Welcome to Knutsford University College
Knutsford University College was established in 2007 to address the growing demand for high-quality and affordable university education in Ghana, Africa, and worldwide. Accredited by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) in the same year, Knutsford earned recognition for its exceptional academic facilities, transformative programs, dedicated staff, effective governance, and conducive learning environment. The university also formed a partnership with the prestigious University of Ghana (UG) in 2011, allowing for mentorship and the conferment of UG degrees to Knutsford graduates. In 2017, the university expanded its affiliation to include the University for Development Studies in Ghana.
Since its inception, Knutsford University College has experienced significant growth, starting with 25 students in 2008 and now serving thousands of students. Situated in the plush East Legon area of Accra, Ghana's capital city, the university is conveniently located just 10 minutes away from Kotoka International Airport. Additionally, the university has established a second campus in Kumasi, just a 25-minute drive from the regional airport. To date, Knutsford University College has graduated over 1,000 students, with more to come.
Our Approach to Education
Knutsford University College is exceptional. Its mandate is to groom, transform, and inspire students to lead godly and purposeful lives, serve society with distinction and integrity, and passionately enrich lives everywhere in the world. Therefore, our degrees and programmes aim at developing permanent foundations for inspiring leadership and stewardship among our students and graduates for their own personal, intellectual, and professional development and, as a consequence, for national, international, and global development.
The university recognises the fact that while each person must contribute his or her portion for self, communal, national, and global development, leadership is key to a paradigm shift and for fundamental change in every community. Just as people perish with ignorance, so do they perish with shortsighted or weak leadership.
Naturally then, not everyone is a leader, and not every programme leads to successful leadership. Leadership can and must be nurtured from among those with demonstrated potential. To ensure creative, active, wise, disciplined and inspiring leadership amongst our students, therefore, at Knutsford the subject of leadership is central to our programmes and is consciously developed as a specific, comprehensive, and detailed programme of character building and heroic thinking.
To this end, the university’s educational programmes can be summarised as a harmonised synthesis of intellectual, critical, scientific, psychological, philosophical, moral, and elevated foundations of personal and professional development.
The need for assisting, guiding, and inspiring our students to be great leaders of their respective communities is important for many reasons. First of all, it is understood that the rampant myopism, corruption, selfishness, fear, narrow-mindedness and an endless number of avoidable ills among our youths and societies today as a whole, can be attributed in large part to personal and moral failures among a large number of our leaders.
Knutsford is keenly aware of the need therefore for educational programmes not only to equip our students with technical, vocational, and career tools, but also more liberal perspectives encompassing many fields of endeavors that affect and impact positively on vision, attitude, creativity, balance and excellence.
The objective of a Knutsford education then is to ensure that at the end of a programme, graduates would acquire more than academic education or mastery of technical subjects, but would have a more positive attitude not only of themselves but also of the world, of their neighbors and of the possibilities ahead.
Knutsford education is designed to assist our students to eschew destructive notions of self, and to embrace attitudes that motivate and enable them to be strong and wise path-finders and as a consequence, become heroes/heroines of their homes, communities, and nations.
In effect then, Knutsford University education is more than a private enterprise for acquiring a job. Education at Knutsford is no less than a personal and collective opportunity for personal growth and national development.
Vision
A World-Class University noted for:
o Inspiring academic excellence, professionalism, and integrity;
o Raising, equipping, and empowering ethical leaders for global impact;
o Fostering legacy-building and a sustainable future;
o Enriching lives through STEM, Moral and other transformative education; and
o Setting the standard for prestigious education and innovation in Africa.
Mission
Committed to STEM, Moral, and Inclusive Excellence Education:
In acknowledging the diverse talents and perspectives bestowed by God, we strive to create an inclusive educational community that celebrates and leverages the richness of diversity, fostering a culture where all talents flourish to the glory of God.
Governance
Knutsford is governed by a Council of Governors currently under the chancellorship of Dr. D.A Boateng and J.K Essel and the chairmanship of Prof. Paul Noble Buatsi. The current management team is led by Prof. Anthony K. Ahiawodzi. The Council is made up of representatives from major stakeholders in the University College community, including staff/faculty, students, and affiliated institutions. Academic governance is provided by the Academic Board, which is chaired by the President.
