Accommodation crisis at UG; over 9,000 freshers stranded

Many students who have been offered admission to pursue various courses of study at the University of Ghana (UG), Legon are reportedly stranded.

The students are finding it difficult to secure accommodation on the campus or in nearby hostels.

The situation is getting frustrating for the students, most of them teenagers, as they have to leave their search for accommodation on campus to participate in orientation for freshers.

One student complained bitterly about the difficulty in getting a room in the traditional halls.

“Myself and my Dad have been trying to secure admission for several weeks now but we could not log onto the portal to register”

“The issue has to do with the portal registration. The school authorities told us the portal registration appears to have been hacked,” She said when asked about her ability to find a residential facility on campus.

Checks by The Ghana Report have revealed there is an accommodation deficit. More than 10,000 new students are estimated to be enrolled, with more than 48,000 continuing students and total bed spaces of 19,000.

This year, the University of Ghana has offered admission to close to 11,000 students but only 1,970 bed spaces are available in both the residential halls and the private hostels linked with the university, creating a situation where those who are unable to secure residential accommodation are left to their fates.

A room in the traditional residential halls (Akuafo, Legon, Sarbah, etc) costs GH¢850 per academic year; in the designated hostels, such as Pentagon, a room costs GH¢3,000, while in the new halls it costs GH¢1,350 per academic year.