Approximately 110 Ghanaian PhD students currently enrolled in the United Kingdom under the sponsorship of the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat (GSS) are facing the threat of imminent deportation and expulsion from their respective universities due to the prolonged non-payment of tuition fees and stipends, with some amounts outstanding for as long as four years.
In a statement issued on November 9, 2025, and directed to Ghana’s High Commissioner to the UK, Sabah Zita Benson, the group expressed that the situation has escalated to a “perilous stage,” with numerous members already evicted from their accommodations, prohibited from attending classes, or receiving deportation notices from the Home Office.
The cohort reported that stipends, which range from £1,023 to £1,200 per month, have not been disbursed for several months, leaving some students unable to cover essential expenses such as rent, food, or transportation.
“Some of our members are owed as much as 48 months in stipends, indicating that they have not received any payments since the commencement of their PhD programs,” the statement highlighted.
The group also disclosed that approximately 10 students have been officially withdrawn from their universities due to unpaid tuition fees, while others are unable to register for the 2025/2026 academic year because their renewal letters and progression reviews have not been provided by the Scholarships Secretariat.
“For nearly 10 months, we have not received either the progression review or the renewal letters from the GSS. This has hindered our ability to register for this academic year, of which we are already two months into the study period,” the statement remarked.
The affected scholars indicated that around £400,000 is required to support their studies for the current academic year, yet government efforts to address the outstanding payments have been described as “woefully inadequate.”
The students further expressed concern that some of their peers who traveled to Ghana for data collection have been denied re-entry into the UK because their universities reported unpaid tuition fees to immigration authorities.
Consequently, they have reached out to President John Dramani Mahama and Ghana’s newly appointed High Commissioner to the UK, urging them to take prompt action to prevent what they have termed an imminent humanitarian and diplomatic crisis.
“We firmly believe that students should not bear the repercussions of administrative mistakes and misjudgments made by public officials,” the statement indicated.
The group also recognized the government’s initiatives to reform the scholarship system to promote transparency and equity, yet emphasized that the ongoing crisis requires urgent resolution.