Admissions & Current Schools and Departments
The University runs programmes throughout the year. Enrolments into the programmes are done in Fall (September), Winter (January), and Summer (May) with flexible study options, i.e. day, evening, weekend, and online classes.
The University College admits all qualified students who possess distinctive academic promise, high sense of professionalism and ethical values without reference to race, ethnicity, religion, politics, and nationality or country of citizenship into its programmes.
Knutsford is currently developing four academic schools with nine departments and two centers. The Schools are Knutsford Business School (KBS), Knutsford School of Humanities and Education (KSHE), Knutsford School of Science and Technology (KSST), and Knutsford School of Graduate Studies and Research (KSGSR).
KBS has the following departments; the Department of Accounting and Finance, the Department of HR and Management Sciences, the Department of Marketing and Decision Sciences. KSST currently has; the Department of Computer Science and Technology, and the Department of Nursing. KSHE currently has the Department of Economics, Philosophy and Politics, the Department of Psychology and Sociology, and the Department of Communication and Media Studies.
The current centers are; the Centre for Leadership and Governance (CLG), and the Centre for Language and ICT Support (CLICTS).
Our Values
● Excellence:
Excel, embrace bravery, insatiable curiosity, inspiring ambition; Strive for quality; Persevere, obstacles and mistakes are simply lifelong learning opportunities.
● Diversity:
Welcome, appreciate, and respect diversity, inclusion, equality; Work as a team; Be relevant; Celebrate collaboration, rather than alone.
● Innovation:
Aspire big, innovate, and transform lives; Focus on impact, entrepreneurship, good leadership; Make good things happen; Leave your legacy.
● Integrity:
Be truthful, just, honest, and trustworthy; Be professional, open-minded, listen actively, empathize, learn and respond swiftly with kindness.
● Sustainability mind-set:
Be mindful, protect, and develop our home planet, communities, societies; Give back to society and foster a sustainable future.
● Accountability:
Be responsible, accountable, and transparent; We acknowledge, reward and invest in loyalty, commitment and achievements, to foster innovation, satisfaction, and excellence.Our commitment to:
Scholarship:
We believe in educating our students to be more than mere technocrats. The dignity and capacities of the human being are so vast and so great that to reduce the human being to a mere functionary in a labour force or a fraction of a market is to waste potential and to contribute towards the downfall of man. Therefore, at Knutsford, our programmes are well-rounded and ensure that no student graduates with a narrow focus on his or her field of specialisation. With every specialisation, we ensure broad-mindedness that mirrors the variety and diversity of subjects and of life itself.
Professionalism:
Professionalism is an attitude and a way of doing things. These two towers of attitude and habit arise from knowledge and from practice. We know that professionalism is not an accident but requires particular content and sustained orientation. It is not just any attitude but a specific type of orientation that sets the professional apart from others. Accordingly, our programmes include the key elements of discipline, competence, ethics, respect for one’s chosen profession, love for one’s work, and more. The effect of these is that right from the beginning, Knutsford graduates acquire the right professional attitudes that make them skilled, pragmatic, creative, entrepreneurial, and set to excel in their chosen fields of endeavor.
Integrity:
At Knutsford, we are keenly aware of the fact that even the most complicated systems can be broken by a human being bent on doing so. It is easier to get proper things done when people are motivated by personal and professional integrity to act than to move under the threat of a whip. For when the whip stops, the good work stops too. For this reason, at Knutsford, we do our best to inculcate good personal and professional values in our students and graduates so that they are self-regulated and motivated within themselves to be ethical, professional, responsible, reliable and trustworthy persons
Our Graduates
At Knutsford, we prepare our students and graduates for success. All our students are prepared for the demands and challenges of the increasingly shrinking but competitive global community. Since our graduates have to be prepared to live in the real world, our programmes mirror and derive from real-life cases and situations and are designed to orient students towards holding responsible, managerial, and leadership positions in business and in all walks of life.
Knutsford graduates are successful both academically and professionally. They have acquired and keep acquiring all the appropriate tools for managing their lives and relationships properly in a balanced manner. The skills and attitudes they develop throughout their years with Knutsford are the very things that facilitate growth and positive achievements in life and in business.
