Dr Ato Forson presented the allocation to Parliament on Thursday, November 12, as part of the 2027 Budget's GH¢48 billion for the Ministry of Education.
The money is meant, in the budget's words, to ensure "the cost of entry does not close the door to opportunity."
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu told Parliament in June this year that 312,448 students had so far been assisted under the policy at a total cost of GH¢888.8 million.
That covered 152,698 validated first-year students in the 2024/2025 academic year and 159,750 in the 2025 academic year.
"This is what we have done to support young people desirous of accessing tertiary education," Iddrisu told Parliament, describing the support as part of the government's push to make university entry affordable.
When the policy launched in 2025, first-year students of public tertiary institutions registered through a dedicated Students Loan Trust Fund portal, which authenticated their eligibility for government support. The fund said then that the portal was live at nofeesstress.sltf.gov.gh.
Students who went through that registration process had their information verified by the fund before support was paid.
What the 2027 Budget does not spell out is which students qualify beyond "first-year students", whether the same portal and reimbursement route will be used, or when applications open.
The full text of the 2027 Budget statement lists the GH¢537 million among the headline education allocations.
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