Ghana runs two separate government funding channels — the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat and GETFund — alongside corporate awards like MTN Ghana Foundation’s scholarship and the usual roster of UK, German, and US government scholarships. Because the domestic schemes have their own portals, their own deadlines, and their own eligibility rules, it’s easy to apply to the wrong one, or miss a two-week window entirely.

This guide separates what’s actually available to Ghanaian students by source and study level, with the deadlines and documents each one asks for, so you can plan your applications around the calendar rather than discovering it too late.

Quick Facts

Who this guide is for	Ghanaian citizens applying to undergraduate, master’s, or PhD programmes at home or abroad
Top study destinations	Ghana (Scholarship Secretariat / GETFund-funded), United Kingdom, Germany, United States
Fully funded options available	Yes — GETFund’s foreign postgraduate award, Chevening, and DAAD scholarships below are fully funded
Application windows	GETFund local awards open Jan–Feb; MTN Ghana Foundation opens Feb–May; Ghana Scholarship Secretariat opens Apr–May (continuing students) and Sep (late admissions)

Deadlines

Bookmark this table rather than the whole page — application windows are the single most common reason strong candidates miss out, and each of the programmes below runs on its own calendar.

Programme	Application Window	Study Level
GETFund Local Tertiary Scholarship	20 January – 20 February 2026	Undergraduate
GETFund Foreign Postgraduate Scholarship	Closes 30 April 2026	Master’s / PhD
MTN Ghana Foundation Scholarship	1 February – 31 May 2026	Undergraduate (Year 1 and continuing)
Ghana Scholarships Secretariat (continuing students)	1 April – 15 May	Undergraduate / Postgraduate
Ghana Scholarships Secretariat (late admissions)	1 – 30 September	Undergraduate / Postgraduate

International Scholarships Open to Ghanaians

These programmes aren’t exclusive to Ghana — they fund students from dozens of eligible countries — but Ghanaians students qualify for every one listed below, provided you meet the individual programme’s academic and document requirements.

Government-funded scholarships

Chevening Scholarship

Funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Chevening pays full tuition, a monthly stipend, return flights, and a visa application fee for a one-year master’s in the UK. It’s genuinely competitive: expect an online application, two references, and an interview at the British High Commission or Deputy High Commission in your country before an offer goes out.

Commonwealth Scholarships (developing countries)

Run by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK, this scheme funds master’s and PhD study for candidates from developing Commonwealth countries. Nominations go through your national nominating agency first, so you can’t apply to the Commission directly — start with your Ministry of Education’s Commonwealth Scholarships desk.

Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme

A parallel Commonwealth-funded route, but here you apply directly to the participating UK university rather than through a national agency. It’s reserved for taught master’s programmes judged relevant to development back home, so your personal statement needs to make that link explicit.

Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC)

China’s flagship scholarship covers tuition, accommodation, a monthly stipend, and comprehensive medical insurance for bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD study. Apply either through the Chinese embassy in your country or directly through your target university’s international office — both routes lead to the same national selection.

Türkiye Bursları (Türkiye Scholarships)

Türkiye’s government scholarship covers tuition, accommodation, a monthly stipend, health insurance, and a year of Turkish-language preparation before your degree starts. It’s one of the more generous fully funded routes open at undergraduate level, and the online portal accepts applications from most nationalities.

Organisation and foundation-funded scholarships

Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program

Delivered through partner universities across Africa, Canada, and elsewhere, this is one of the most comprehensive scholarships available to African students: tuition, accommodation, a living stipend, mentorship, and structured support for students transitioning from secondary school or community settings with fewer resources. You apply through a partner institution’s own admissions process, not through a single central portal.

DAAD Scholarships (Germany)

The German Academic Exchange Service runs dozens of programmes by field and study level, most covering a monthly stipend, health insurance, and travel — tuition at German public universities is typically free or minimal regardless of scholarship status, which makes DAAD-funded study unusually affordable even before the award kicks in.

Fulbright Foreign Student Program

The US government’s flagship exchange scholarship funds a full master’s or PhD, covering tuition, a living stipend, airfare, and health insurance. Applications go through the Fulbright commission or the US embassy’s education office in your country, and the process runs on an annual cycle that typically opens a year or more before your intended start date.

MEXT Scholarship (Japan)

Japan’s Ministry of Education scholarship covers tuition, a monthly stipend, and return airfare for undergraduate, research, and specialised training students. You apply through the Japanese embassy in your country, and the timeline is strict — most embassies close applications by late May for the following year’s intake.

Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees

Funded by the European Commission, each Erasmus Mundus programme is delivered jointly by universities in at least two European countries, and the scholarship covers tuition, travel, installation costs, and a monthly allowance. You apply directly to the specific joint programme, not to a general Erasmus Mundus office.

University-specific scholarships

University-funded international scholarships

Beyond government and foundation awards, most large UK, US, Canadian, and Australian universities run their own scholarship funds for international undergraduates and postgraduates, ranging from partial tuition waivers to full-ride packages. These sit on each university’s own admissions or international-students website rather than a shared portal, so check the funding page of every institution you shortlist.

