Ghana program costs in 2009

From CCE wiki archived
Jump to: navigation, search

2009 Ghana program costs

(in Canadian dollars) Please also see notes below.

for Canadians:

  • Application fee: $150
  • UofA tuition (*9 credits): $1606.16
  • Program fee (see below): $750
  • Room and board at University of Ghana and on Ghana tour: $634.81 (approximate)
  • Total cost: $3,140.97


Fifteen $1000 scholarships are available, selection criteria include GPA and financial need, with priority to University of Alberta students. Please note that the deadline is March 2nd, 2009.
Total program cost (including scholarship) is $2,140.97. Please see notes #1 and #2 below.


for International students (including USA):

  • Application fee $100
  • UofA tuition (*9 credits): $5246.12
  • Program fee (see below): $750
  • Room and board at University of Ghana and on Ghana tour: $634.81 (approximate)
  • Total cost: $6,630.93

$2250 scholarships are available for International students.
Total program cost (including scholarship) is Canadian $4,380.93, or US $3,470.58 (as of Jan 20, 2009) Please see notes #1 and #2 below.


Note 1: The Program Fee ($750) covers use of University of Ghana classrooms and Internet service; the Accra tour; Ghana tour transportation; and room, board and transport during your village stay.

Note 2: The above costs do not include air tranport, visa fees, vaccinations, medical coverage, books and supplies, extra food costs, entertainment or incidental expenses, optional trips, souvenirs, etc... Airfares will vary widely depending on your location and date of travel. Fees are subject to change.

Additional room/board costs beyond tuition and instructional support fees

The following table lists room and board costs (per person) BEYOND instructional support fees (Dagbamete trip therefore not included here, except water). These costs are not included in either tuition or instructional support fees. All figures are in Canadian dollars.

University of Ghana (room ONLY is collected in advance by Ed. Abroad)

room 16 nights @ $16.34 = $261.50
board 14 days @ $12.00 = $168.00

Ghana tour

room 7 nights @ $13.00 = $91.00
board 8 days @ $12.00 = $96.00

Dagbamete - water only (all your food and lodging is pre-paid) $25.00

TOTAL room/board $641.50

Note that as you've already paid UofG room fees to Caroline, the total remaining is roughly $380.

This estimate may be high for room/board - it's easy to spend less than $12/day on food (a typical hearty lunch at a chop bar may cost only $2); I'm figuring somewhat conservatively here (though not enough to eat your meals in fancy restaurants or buy lots of beers!).

In addition I suggest around $150 for miscellaneous entry fees (museums, performances, etc.) and a few books - though I will cover these items to the extent that my budget allows.

However note that though sufficient for many students this is a minimal figure. You'll probably want to buy souvenirs, books, drums; take additional side trips, attend concerts, get people gifts or make donations here and there, etc. And you want to have a bit of extra cash handy for emergencies, particularly during travel. On the other hand, you can also get cash in ATM machines on campus and in Accra, so you don't have to carry everything with you.

In the end the amount of cash to bring is up to you. Traveller's cheques are negotiable, but with difficulty (you will need a passport, cheque receipts, and may have to go downtown to cash them). Bring American dollars, not Canadian dollars.

Note that you should NOT convert all your American cash to Ghana cedis upon arrival in Ghana - it's almost impossible to convert it back and the exchange rate is gradually moving in our favor. So convert only what you need, lest you end up buying more than you need.

Please see also advice on financial preparations.