Ghanaian students in Memphis barred from fall classes after government doesn’t pay tuition

• The University of Memphis has not received full payment from the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat (GSS) for 185 Ghanaian students.
• The GSS, funded by the Republic of Ghana, agreed to cover tuition and fees for Ghanaian students studying at the University of Memphis.
• Ghana has only paid $400,000 of the $3.6 million owed, putting students at risk of dismissal.

The University of Memphis has not received payment from the Republic of Ghana, and the fate of 185 students on the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat is up in the air, the university confirmed on July 11.

Students who were relying on the scholarship from the Republic of Ghana are not able to enroll in fall semester classes because the university has not received payment from the GSS.

The GSS was a part of an agreement in 2023 between the University of Memphis and the Republic of Ghana. International students from Ghana would attend the university, undergraduate through graduate programs, on a scholarship paid for by Ghana.

But, the university confirmed on July 11 that the Republic of Ghana has failed to make the payment by the agreed-upon deadline.

Earlier in the week, the university was “optimistic” that payments would come through.

The Commercial Appeal first reported the news of the possible dismissal of the Ghanaian students on July 7.

Students still could attend classes in the fall if they are able to come up with the money themselves or obtain funding otherwise, like through loans, for their studies.

Why are Ghanaian students at risk of being dismissed?

According to the university, in 2023, the U of M signed a memorandum of understanding with the Republic of Ghana for a scholarship program.

The Ghana Scholarship Secretariat, funded by Ghana, was designed to cover tuition and fees for students studying abroad.

“The Ghana Scholarship Secretariat has failed to fully meet its financial obligations,” the university said in a statement on July 7. “As a result, these students face academic dismissal, visa complications, and loss of housing and support, through no fault of their own if GSS does not fully meet all financial obligations.”

According to reports from Ghana Web, a news outlet in Ghana, the country has only paid $400,000 of the total $3.6 million it owes to the university for the scholarship program.

In a post on LinkedIn from the scholarship program from March 2024, the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat stated the program is a “fully funded scholarship for international students.”

This article was originally published by The Commercial Appeal.