GREAT Scholarships

A joint UK government and British Council programme offering £10,000 toward tuition for a one-year taught master’s at a partner UK university. It runs on a country-by-country basis, so confirm your country has an active GREAT Scholarships page before you apply.

Ghana-Specific National & Government Scholarships

This is the section most general scholarship round-ups skip, since it takes real digging into each country’s own funding system rather than repeating the same handful of global programmes. If you’re a Ghanaian student, these are the awards built specifically around your country’s own education system.

Ghana Scholarships Secretariat

Operating under the Office of the President since 1960, the Secretariat’s core mandate is funding “brilliant but needy” Ghanaian students. Continuing students apply between 1 April and 15 May each academic year; students who received late admission get a second window from 1 to 30 September. Because the Secretariat prioritises financial need over pure academic merit, your supporting evidence of household circumstances matters as much as your grades.

GETFund Scholarship Programme

The Ghana Education Trust Fund runs two distinct tracks. The local tertiary scholarship, for students already enrolled at an accredited Ghanaian institution, opened for the 2026 cycle from 20 January to 20 February and generally expects a minimum CGPA around 3.0. The foreign postgraduate scholarship instead funds Ghanaian graduates studying master’s or PhD programmes abroad, closes 30 April 2026, and typically asks for at least a Second Class Upper first degree. Both tracks run exclusively through the GETFund Scholarship Portal — the Fund explicitly rejects physical or email submissions, so don’t waste time preparing a paper application.

MTN Ghana Foundation Scholarship

MTN’s foundation funds Ghanaian youth at various education levels, with its 2026 cycle open from 1 February to 31 May. The scholarship is aimed specifically at Year 1 undergraduates and continuing students at public higher institutions in Ghana, which makes it one of the more accessible corporate-funded options if you’re already enrolled locally.

GNPC Foundation Scholarship

The Ghana National Petroleum Corporation’s foundation funds Ghanaian students in science, engineering, and technology-related fields — a narrower focus than GETFund or the Scholarships Secretariat, but worth checking if your course fits.

Eligibility & How to Apply

Requirements vary by programme, but the same preparation steps come up again and again for Ghanaian applicants. Work through these before you open any application form:

1. Get your Ghana Card ready before you start any domestic application — GETFund and most corporate scholarships now require it as standard identification, and a missing or expired card is one of the most common reasons applications get rejected.
2. Confirm which GETFund track fits you. Local students need proof of enrolment and an approved fee schedule from their institution; foreign postgraduate applicants need an admission letter from the overseas university and evidence of at least a Second Class Upper degree.
3. Check that you’re not already benefiting from another government scholarship — the Scholarships Secretariat and GETFund both disqualify applicants who hold a separate government-funded award for the same period.
4. Prepare your financial-need documentation early if you’re applying to the Scholarships Secretariat, since its selection process weighs need more heavily than most GETFund tracks.
5. For international scholarships, request academic references at least a month before the deadline — Chevening and Commonwealth both require them, and Ghanaian referees juggling their own workloads often need reminders.

Scholarships by Study Level

A quick cross-reference if you already know which level you’re applying at:

Undergraduate

• Ghana Scholarships Secretariat
• GETFund Local Tertiary Scholarship
• MTN Ghana Foundation Scholarship
• GNPC Foundation Scholarship
• Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme

Master’s

• GETFund Foreign Postgraduate Scholarship
• Chevening Scholarship
• Commonwealth Scholarships
• DAAD Scholarships
• GREAT Scholarships (Ghana)

PhD

• GETFund Foreign Postgraduate Scholarship
• Commonwealth Scholarships
• DAAD Scholarships

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between GETFund and the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat?

GETFund is financed by Ghana’s education trust fund and runs separate local and foreign-postgraduate tracks with academic-merit thresholds. The Scholarships Secretariat, under the Office of the President, focuses more heavily on financial need and has run continuously since 1960. Ghanaian students can apply to both, since they’re administered separately and evaluate different criteria.

Can Ghanaian students get a fully funded scholarship to study abroad?

Yes. GETFund’s foreign postgraduate scholarship, Chevening, Commonwealth Scholarships, and DAAD all fund Ghanaian students studying abroad, typically covering tuition, a stipend, and travel. GREAT Scholarships adds a Ghana-specific £10,000 to £18,000 award for a one-year UK master’s, depending on the partner university.

Is there an application fee for Ghana’s government scholarships?

No — GETFund, the Scholarships Secretariat, and MTN Ghana Foundation are all free to apply for. If a platform asks for payment to “process” your Ghanaian scholarship application, treat that as a strong warning sign and verify directly with the official portal.

When do Ghana’s domestic scholarships open for the 2026/2027 academic year?

GETFund’s local scholarship opens first, from 20 January to 20 February 2026, followed by MTN Ghana Foundation from 1 February to 31 May, and GETFund’s foreign postgraduate track closing 30 April 2026. The Scholarships Secretariat opens later, from 1 April for continuing students and 1 September for late admissions.