Dozens of final-year students at the African University of Communication and Business (AUCB) have rejected a decision by the university to award them AUCB degrees instead of certificates under the seal of the University of Ghana (UG).
The affected students, numbering about 253 from the 2022/2023 admission cohort, insist they were admitted under the University of Ghana affiliation arrangement when the institution operated as the African University College of Communications (AUCC).
According to the students, the university’s decision amounts to a breach of the agreement and expectations under which they enrolled.
The controversy follows a directive issued by AUCB management on 27 April 2026 announcing that students would graduate with 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 institution’s transition from AUCC to AUCB.
However, the students argue that the new arrangement should not apply to students who were admitted before the university attained its charter status.
They maintain that throughout their academic journey, they operated fully under the University of Ghana affiliation structure. According to them, they were assigned index numbers bearing the “AUUG” designation, paid affiliate-related fees, studied curricula moderated under University of Ghana standards, and wrote examinations supervised within the UG affiliation framework.
The students further claim that admission letters and institutional documents consistently referenced the University of Ghana arrangement, reinforcing their expectation that they would graduate with UG-affiliated certificates.
Some students also pointed to provisions in the institution’s student handbook which they say indicate that graduating students under the affiliation system would receive certificates under the seal of the 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 say the timing of the announcement has heightened anxiety on campus because it was communicated only weeks before final examinations and without extensive consultation.
Several of the affected students insist 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 will 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 students say they may pursue petitions and legal action if management fails to address their concerns.
