Legon. All faculties, schools and centres are taught from this campus.
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