As student mobility around the world grows, more and more African students are starting their study abroad journeys. We pointed to Nigerian students as a key population driving diversity in Canada and the UK in our 2024 Trends Report. Alongside Nigeria, Ghana has emerged as a rising source of international students, one with the potential to help define African student flows over the next decade.
That’s why, this week, we’re digging into Ghanaian student mobility trends across Canada, the US, the UK, and Australia. We’ll take a closer look at how many Ghanaian students are studying abroad, along with where they study. And, we’ll provide insight into what institutions and recruitment partners need to know about supporting Ghanaian students during their international education journeys.
Key Insights at a Glance
- The number of Ghanaian students studying at institutions in the “big four” English destinations has more than quadrupled since 2019.
- Ghana is becoming a critical source of student diversity at Canadian institutions, rising to become Canada’s 9th largest source of new international students in 2023. In 2018, Ghana was just 37th.1
- In fiscal year 2023, the US government granted over 5,000 F-1 visas to Ghanaian students, with 2024 on track to match this all-time high.2
- The UK government issued more than double the number of student visas to Ghanaians in Q4 2023 compared to Q4 2022.3
Factors Driving Ghana’s Growth as a Major Student Population
As with many African countries, Ghana’s population is young: nearly 42% of Ghana’s 35 million citizens are 18 or younger.4 These young Ghanaians benefit from a robust English-language education system, with many Ghanaians enrolling in post-secondary education at one of Ghana’s 265 tertiary institutions. Nearly 600,000 Ghanaian students were enrolled in post-secondary studies in the 2020/21 academic year, an all-time high that was expected to rise further in the coming years.5
ICYMI: Last week we dug into emerging trends for another growing source of international students: Nepal. Nearly 45,000 Nepalese students were issued a post-secondary student visa to a “big four” English destination in 2023.
When it comes to studying abroad, Ghanaian students are adaptable and self-sufficient, able to integrate themselves within diverse student communities. They are drawn towards high-quality education and programs that create strong career pathways, including post-graduation employment opportunities in their chosen destination country. This is especially true for the high proportion of Ghanaian international students pursuing graduate-level studies.6
However, there are some challenges facing Ghanaian students hoping to study abroad. Economic volatility tied to high food prices and currency depreciation has caused persistent inflation in recent years. At the same time, youth unemployment has remained high since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.7 Both of these factors negatively influence the ability of young Ghanaians to save to study abroad.
There is good news, though: Ghana’s economic growth is projected to rebound and stabilize by 2026.8 In the meantime, the cost of an international education in a particular destination will remain a major factor of consideration for students from Ghana.
Ghanaian Student Populations Driving Increased Diversity at Canadian Post-Secondary Institutions
In 2019, nearly 900 students from Ghana were issued Canadian post-secondary study permits, more than double the number issued in 2018. This pre-pandemic growth was a sign of things to come:
Over 7,000 Ghanaian students were issued a Canadian student visa for post-secondary studies in 2023.9 That represents a nearly 1,800% increase in just five years, representing a significant diversity increase on Canadian campuses. This made Ghana the 9th most common source country for new Canadian post-secondary international students in 2023, up from 37th in 2018. And, when looking at mature students,10 Ghana ranked 6th overall in 2023, behind only India, Nigeria, the Philippines, China, and Iran.
Canadian colleges and universities have benefited from Ghana’s emergence as a major source for growing student populations. New study permits issued to Ghanaian students for college studies climbed by over 440% from 2022 to 2023. At the same time, issued permits for new Ghanaian students tripled for undergraduate studies and doubled for postgraduate programs at universities.
For study levels not exempt from the new study permit cap, Ghanaian students who used ApplyBoard to apply to study in Canada had an 81% visa approval rate for Winter semester 2024.11 For comparison, IRCC approved 46% of all Ghanaian post-secondary applications for full-year 2023, and only approved 32% of all such applications from Jan to Apr 2024.