In this respect, the typical Knutsford graduate is smart, confident, competent, trusted, and capable of delivering assignments on time and according to reasonable expectations. Accordingly, irrespective of one’s specialisation, we seek to:
- Produce graduates who are analytical, critical, creative, reflective, problem solvers, disciplined, and decision-makers. “Thinkers and Doers,” in short.
- Develop innovators, strategists, and entrepreneurs who are receptive to new ideas.
- Produce graduates with the ability to communicate clearly, succinctly and effectively in writing as well as in speaking
- Produce graduates with demonstrated competence in social, scientific, and market research skills.
- Produce graduates who are adept at computing, networking, and in the use of modern technologies.
- Train graduates with the ability to work independently whilst following instructions for assignment execution and delivery on time.
- Train graduates to be cooperative, responsive, productive, and professional team members.
- Train graduates to appreciate diversity and consider issues from a global perspective.
- Produce graduates who possess a great sense of community, moral, ethical, and professional responsibility for the services of society and industry.
Academics
Knutsford recognises the variety of capacities and of learning styles amongst students and of the fact that some learn best by doing and further, that concrete, real-life situations, and cases are often better than the abstract. As such, the demonstrative, case-based, and critical learning approaches using interactive, with updated textbooks, literature, journals, and online materials is our way of learning.
At Knutsford, the scholarship means asking questions and learning at a measured but comfortable pace. It is true that the university adheres to intellectual discipline and assignment completion and delivery on time. Yet at the same time, academic requirements must be flexible enough to provide opportunities for individual learning curves and paths. Learning must be disciplined but cannot be rushed.
The Knutsford teaching method is, therefore, based on respect for the student and of the understanding that learning thrives best when the student is at peace, free and motivated when the teacher is learned, patient and capable of clear demonstrations using real and practical scenarios and examples recognisable by the student. At Knutsford, we do our best to make learning natural and ordinary.
Our Lecturers
Knutsford recognises the vital role lecturers play in our educational process. Consequently, the finest international acclaimed faculty with both academic and industry experience are employed and consulted to nurture, mentor, and develop our students.
Student Support
Since the best environment for studying is one in which the student has a peace of mind and is free to observe, to read, to think and to ask and answer questions, we do our best to make the campus environs as clear, free, and as enabling as possible. In order to make things easier, the University provides supportive programmes to all students to respond to their demands and needs.
Our faculty, teachers, counselors, and support staff are always on standby and ready to help students on a one-and-one basis to prevent, reduce or manage problems and to deal with issues wisely, quickly, and as efficiently as possible. At Knutsford, we endeavor to create a friendly and comfortable environment for the success of all of our students.
A Lifetime of Network
Whilst on Campus or as a student with Knutsford, every student is given the opportunity to know and to link up with all other students in a meaningful manner. The University atmosphere encourages students to see each other as actual or potential neighbours, friends, brothers and sisters, and as possible business partners and not just as passengers on a school bus.
Remarkably, many students do see the opportunities and the good that can come out of maintaining solid relationships with their mates and alumni. The relationships created amongst students throughout are friendly and scholarly. The expectation is that most relationships would be life-long with each batch of graduates serving as a reference, as mentors, coaches, resources, and support network for the other. With the passage of time then we expect the network of Knutsford graduates to get bigger, stronger, and very rewarding for all of our alumni.
Opportunity For Placement at Universities of Your Choice
Students who successfully graduate from Knutsford programmes are guaranteed placement in many top universities both local and foreign for post-graduate programmes of their choice. This is largely as a result of the excellence of our programmes, the talents of our students and of the fact that our graduates are amongst some of the best young men and women of our time.
Furthermore, it is worth noting that amongst other things, the successful Knutsford graduate is disciplined, focused, broad-minded, and master of his or her subject of study. Naturally then, the Knutsford graduate is a scholar that can meet the requirements of any academic institution of repute and is much sought after by many.
Excellent Job Opportunities
At Knutsford, our approach to education is relevance, pragmatic, modern, and professional. As such, throughout their days at Knutsford, our students are given hands-on and updated education from practitioners and leading experts in various fields; combining theory with practice with opportunities for attachment and coaching with our business partners and sponsoring organizations.
