The Students Loan Trust Fund (SLTF) has revealed that over 42,000 first-year students across Ghana’s public tertiary institutions have successfully registered to benefit from the government’s No-Academic-Fee Policy, a major financial relief initiative introduced in the 2025 Budget.
The policy, backed by a GH¢499.8 million allocation, aims to ease the financial pressure on newly admitted students by reimbursing academic fees paid for the 2024/2025 academic year. The SLTF’s “No-Fees-Stress” portal, launched earlier this year under the Ministry of Education, is the main platform for administering the support.
According to Mr. Ismail Yaro, Public Relations Officer of the SLTF, as of midday on May 21, 59,570 students had accessed the portal, with an additional 17,367 students actively filling in their details. A total of 42,223 have completed the process—about 27% of the estimated 156,294 eligible students.
“We are using this portal to collect accurate banking information of students who have already paid their academic fees so they can be reimbursed,” Mr. Yaro told the Ghana News Agency.
He added that the SLTF is also auditing and validating lists submitted by tertiary institutions to ensure proper disbursement. Looking ahead, the Fund is considering a more efficient system where the 2025/2026 academic year’s allocation may be reimbursed directly to public universities, eliminating the need for individual student claims.
Despite early challenges with portal access, SLTF officials say the issues have been resolved. To boost registration, the Fund is preparing to relaunch the initiative in June, focusing on raising awareness and expanding student participation.
Mr. Yaro urged all eligible students to visit the portal—www.nofeesstress.sltf.gov.gh—to authenticate their details and secure their entitlements under the policy.
“This is an important opportunity for students to benefit from government support. We encourage all first-years in public institutions to register as soon as possible,” he said.
