No Fees Stress: About 15,000 students receive disbursement – Kwakye Ofosu

The Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has revealed that about 15,000 students have already received disbursements under the government’s ‘No Fees Stress’ policy.

In a social media post on Thursday, July 3, 2025, Mr. Kwakye Ofosu provided an update on the policy, which aims to ease the financial burden on first-year public tertiary students.

He stated that the remaining students will receive their payments shortly after the verification process is completed. He also announced that President John Dramani Mahama will officially launch the policy tomorrow, Friday, July 4 in Koforidua.

“No Fees Stress Update. About 15,000 students have received disbursements under the policy. Remaining students will receive payments shortly after verification. President Mahama will officially launch the policy tomorrow at Koforidua.”

The ‘No Fees Stress’ initiative, a key 2024 campaign promise by President Mahama, seeks to waive academic user fees for all first-year students enrolled in public tertiary institutions.

The policy is part of efforts to improve access to higher education and reduce financial barriers for Ghanaian students.

Vice-President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, speaking at the 58th Special Congregation of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) on Saturday, June 28, 2025, announced that nearly 130,000 students had applied for the policy, with the official launch scheduled for July 4.

The Students Loan Trust Fund, which is responsible for administering the initiative, has confirmed that over 22,000 applications have already been validated.

To ensure transparency and efficiency, the government has also introduced a digital platform known as the No-Fee-Stress Portal, designed to simplify the application process and provide detailed information on eligibility, participating institutions, and other requirements.

The Vice-President further assured the public that the government remains committed to upholding academic freedom and protecting the autonomy of educational institutions while ensuring effective oversight through the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission.

The policy is expected to remove a significant financial hurdle for thousands of Ghanaian students and expand access to tertiary education across the country.