Summer Ghanaian Studies
Unique Experiences
Take an Innovative Class
that explores a major aspect of Ghana’s history, taught by a seasoned faculty from the country’s premier university and learn from guest speakers who have expertise in issues of Pan-Africanism, Slavery, and Traditional institutions in Ghana.
Connect
with good-natured members of the local community as you volunteer with schools, and other NGOs in the areas of student tutoring and mentoring serving the deprived and marginalized youth in Accra and Legon.
Explore beyond Legon
with out-of-class activities and excursions within and outside the capital region.
7.5
miles from Accra, Ghana’s capital city
53 K
students at University of Ghana
3
degrees north of the equator
Your Destination
Legon’s well-educated citizens welcome American students with open arms to their quiet suburban town, just northeast of the city center in the Accra Metropolis District. The sprawling University of Ghana campus is a major focus of the town and students enjoy access to a large shopping mall and several grocery stores as well as restaurants and bars. Beyond campus, students can explore the equatorial region including rainforests, wildlife parks, and pristine beaches.
The city of Accra where Legon is nestled is a vibrant city bustling with activity from daytime to nighttime. From the trotro buses to the street vendors, to the food places, and the event spaces, there are many opportunities to enjoy oneself safely.
CIEE wants all our students to feel welcomed, supported, and empowered to succeed while studying abroad. Local CIEE staff have provided details about conditions and cultural attitudes that students with specific identities might encounter in Legon.
The Culture
Excursions & Activities
Travel to Cape Coast and Elmina to see slave castles and the starting point of the transatlantic journey.
Visit the Assin Manso Slave River where enslaved Africans, according to history, took their last bath before their journery to the slave castles. Engage in or witness the sacred ritual to welcome Africans in the Diaspora.
Visit the Ashanti region to explore the traditional chieftaincy institution, history, and culture, and witness members of the local community showcase their craft steeped in rich culture. You get to try your hands on them too!
Learn how to prepare the famous Ghana jollof with CIEE host families and improve your culinary skills
Learn from Ghanaian women entrepreneurs who are making traditional beads worn to mark significant rites of passage in Ghanaian culture.
Program Blogs
Short-Term Study Abroad: Everything You Need to Know
If you’re itching for a study abroad adventure, but not interested in a semester or year-long commitment, don’t worry. You have tons of options! Read on as we detail everything... keep reading
Housing & Meals
Housing
CIEE Legon offers diverse housing options to ensure you’re comfortable in your home away from home, which include homestays or an on-campus student hostel. All housing is located on and around the Legon campus environs, with convenient access to downtown Accra (roughly 45 minutes) but closer to CIEE Legon on campus (10 to 40 minutes).
Standard Housing: Includes a single room at a homestay or a double room at an on-campus student hostel located under 45 minutes from CIEE Legon. Homestays boast a kitchen, living room, and bathroom shared with a host family. Double-occupancy hostels offer shared kitchens, bathrooms, and reading rooms. Students living in the on-campus student hostel will be provided with basic cooking utensils and a hot plate to prepare their own meals.
Meals
Homestays: Students have breakfast and dinner with their host families, and they are responsible for lunch.
On-Campus Student Hostels: Meals are not included. Students prepare meals in their dorms (facilities are limited) or eat off campus.
Academics
This four-week program is designed to allow students from all academic disciplines to live and study in Ghana and learn about the country and its people. It features a community-based volunteer component designed to help students understand Ghanaian history, politics, values, and traditions. All students are required to take Atlantic Crossings and can choose to learn Twi language. Courses are taught by the University of Ghana faculty.
The University of Ghana is the oldest and largest university in the country, welcoming more than 39,000 students and 1,000 faculty members. Programs include agriculture (featuring three research stations), arts, consumer sciences, law, medicine, science, social sciences, business, nursing, public health, African studies, international relations, journalism, statistics, social sciences, and economic research.
Course Information
This course provides participants with a glimpse of the deep, rich, and seemingly infinite histories that make up the history of the Atlantic Ocean. While this course is primarily an exploration of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, it clarifies the relationship between migration studies, refugee studies, diaspora studies, and contingent disciplines because of its focus on crossing. “Atlantic Crossings” looks at push-and-pull factors for crossing, the difference between voluntary and forced crossing, and the mobility and adaptability of people, religious traditions, flora, fauna, ideas, goods, and diseases.
Summer Session I 2025
Summer Session II 2025
Note: This course listing is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a contract between CIEE and any applicant, student, institution, or other party. The courses, as described, may be subject to change as a result of ongoing curricular revisions, assignment of lecturers and teaching staff, and program development. Courses may be canceled due to insufficient enrollment.
"(GI)" denotes courses that originated at CIEE's Global Institutes and that are offered at multiple CIEE sites.
Scholarships & Grants
CIEE offers scholarships and grants annually to help students like you make your study abroad dream a reality.
Students who apply to this program are eligible for the following scholarships and grants:
- Wollitzer Merit Scholarships in Area or Comparative Studies
- Ping Scholarships for Academic Excellence
- Global Access Initiative (GAIN) Grants
- CIEE Gilman Go Global Grant
- MSI Grant
- CIEE STEM Scholarship
To be considered, submit the CIEE Scholarships & Grants application within your CIEE program application.
Dates & Fees
You get more for every dollar when you study abroad with CIEE, because our high-quality programs include everything from excursions to insurance. There are no hidden charges, and no disappointing surprises when you arrive.
