Accreditation
How accreditation is granted
Accreditation is decided jointly by the Council and the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission. An institution applies once, is inspected once, and receives one outcome.
This page explains the process; it is not the application
Applications for accreditation are not received or processed on this website. They are made to the joint accreditation service. This page sets out what the process involves so that an institution can prepare for it. For the current application channel, contact the Council.
Who decides what
Two regulators, each with a distinct statutory role, and a single pathway between them.
The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission assesses the institution
GTEC examines whether the institution is a properly run place of learning: its governance, its buildings, and whether it has the resources to remain open. It makes the final accreditation determination.
The Council assesses the law programme
The Council examines the law programme itself: the teachers, the curriculum, the law library, and whether students receive practical legal training. It issues a formal opinion on whether the programme meets legal education standards.
Neither can act alone
The institution applies once and is inspected once. GTEC cannot grant full accreditation for a law programme without the Council's opinion, and both regulators publish the same outcome.
Standards are set with GTEC
The Council sets standards for accreditation in collaboration with the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission. The standards cover the curriculum, staffing, infrastructure, library resources, information technology, governance, and student assessment systems.
Two routes
An institution must select the route it is applying for and provide evidence against the standards attached to that route.
Bachelor of Laws route
The academic route, for institutions seeking approval to run an LLB programme. It is assessed against curriculum, staffing, infrastructure, library, policy, and governance standards.
What is assessed
- Academic curriculum and delivery evidence.
- Library, facilities, and policy documents.
- Document review by both regulators.
- Joint inspection and scoring against the standards.
Law Practice Training route
The professional training route. It does not follow automatically from eligibility for the LLB route: an institution qualified only for the LLB route should not proceed to Law Practice Training unless it satisfies the higher professional training requirements.
What is assessed
- Practitioner register and professional training evidence.
- Moot court, floor plans, conditions, and training resources.
- Verification by the Council and scoring against the Law Practice Training standards.
- A recommendation by the Council on professional training approval.
The process, in order
Eight stages, from first contact to continuing supervision.
Pre-application engagement
The institution expresses interest. GTEC confirms institutional eligibility, the Council confirms the status of the legal education programme, and the joint secretariat issues the application pack.
Submission and completeness check
The institution submits the prescribed application with supporting evidence and the prescribed fee. The joint secretariat checks completeness, screens for conflicts of interest, and issues deficiency notices where needed.
Act 1170 · s.24-25
Parallel desk review
GTEC reviews institutional and tertiary quality requirements. The Council reviews curriculum, staffing, admissions, assessment, law library, and professional training evidence.
Joint site inspection
A joint panel verifies classrooms, the law library, ICT, disability access, faculty files, admissions records, assessment arrangements, and programme administration. One inspection serves both regulators.
Technical reconciliation
Findings are reconciled into a single evaluation matrix recording scores, deficiencies, corrective actions, responsible officers, and any proposed conditions.
Legal education opinion
The Council issues a formal opinion on whether the programme satisfies legal education standards, including any conditions, intake limits, or monitoring requirements.
Accreditation determination
GTEC incorporates the Council's opinion into the final outcome: grant, grant with conditions, defer, refuse, or refer the institution for remediation.
Registration, publication, and supervision
Approved programmes are recorded in the public register and published. The institution then enters annual reporting, risk-based monitoring, and periodic inspection.
Act 1170 · s.31
Preparing an application
Before starting
- Complete the self-assessment review before beginning the application.
- Create the institution profile and select the correct category.
- Confirm whether the application is for the LLB route, the Law Practice Training route, or both.
- Assemble all required evidence and the prescribed fee.
- Resolve any gaps before proceeding to assessment.
Why an application may not proceed
- Incomplete or inaccurate information.
- Missing documents or insufficient evidence.
- Minimum requirements not met.
- Non-compliance with statutory standards.
- Outstanding fees or other deficiencies.
Gaps identified before assessment must be closed before the application continues. A refusal after assessment requires the institution to address the findings and reapply from the beginning.
After accreditation
- Annual compliance returns to the Council and GTEC.
- Risk monitoring for staffing, intake growth, student complaints, weak moderation, and unapproved curriculum changes.
- Periodic inspections, including targeted inspections where risk indicators arise.
- Remediation, conditional continuation, suspension, or revocation where serious breaches are not resolved.
- Student protection measures where a refusal, suspension, or revocation affects enrolled students.
What a licence commits you to
A licence is granted for a fixed term and carries continuing obligations. Read what each type of licence means, and what the Council inspects each year.