The Ghana Scholarships Secretariat has revealed that the government has so far paid $400,000 out of a total $3.6 million debt owed to the University of Memphis in the United States, as pressure mounts to prevent the deportation or eviction of nearly 200 Ghanaian students studying at the institution.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, the Registrar of the Secretariat, Alex Kwaku Asafo-Agyei, said an additional $1 million has been made available and is currently being processed for payment to the university.
“We are on course with the issues regarding the Ghanaian students at the University of Memphis. Ghanaian students will not be deported, I give you that assurance,” Asafo-Agyei assured.
He explained that the delay in full payment is due to an ongoing audit. “Because the audit is ongoing, we are not paying all. We owe them $3.6 million in total, and we have paid $400,000 so far. We are now processing a $1 million payment,” he stated.
According to the Registrar, the $1 million has been lodged with the Controller and Accountant General’s Department and will be routed through the Bank of Ghana to Washington for the final transfer. If completed, the total amount paid would rise to $1.4 million, leaving an outstanding balance of approximately $2.2 million.
The payment efforts come in response to warnings from the University of Memphis that Ghanaian students could face revocation of their scholarships, eviction from university housing, and possible deportation due to the unpaid tuition fees.
The university has set a deadline of August 9, 2025, for the students to secure alternative funding or vacate their accommodations.
President of the University of Memphis, Dr Bill Hardgrave, confirmed the scale of the crisis in an interview with local media. “The students are sponsored by the government from Ghana, which has not paid the students’ tuition in some time,” he told Action News 5’s Better Memphis programme.
Dr Hardgrave linked the payment delays to political changes in Ghana following the December 2024 general election. “I think there was a regime change in Ghana and that affected the budget, but we’re hopeful that gets corrected because we’d love to keep those students on campus,” he said.
The 185 students, most of whom are pursuing science, engineering, and business-related courses, have appealed for urgent support to avoid being forced to abandon their studies and return home.
In the interim, the University of Memphis has encouraged philanthropic contributions through the Gary Shorb International Student Support Fund to help sustain the students.
As the August deadline looms, the fate of these young Ghanaian scholars rests on the speed and completeness of government intervention to honour the remaining $2.2 million in tuition arrears.