Studying in the US Increasingly Popular with Ghanaian Students
While Canada was the most popular destination among the “big four” for Ghanaian students in 2023, the US wasn’t far behind. Over 5,000 F-1 student visas were issued to Ghanaian students during the 2023 US fiscal year,12 up from nearly 1,500 in 2018.13 And while the 2024 fiscal year isn’t over yet, F-1 visas for Ghanaian students are on track to at least meet 2023 figures:
Nearly 3,400 Ghanaian students were issued a student visa from October 2023 to June 2024, surpassing full-year volumes for 2021/2022. Given that July and August are often the busiest months for F-1 visa issuance, we expect new Ghanaian student populations to achieve their fourth consecutive all-time high in 2023/2024.
Taking a look at total Ghanaian student populations in the US, the demand for graduate level studies is clear. Institute of International Education (IIE) Open Doors data shows that, in the 2022/23 US fiscal year, over 4,000 of the 6,500 Ghanaian students in the US were pursuing studies at the graduate level.14 In the same year, Ghana rose into the top 25 places of origin for international students in the US.
Our internal ApplyBoard data also reflects elevated demand among older Ghanaian students. The average age of Ghanaian students using ApplyBoard to apply for post-secondary studies was 30 years old in 2024.
Ghanaian Student Populations in the UK Grow, But Declines Expected
The US surpassed the UK in the number of student visas granted to Ghanaians in 2023. But that doesn’t mean Ghanaian interest in the UK fell. In fact, the UK issued an all-time high number of visas to Ghanaian students in 2023:
Nearly 5,000 Ghanaian students were issued a main applicant student visa to the UK in 2023, an increase of 17% over the previous year and a 90% increase over 2021.
Despite this sustained growth post-pandemic, we expect to see Ghanaian student volumes fall in 2024. International student interest in the UK has dropped following significant policy changes in 2023, notably including the revised dependants policy. For Ghanaian students, this drop in interest is driven by the dependant policy change, given that Ghana historically has a high ratio of dependants to main student visa applicants.15 This means that Ghanaian students are more likely to look towards other destinations in the coming years, barring any significant policy reversals from the new Labour government.
The early evidence of this decline is already apparent. The total number of student visas issued to all international students to the UK dropped by 22% from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024. Over that same period, visas issued to Ghanaian students declined by over 40%. If this rate persists, new Ghanaian student inflows in the UK could fall back to 2021 volumes.
Ghanaian Students an Untapped Opportunity for Australian Institutions
As we discussed in our 2024 Trends Report, student recruitment from Africa as a whole is a key opportunity for Australian institutions. Ghana specifically is significantly under-represented at Australian institutions, accounting for just 0.07% of all international students in Australia in 2023.16 In fact, over the past six years, the number of Australian student visas granted to Ghanaian students has never exceeded 300:
As the Australian border remained closed to students for two years during the pandemic, new Ghanaian student volumes dropped during 2020 and 2021. Since then, they’ve recovered to match 2019 figures, though the total Ghanaian student population in Australia remains small.
With the impacts of the dependants policy in the UK set to encourage more Ghanaians to look towards other destinations, Australia has a critical opportunity. Promoting the quality of an Australian education to Ghanaian students, especially outlining high-quality graduate programs, could unlock a new source of increased diversity for Australian institutions. While Australia plans to implement its own policy changes to account for increased international student demand, dedicated efforts could lead to persistent growth for this rising African population.
Work with ApplyBoard to Unlock West African Potential
In 2023, almost 17,000 Ghanaian post-secondary students were issued study visas to a “big four” English destination. That’s a near 70% increase over 2022 figures and more than four times as many as in 2019. With Ghanaian student mobility on the rise, and the young educated Ghanaian population rising too, this West African country is poised to help drive diversity over the next decade.