Program |
Application Due |
Start Date |
End Date |
Fees & Housing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program Summer Session I 2025 4 weeks | Start Date | End Date | Fees & Housing $4,750 | |
| Program Summer Session II 2025 4 weeks | Start Date | End Date | Fees & Housing $4,750 | |
| Program Summer Session I and II 2025 8 weeks | Start Date | End Date | Fees & Housing $8,550 |
To help you budget, keep in mind that students are responsible for the cost of international airfare, local transportation, books and supplies, visas, and personal expenses. In addition, your college or university may charge additional fees for study abroad, or may require you to receive a transcript via CIEE's School of Record, which carries an additional fee of $500.
Program Fees
CIEE offers the most student support of any provider in its program fee, including an airport greeting, full-time leadership and support, orientation, cultural activities, local excursions, pre-departure advising, and CIEE iNext travel protection with benefits.
Participation Confirmation = $300*
Educational Costs = $3,140**
Housing = $1,110***
Insurance = $200
Total Fees = $4,750Estimated Costs
Students are responsible and manage costs related to travel, meals, books, and personal expenses. Below are estimates for consideration.
Meals not included in program fee = $120†
International Airfare = $1,800
Local Transportation = $100
Books & Supplies = $30
Visa Fees = $75
Personal expenses = $135††
Other = $500
Total Costs = $2,760Financial Aid
CIEE offers the most grants and scholarships of any study abroad organization, including $8 million/year in travel grants, merit-based scholarships, institutional and MSI grants, and Gilman Go Global Grants.
*non-refundable
**direct cost of education charged uniformly to all students
***Housing fees listed are for financial aid purposes only and should not be considered a basis for calculation of refunds.
†For students in homestays, families provide 2 meals a day and all weekend meals. For students in residence halls/hostels, you should budget approx. $340 per month for groceries if you plan on making your own meals, and more if you plan on eating out regularly.
††$100 emergency fund + cell phone expense + toiletries
Program Fees
CIEE offers the most student support of any provider in its program fee, including an airport greeting, full-time leadership and support, orientation, cultural activities, local excursions, pre-departure advising, and CIEE iNext travel protection with benefits.
Participation Confirmation = $300*
Educational Costs = $3,140**
Housing = $1,110***
Insurance = $200
Total Fees = $4,750Estimated Costs
Students are responsible and manage costs related to travel, meals, books, and personal expenses. Below are estimates for consideration.
Meals not included in program fee = $120†
International Airfare = $1,800
Local Transportation = $100
Books & Supplies = $30
Visa Fees = $75
Personal expenses = $135††
Other = $500
Total Costs = $2,760Financial Aid
CIEE offers the most grants and scholarships of any study abroad organization, including $8 million/year in travel grants, merit-based scholarships, institutional and MSI grants, and Gilman Go Global Grants.
*non-refundable
**direct cost of education charged uniformly to all students
***Housing fees listed are for financial aid purposes only and should not be considered a basis for calculation of refunds.
†For students in homestays, families provide 2 meals a day and all weekend meals. For students in residence halls/hostels, you should budget approx. $340 per month for groceries if you plan on making your own meals, and more if you plan on eating out regularly.
††$100 emergency fund + cell phone expense + toiletries
Program Fees
CIEE offers the most student support of any provider in its program fee, including an airport greeting, full-time leadership and support, orientation, cultural activities, local excursions, pre-departure advising, and CIEE iNext travel protection with benefits.
Participation Confirmation = $300*
Educational Costs = $5,830**
Housing = $2,220***
Insurance = $200
Total Fees = $8,550Estimated Costs
Students are responsible and manage costs related to travel, meals, books, and personal expenses. Below are estimates for consideration.
Meals not included in program fee = $240†
International Airfare = $1,800
Local Transportation = $200
Books & Supplies = $60
Visa Fees = $75
Personal expenses = $270††
Other = $500
Total Costs = $3,145Financial Aid
CIEE offers the most grants and scholarships of any study abroad organization, including $8 million/year in travel grants, merit-based scholarships, institutional and MSI grants, and Gilman Go Global Grants.
*non-refundable
**direct cost of education charged uniformly to all students
***Housing fees listed are for financial aid purposes only and should not be considered a basis for calculation of refunds.
†For students in homestays, families provide 2 meals a day and all weekend meals. For students in residence halls/hostels, you should budget approx. $340 per month for groceries if you plan on making your own meals, and more if you plan on eating out regularly.
††$100 emergency fund + cell phone expense + toiletries
What's Included
Tuition
Housing
Pre-departure Advising
Advising before you depart to set goals and answer questions
Optional on-site airport meet-and-greet
Orientation
Introduction to your program plus practical information about living in your host city
On-site Staff
Full-time program leadership and support in your city
Cultural and/or Co-curricular Activities
Excursions and/or Study Tours
Travel Protection
CIEE iNext travel protection
24/7 emergency on-site support
Our Staff
Amma Appiah
Center Director
Amma is passionate about intercultural learning in international education and embraces the idea of empathetic study abroad management. As a person living with a chronic illness, Amma also dedicates time to raising awareness on autoimmune rheumatic diseases and advocates for persons living with such in Ghana.
Rachel Akata
Program Coordinator
Rachel is responsible for student life coordination at the center and assists the director with housing, internship, and volunteer placements.
Mike Adu Ampofo
Faculty and Custom Program Coordinator
Mike earned his bachelor's in Information Technology from Pentecost University in Ghana. He manages all custom and faculty-led groups that come on-site.
Get Started
1
2
Connect With Your Campus Study Abroad Office
Share your plans and confirm you're on track to meet all required steps to go abroad.
3
Contact Us
Send us an email if you still have questions or need information about applying to this program.
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