Scholarships Make an Ashesi Education Affordable
The students we educate must, and will, come from a wide variety of backgrounds, with different perspectives and lessons to share. That is why together with generous partners, we have committed to providing scholarships to admitted students who need such assistance, and in so doing, ensured that an Ashesi education is affordable to all who qualify.
The selection process begins by determining whether a student qualifies to be admitted into Ashesi, based on each applicant’s overall profile. The initial selection process is need-blind.
Applicants who qualify to enter Ashesi, and applied for scholarships, are then evaluated on the basis of their financial need; at this stage, a thorough assessment is made of all applicant information gathered by the Scholarship Committee, which is made up of the entire admissions team. Where information provided is unclear, students may be asked additional questions on their financial need during their Admissions interview.
Based on the proven financial need, applicants are placed into one of four categories: Extreme Need, High Need, Medium Need or Low Need. For each category of aid, there is a set amount of funding Ashesi can award, or a set amount of named scholarships assigned. Students in each category are then ranked based on the strength of their admissions application; funding is awarded to students in each category based on this ranking, until the allocated funds run out for the admissions period.
Students within each category who do not immediately receive funds, are then placed on a waitlist, and informed of their status. Should an accepted student decline a scholarship offer, the offer is then passed on to the next student on the waitlist. Students who receive scholarships at Ashesi typically demonstrate that they would be;
- Able to successfully complete academic work at Ashesi.
- Otherwise unable to afford to attend Ashesi.
- Active contributors to campus life and culture.
- Committed to giving back to their communities, and show strong leadership potential.
Scholarship cover varies, based on demonstrated need. Ashesi’s scholarships can cover a part of tuition fees, or at the entire cost of studying at Ashesi. Some categories of scholarships cover not only the full tuition, but also cover housing, meals on campus, learning materials, and support for basic living expenses. Applicants who are awarded scholarships will be informed of the conditions of their scholarship, in their admissions package.
The decision to make an offer of admission is done independently of scholarship decisions, and students may sometimes be informed that they have been admitted but do not qualify for scholarship support. Do note however, that both the admissions and scholarships awards are highly competitive.
In addition, applicants are encouraged to be honest in their applications to Ashesi. Applicants who are deemed to have presented false information during the application process, may be automatically disqualified from applying to Ashesi; where admitted, an admissions offer may still be withdrawn.
~50%
of all students receive some form of scholarships covering either partial or all fees.
25%
of students pay zero in fees at Ashesi thanks to scholarships.
Ranked 1st
in Ghana for scholarships and other contributions to UN SDG 1 – no poverty – in THE Impact Rankings.
Scholarship Partners Include
The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program strives to create the conditions that will enable young people to attain inclusive and relevant education, transition smoothly into dignified and fulfilling work, and lead transformative lives. As one of the first nine universities in the programme network, our partnership has helped enable high-impact education for hundreds of students in Africa.
“I believe that Africa’s transformation falls on the shoulders of the youth and future generations of Africans. My chosen path to this, is to make it possible for as many young Ghanaians as I possibly can to get an education at Ashesi.” – Kofi Tawiah (1946 – 2022)
Inspired by Ashesi’s work to educate leaders of character and purpose, Kofi Tawiah established a fund to permanently enable scholarships for students to attend Ashesi.
The admissions committee leverages philanthropy to support both full or partial scholarships, and also emergency scholarships for students who face unexpected barriers. Every gift in support of scholarships makes a difference. Learn more.