The number of Ghanaians studying in higher education institutions in the United States has more than tripled in six years, rising from about 4,000 in the 2019/20 academic year to 12,800 in the 2024/25 academic year.
The Ag Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy in Ghana, Rolf Olson, disclosed this at the 2026 EducationUSA College Fair in Accra, where prospective students and their families interacted with representatives of US universities and received information on admissions, scholarships and student visas.
According to Mr Olson, Ghana was now the second-highest sender of students from sub-Saharan Africa to the United States, after Nigeria, and ranked 14th globally. He said the increase demonstrated the strong interest among Ghanaian students in US higher education, as well as their ability to gain admission and succeed in American institutions.
Mr Olson said the number of Ghanaian students studying in the US had increased by between 2,500 and 3,000 annually in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic.
He recalled that when he attended a small college in Minnesota in the 1990s, there were no Ghanaian students at the institution. However, during a visit to the college about a year ago, he discovered that Ghanaians had become its largest international student population.
He said the growing presence of Ghanaian students had become so significant that the institution had included “Akwaaba” among welcome messages displayed on its campus.
“It’s a great pleasure for the embassy and our partner, EducationUSA, to be sponsoring a college and university fair,” Mr Olson said.
He explained that the fair was intended to enable prospective students to interact directly with universities and gain a clearer understanding of the programmes, admission requirements and opportunities available to them.
He said the initiative also included sessions on the application process, financial aid and the consular visa process to provide students and their families with information needed to make informed decisions.
Direct access
The Executive Director of ACE Consult and Senior EducationUSA Adviser, Marilyn Owusu, said the fair was designed to give students direct access to admissions officers from participating US institutions.
She said such interaction enabled prospective applicants to obtain “accurate, comprehensive, direct information” about the universities they intended to apply to.
Mrs Owusu said EducationUSA also helped students understand how US institutions operated and guided them through the application process.
She encouraged students who were unable to attend the fair to contact EducationUSA for guidance.
EducationUSA operates two centres in Ghana, with the Accra centre serving students in southern Ghana and the Kumasi centre supporting students in Kumasi and the northern parts of the country.
The network is the US Government-sponsored global network providing information on American higher education. It has 450 centres in 170 countries and provides students with comprehensive and impartial information on US colleges and universities.
‘Choose programmes carefully’
The Director for Pre-Tertiary Education at the Ministry of Education, Nana Baffour, said the fair presented Ghanaian students with an opportunity to explore programmes that matched their educational and career aspirations.
He urged prospective applicants to consider the programmes offered by universities, available scholarships and how their chosen fields aligned with their long-term aspirations.
Nana Baffour said students who obtained opportunities to study abroad should ultimately consider how their education could contribute to Ghana’s development.
He also described the educational relationship between Ghana and the United States as one that had existed for many years and expressed the expectation that such collaboration would continue.
He said opportunities for Ghanaian students to pursue higher education abroad could also help ease pressure on local institutions.
His comments came amid pressure on Ghana’s tertiary education system following the placement of students under the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).
Nana Baffour noted that some institutions were receiving applications far in excess of their available places, making international educational opportunities potentially useful in broadening access.
The 2026 EducationUSA College Fair was held in Kumasi before the Accra event, with the US Embassy reporting nearly 3,000 visitors at the Kumasi fair.
Mr Olson said a comparable turnout was expected in Accra as students and families explored opportunities at US colleges and universities.
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