Ghana remains a relatively untapped market with substantial potential for institutions in Australia. By working with ApplyBoard, Australian institutions can benefit from our established network of vetted and trained recruitment partners on the ground in Ghana. Institutions in Canada, the US, and the UK can also take advantage of ApplyBoard’s access and expertise throughout West Africa to help your institution attract highly talented students and build on-campus diversity.
For Canadian institutions, ApplyBoard can also help overcome obstacles to successful Ghanaian student enrolment. Lengthy study permit processes for Ghanaian students mean that delayed program acceptances can prevent them from enrolling in their intended programs. As a sector leader in document verification and agent training, we help to reduce administrative time, confirm the veracity of key application documents, and more. This can help your institution reduce application processing times, which would ultimately enable Ghanaian students to make quicker decisions about enrolling in their institutions.
All institutions should consider implementing a mature student recruitment strategy given that Ghanaian students also tend to be mature students. This could appeal to students not only in Ghana but in Nigeria as well, which also has a growing older student population. Providing information about how specific programs can advance the careers of mature students will be critical to these plans, especially as shifting government policies are set to define international education in the years to come.
For data-backed guidance on how you can expand your diversification efforts in West Africa, please contact your Partner Relations Manager. Or, you can reach out to ApplyBoard’s Partner Relations team at schoolpartnerships@applyboard.com to start a conversation.
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FOOTNOTES:
1. Data courtesy of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
2. US student visa data courtesy of the U.S. Department of State. US government fiscal years run from October of the previous year to September of the given year. Throughout this article, all given years refer to this fiscal period rather than a calendar year.
3. Data courtesy of the UK Home Office.
4. According to Ghana’s 2021 Population and Housing Census.
5. According to the UNESCO National Commission Country Report on Higher Education in Ghana.
6. ICEF Monitor, Ghanaian students are intent on study abroad but currency woes present a challenge. May 2024.
7. According to the African Development Bank Group’s Ghana Economic Outlook.
8. According to the World Bank Group per “Ghana’s Economic Prospects on Track Amid Reforms”.
9. The terms student visa and study permit are generally used interchangeably for Canadian international students. Rather than student visas, Canada provides accepted international students with study permits, which allow those students to enrol in classes at Canadian institutions. When a student is accepted for a study permit, they are also usually provided with a visitor visa, which allows that student to enter Canada for their studies.
10. Mature students include those who begin their studies at age 25 or older.
11. ApplyBoard’s study permit approval rates are estimates calculated by the ApplyBoard Data Science team. The calculation is as follows:
Study Permit Approval Rate = Confirmed Study Permit Approvals ÷ (Confirmed Study Permit Approvals + Reported Study Permit Rejections).
Confirmed Study Permit Approval: Applicant has submitted documentary evidence of study permit approval to ApplyBoard and/or has had their enrolment confirmed by the destination institution.
Reported Study Permit Rejection: (a) Applicant has indicated to ApplyBoard that they have been refused a study permit and/or has requested a refund for their tuition deposit due to study permit refusal, and (b) applicant’s enrolment has not been confirmed by the destination institution.
Note: ApplyBoard applicants do not receive any special treatment from IRCC.
12. The US fiscal year runs from October of a given year to September of the next year. For example, fiscal year 2023 would range from October 2022 to September 2023.
13. As F-1 student visas are the most common visa status used by international students in the US, we’re confining our analysis to that specific visa type. For reference, the US government has three student visas: F Student visas are academic (for study at an accredited K-12 school, college, or university, or studying English at an English language institute; the study must lead to a degree, diploma, or certificate); J Exchange visas are for participants in an exchange program either at the secondary school or university level; and M Student visas are for non-academic study (not including language programs), or vocational study or training.
14. Data courtesy of IIE Open Doors Report.
15. Only Nigeria and Sri Lanka had higher dependant to main student visa applicant ratios in 2023.
16. Data courtesy of the Australian Department of Home Affairs (ADHA). The data used for this article includes subclass 500 and subclass 570 to 576 visas granted to primary applicants outside of Australia only.
