AUCB Certificate Dispute: Students Await Management Response After Ultimatum

Accra, October 6, 2026 — Some students of the African University of Communication and Business (AUCB) are awaiting management’s response after issuing an October 6 ultimatum over delays in processing University of Ghana (UG) certificates and other academic concerns.

The graduates, who completed their programmes in May 2026, are demanding that AUCB immediately submit the academic records of students who opted for UG certification to the University of Ghana for processing. The students say the delay contradicts a timeline communicated by the university.

In an August 12 communication, AUCB said the names of students who opted for UG certification would be compiled and submitted to UG for processing.

According to the communication, the official list was expected to be submitted to UG on August 17, 2026, while the date and applicable fees would be communicated after notification from UG. The students, however, say they have not seen evidence that the list was submitted or that their academic records have been processed.

Meanwhile, students who opted for AUCB certificates have been scheduled to graduate on October 31, 2026. The affected students have therefore demanded that management submit the academic records of all students seeking UG certification and provide clarity on the status of the process.

They have also threatened legal action if their concerns are not addressed. “We have tried to resolve this through the appropriate institutional channels, but we cannot continue to watch our academic and professional futures become uncertain,” a leader of the group said.

The students have further alleged that some lecturers and administrative staff contacted individual students who had opted for UG certificates and attempted to persuade them to accept AUCB certificates instead.

They allege that some of these engagements involved pressure and intimidation after management became aware of the list of students seeking UG certification. The affected students said they are documenting the alleged engagements and are prepared to rely on the evidence in any legal or administrative proceedings.

The students maintain that their decision to seek UG certificates is based on the affiliation arrangement under which they were admitted and does not challenge AUCB’s current status as an autonomous university.

They cite a written response from the University of Ghana to their petition, which states that students admitted to AUCC under the affiliation arrangement “remain students governed by the terms and conditions of that affiliation arrangement for the duration of their programme of study.”

UG also stated that 2022/2023 entrants who satisfy all academic requirements “shall be eligible for the award of certificates issued under the seal of the University of Ghana.” AUCB transitioned from AUCC into an autonomous university following the granting of a Presidential Charter in 2024.

The institution now operates as a fully fledged university, accredited by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission and authorised to award its own degrees.

The students say they do not dispute AUCB’s current status but argue that the change does not automatically alter the certification arrangement applicable to students admitted during the 2022/2023 academic year, when the affiliation with UG was in force. A separate concern involves students who entered AUCC with diploma qualifications and were admitted directly into Level 200.

According to the group, some of these students were required to pay GH¢300 per paper and take courses prescribed by UG as part of their progression. The students allege that management has since changed its position on how the results from those courses should appear on their academic records.

They claim that under the earlier practice, relevant diploma courses and results were combined with the UG-required courses to produce a complete four-year transcript. They fear that the new approach could exclude courses they paid for, completed and passed.

“We paid for and wrote these courses because we were instructed to do so,” one affected student said. “Those results must reflect on our academic records. You cannot ask students to pay and write courses and later decide that those results should not form part of their transcripts.”

The group says it will also consider legal action if completed and paid-for courses are excluded from official transcripts. The students body have given AUCB until close of business today, October 6, 2026, to submit the academic data of students seeking UG certification, address the alleged pressure on students and clarify how the records of diploma entrants will be treated.

They are also demanding that AUCB facilitate UG certification for students who opted for it and ensure that academic records accurately reflect courses completed by each student.

AUCB’s response to the latest allegations, including the alleged delay in submitting student data, the alleged pressure on students and the treatment of diploma entrants’ records, had not been established at the time of publication.

The university’s August 12 communication remains its latest public position cited by the students on the certification process. The students say they are prepared to present their evidence and pursue legal and administrative remedies if their concerns remain unresolved after the October 6 deadline.