The result is that by the time they graduate, Knutsford graduates are familiar and comfortable with the business world, and have employable skills, critical thinking skills, entrepreneurial skills, computing, and ICT skills as well as good moral conducts.
Our programmes build competencies in students' chosen fields. Further, Knutsford graduates are provided with the appropriate maps, tools, updates, information, and resources for searching, finding, and keeping good jobs and for career development.
Financial Aid
Financial aid is provided ‘as and when’ the aid is available. Students would be informed of all available aid and of the criteria for accessing them. It is the student’s responsibility to apply for such aid. Financial aid provided by the college is strictly for tuition and is not refundable under any circumstance. Students may contact the Students Services Office for details. The following are the types of financial aids currently available to students.
Ghana Government Scholarship Secretariat
Ghanaian students interested in Ghana's government scholarship can apply for support. Ghana Government Scholarship Secretariat website.
SSNIT Students Loan
Ghanaian students interested in study loans can access the SSNIT Students Loan provided by the Government of Ghana through SSNIT. Interested students may contact the Students Services Office for details. SSNIT Student Loan Website.
Knutsford Scholarship
Fund
Knutsford Scholarship Fund is available for Ghanaian students requiring financial aid. The award is based on financial need, academic merit, and achievements.
Refund Policy
The university college’s operating expenses and students’ charges are planned on an annual basis. The refund schedule has been established in recognition of both the college’s advance commitment to operating expenses and a spirit of fairness for students who find it necessary to discontinue the use of the College’s services. Policies of dismissal and suspension are the same as those for voluntary withdrawal. Consideration for a refund of tuition requires written notice from the student to the Registrar’s office indicating the student’s intention to withdraw from the college. The date this notice is received by the Registrar’s office is the effective date for determining the refund amount according to the schedule below:
Withdrawal during the first week of the semester – 75% | 75% refund |
Withdrawal during the second week of the semester – 50% | 50% refund |
Withdrawal during the third week of the semester – 25% | 25% refund |
Withdrawal after the third week of the semester – 0% | 0% refund |
A week is defined in this context as five working days within a semester.
Security Interest on Student Records
A student will not receive any diploma, certificate, or transcript until all accounts, current or otherwise, have been settled in accordance with the policies described above. Relevant documents will be retained by the University College as security until financial obligations are satisfied. Each student is also obliged to pay all costs of collections upon default.
Accommodation
The University College provides assistance in finding accommodation near the Campus.
Currently, Halls/Hostels available for both national and international students are Bani Hall , Evandy Hall, Kingdom International Hostel Ghana .
The luxurious Legon Palace Hall has 22 rooms suitable for both national and international students.
The elegant Knutsford Guest House located at Adenta Area is most suitable for international students who want to enjoy comfort in Ghanaian style.
Space Hostel has 35 luxurious rooms.
Other hostels close to the University College include; Prestige Hostel, Veterinary Hostel, Bethel Lodge.
Students interested in their own apartment close to the University College could be assisted.
Food and Shopping Mall
Restaurants, cafeteria, and snack bar services are available for students on Campus.
The University College is also close to a number of restaurants and cafés and shopping malls, all within a walking distance from the University College.
These include; A&C Shopping Mall, Accra Mall, Marina Mall, Delish Restaurant, KFC fast Foods and Papaye Fast Foods.
Most of the hostels also provide food and shopping services for students.
Health Services
Knutsford provides healthcare services on Campus.
The current sickbay will soon be turned to Knutsford Health Services and would be open to the public.
The University College is also close to a number of large public and private hospitals and laboratories that offer first-class medical care.
These include the University of Ghana Medical Centre, Yeboah Hospital, 37 Military Hospital, Ghana Canada Medical Centre and Nyaho Hospital.
International Students Services
International students are provided with information and counseling on immigration, employment authorisation, tax requirements, and other matters related to the students’ non-immigration status in Ghana by the International Students Section of the Student Services Office.
Health and accident insurance coverage is mandatory for international students. The Section also provides travel arrangement services including tours.
Internship and Faculty/Student Exchange Programmes
Knutsford University values the important role internship and exchange of faculty and student plays in our education. Consequently, we have and are still working very hard to secure affiliations, collaborations, and cooperative arrangements with renowned and international reputable universities, institutions, and industry for our faculty and students.