Until November 2021, Certification and Verification were done from the Director of Academic
Affairs’ office. To ensure speedy delivery of these services in view of the volume of receipts in recent times, on the recommendation of the Registrar, the Certification and Verification Unit Section was created for the University. The Certification and Verification Section of the Directorate of Academic Affairs is responsible for issuing of certificates for all persons who have successfully completed their programmes of study within the stipulated time. It undertakes verification and authentication of certificates and other academic credentials issued by the University on request by organisations/institutions for the purposes of employment or further studies. The Unit assists in the preparation of Academic Calendars for the smooth running of the University. It also undertakes certification for past students who need to send copies of the awards to institutions for employment or further studies.
Certificates, Diplomas, and Degrees Issued by the University of Cape Coast:
These awards usually take four years or less to complete. The actual completion time depends on entry/admission characteristics of a student. Part-time students, for example, may require more than four years for an undergraduate award. To qualify for certification, a student must earn the following credit points depending on the programme of study:
‣ Six-year degree programmes (180 - 211 credits)
‣ Four-year degree programmes (120 – 141 credits)
‣ Three-year degree programmes (90 – 106 credits)
‣ Two-year post-diploma degree programmes (60 – 85 credits)
‣ Three-year diploma programmes (60 - 85 credits)
‣ Two-year diploma programmes (60 - 85 credits)
‣ One-year certificate programmes (30 – 36 credits)
Graduate Certificates and Degrees
Doctorate Degree is the highest award a student can earn for graduate study. The doctor's degree classification includes such degrees as Doctor of Public Health (D.P.H.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) etc.
‣ Master's Degree award that requires the completion of a programme of study of at least two years but not more than three of years of full-time academic work beyond the bachelor's degree.
Example; Master of Philosophy, Master of Nursing
‣ Master's Degree award that requires the completion of a programme of study of at least one year but not more than two of years of full-time academic work beyond the bachelor's degree. Example; Master of Arts, Master of Education, Master of Science
‣ Post-graduate Diploma is an award that requires completion of an organised programme of study necessary to practice in a profession. Example; Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE)
‣ Post-graduate Certificate is an award that requires completion of an organized programme of study. Example; Postgraduate Certificate in Education, Postgraduate Certificate in Security Studies
‣ Professional Certificates are awards earned after the completion of a programme necessary to practice in a profession.
Requires at least two years of college work prior to entering the programme and four to six academic
years continuous studies to complete the programme. Professional degrees are awarded in the
following fields:
- Medicine & Surgery
- Optometry
- Pharmacy
- Nursing
- Midwifery
- Physician Assistantship
Certification; What you Need to Know
Certificates for all persons who completed their programmes of study within a particular academic year would be ready for collection during the graduation ceremonies. For an individual to qualify for certification, he/she must meet the minimum requirements set for the particular programme in terms of credit hours obtained and all courses required to be taken and passed. Must not exceed the maximum number of years to be on the programme as spelt out in the Academic Programmes, Policies and Regulations document:
Time Limits for the Completion of Degree Programmes to Qualify for Certification
‣ Six-year programme: Minimum of 6 years, maximum of 8 years
‣ Four-year programme: Minimum of 4 years, maximum of 6 years
‣ Three-year progrmme: Minimum of 3 years, maximum of 5 years
‣ Two-year programme: Minimum of 2 years, maximum of 4 years
A student who is unable to complete the degree programme within the stipulated time limit shall be withdrawn by the University.
‣ Must be cleared by the Directorate of Finance and at all Sections (Hospital, Hall etc.) as required by University policy
‣ Clearance Chit from the Directorate of Finance together with either UCC ID card or any
national ID card (originals only) is submitted to Directorate of Academic Affairs (Room 110) for collection of certificate
‣ Certificates are not given to third parties. Graduates are to sign and collect their certificates in person after going through the clearance process in 4 above.
‣ As an institutional policy, the University does not accept requests to change or amend names or other records/particulars of students (eg. date of birth). The name on the certificate would be the same as the one on his/her results slip or certificate, he/she goes through the programme of study with.
Misplaced/Lost Certificate
The University does not re-issue certificates to replace lost ones. An attestation letter may be issued in place of misplaced certificates. Any past student who misplaces his/her certificate should first of all report to the Ghana Police Service for a Police Extract. The extract should be submitted to the Directorate of Academic Affairs (Room 110) for an Attestation letter on payment of the required fee.
Certificate can be re-issued in the following instances and in all cases, the original copy of the certificate should accompany the request:
‣ Defaced through mishandling
‣ Defaced through flood
‣ Partially burnt
‣ Partially chewed by termites etc
Processing cost for replacing defaced of or partially burnt certificate etc shall be determined from time to time based on the cost of importation of blank certificate and other inputs.
‣ Currently, the cost of replacement is one hundred Ghana cedis (GHS 100.00)
‣ Processing takes between a day to one week.
Remarking of Examination Scripts
A candidate who is not satisfied with the result of any University Examination affecting him/her may request for re-marking by submission of an application to the Registrar and payment of the appropriate re-marking fee. An application for re-marking shall be submitted to the Registrar not later than 21 days after the release of the said result and shall state the grounds for re-marking. No action shall be taken on an application which is submitted outside the stipulated 21 day period. Re-marking shall not proceed unless the re-marking fee is fully paid. There is no fixed fee for re-marking. The fee is determined by the amount the external examiner charges plus administrative costs involved in processing the request. The total amount involved shall be borne by the applicant. The result of the re-marking should be considered by the Faculty/School Board. If it is established that a complaint for re-marking is without merit or is ill-motivated, the Academic Board may prescribe appropriate sanctions against the complainant.
Verification of Academic Document Application Procedure
Universities/Institutions/Companies which require to verify the academic documents of past and present students of the University of Cape Coast should either send an e-mail or signed official letter with a return address /telephone number(s) of the applicant(s), addressed to the addresses below:
verifications.daa@ucc.edu.gh
Or
DIRECTOR
DIRECTORATE OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
UPO, UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST
CAPE COAST, GHANA
The request(s) should be accompanied with:
‣ Clear and legible photocopies of all documents (certificate numbers should clearly show) for easy reference and to facilitate the verification process.
‣ Payment of appropriate rates for the services is as follows:
‣ Local verification per individual – Fifteen (15) Ghana Cedis
‣ Foreign verification per individual – Ten (10) Dollars
‣ Local verification to be delivered via courier – Twenty-one (21) Ghana Cedis
‣ Foreign verification to be delivered via courier – Fifty-five (55) Dollars.
(Delivery of report via electronic means does not attract any charges. Organisations that wish to receive their responses electronically should therefore provide reliable email addresses.)
Mode of Payment
‣ For local verification, payment should be made at the Cash Office of the University and the receipt submitted to the Directorate (Room 12
‣ For verification by foreign entities, please complete the following form: Academic Record Verification Form.
Note: The proposed timelines for the processing of verifications will be as follows:
No of individuals Time frame
1-10 1week
11 - 25 2 weeks
26 - 50 3 weeks
51 - 100 1 month
100 and above 2 months