Semester in Legon
New for Spring 2025!
Unique Experiences
Make your won
tie-dye and batik cloth
Learn to cook local meals
like red-red and jollof
Learn traditional or contemporary
Ghanaian dances
80+
LANGUAGES SPOKEN BY THE VARIOUS ETHNIC GROUPS IN GHANA
33.48 M
GHANA’S POPULATION
32
UNESCO-DOCUMENTED HISTORICAL FORTS AND CASTLES ALONG GHANA’S SHORE
Your Destination
Legon’s well-educated citizens welcome international 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 top ranked as the 1st in West Africa and 15th in Africa.
Students also enjoy access to a large shopping mall and several grocery stores, as well as restaurants, bars and the Legon Botanical Gardens. Beyond Legon is the Kakum Rainforest reserve, Shai Hills wildlife park, and beaches to explore.
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 they were forced to take
- Visit the Ashanti region to explore the traditional chieftaincy institution, history, and culture as well as the role women play in the making and unmaking of chiefs among the Ashanti people
- Experience regional highlights like Aburi Botanical Gardens, Tetteh Quarshie Cocoa Farm, Boti Falls, Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum, Lake Volta, and the W.E.B. Dubois Center
- Get involved on-campus by joining a music, theater, or art group, or meet up with Ghanaian students for soccer, running, swimming, field hockey, or tennis; basketball and baseball are also getting popular
Projects
Internships: There are plenty of options to earn credits and beef up your resume with international experience in the Ghanian working market. A for-credit internship in English allows students the opportunity to have practical work experience in a company within a variety of industry sectors. In addition to the on-site business experience, students participating in an internship program have a weekly classroom component, which provides academic support to their practical experience. Students applying for an internship are required to submit additional materials during the course selection process.
Directed Independent Research: Directed Independent Research is for qualified students who have demonstrated academic rigor and curiosity toward a particular research topic. To be accepted into this course, students must submit a structured proposal during course selection with topic of exploration, significance of research topic as it relates to Ghana, methodology, a literature review, and a schedule of research milestones. Upon research completion, students will present their findings to a panel of academics.
Service-learning Projects: Combine course-based learning with practical, relevant project experience to meet a community-defined need. Interested students are required to submit additional materials during the course selection process.
Program Blogs
Exploring Ghanaian Cuisine!
When people asked what I was most excited about when preparing for my semester abroad I replied with "dance, music, and food!" In regards to food specifically, I was looking... keep reading
Arrival In Accra, Ghana: First Impressions and Observations
Who let me book a solo flight to Ghana?! This is what I thought in the days leading up to my departure. I viewed the trip ahead with much anticipation... keep reading
One Village, One History, One Craft
Vume is a small town in the Volta Region of Ghana, which is known for the art of clay pottery. When the craft was introduced, the people of Vume were... keep reading
Housing & Meals
Housing
CIEE Legon offers various housing options, which include homestays, off-campus hostel, and off-campus apartment-style housing. Housing options are located around the Legon campus, with convenient access to downtown Accra (roughly 45 minutes away) but are close to the CIEE Legon study center on campus (20 to 40 minutes away).
Standard Housing: Includes a single room at a homestay or a quad-room at an off-campus hostel located under 45 minutes from CIEE Legon. Homestays boast a kitchen, living room, and bathroom shared with a host family. The off-campus hostel offers triple or quad-occupancy en-suite rooms, with shared common spaces such as the fitted kitchen and a lounging area.
Select Plus Housing: Includes a double-occupancy air-conditioned room in apartment-style housing off-campus, located within 20 minutes from CIEE Legon.
Select housing requires an additional fee.
A note: The default criterion to assign housing is first-come, first-served; however, other factors may also be considered. If we cannot accommodate your first housing choice, we'll let you know before you arrive.
Meals
Homestay: Hosts provide breakfast and dinner during the week, and students get lunch on their own. Hosts provide all three meals on weekends.
Hostels/Apartment-style Housing: Meals are not included. Students prepare meals (facilities are limited) or eat on or off campus.
Academics
The University of Ghana (UG) is the oldest, most diverse campus community and largest university in the country. UG welcomes more than 53,000 students from more than 87 countries and about 1,250 faculty members from 22 countries. Programs include agriculture (featuring three research stations), consumer sciences, economics, computer science, engineering, performing arts, law, medicine, natural sciences, social sciences, business, nursing, public health, African studies, international relations, mathematics, journalism and communication, population studies, statistical research, social research, and economic research. The university follows a British model, which is less structured and requires students to take more responsibility and initiative. Professors expect students to spend significant time studying outside of class.
CIEE-taught courses are augmented with co-curricular experiential learning experiences. These may include site visits to relevant landmarks or locations in Ghana that illustrate contents explored during class sessions or hear from relevant guest speakers who will bring their expertise to show students a different cultural, academic, and professional perspective.
Course Information
Academic Projects
Communication, Journalism, and Media
Health Professions and Related Programs
History, Philosophy, Religion
Social Sciences
Visual and Performing Arts
The University of Ghana offers courses in Humanities and Social Sciences, Basic and Applied Sciences, Mathematical and Engineering Sciences, and Performing Arts. The institution’s STEM focus is on Computer Engineering, Food Process Engineering, Material Science and Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering. Other areas are cell and Molecular Biology, Oceanography, and Marine and Fisheries Sciences.
The links below lead to the University of Ghana’s college-level portals where you can navigate to schools or departments of interest and check out the undergraduate course lists.
College of Humanities
Business School
School of Law
School of Arts
School of Languages
School of Social Sciences
School of Performing Arts
College of Basic and Applied Sciences
School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences
School of Biological Sciences
School of Agriculture
School of Engineering Sciences
School of Veterinary Medicine
College of Health Sciences
School of Nursing
School of Pharmacy
School of Public Health
College of Education
School of Information and Communication Studies
School of Education and Leadership
Not all courses listed are offered every semester, some courses have prerequisites, and courses are subject to change.
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.
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 Spring 2025 17 weeks | Start Date * | End Date * | Fees & Housing $19,950 |
*Dates for this program are provided as tentative dates. Please consult with your study abroad advisor to confirm dates before purchasing your flights.
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 = $15,206**
Housing = $4,250***
Insurance = $194
Total Fees = $19,950Estimated 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 = $510†
International Airfare = $1,550††
Local Transportation = $700
Books & Supplies = $100
Visa Fees = $240†††
Personal expenses = $240††††
Other = $500†††††
Total Costs = $3,840Optional Housing
CIEE accommodation options are detailed in the Housing section. Based on availability, Select or Select Plus Housing can be chosen during the application process for an additional fee. Housing is assigned on a first-come, first-served basis; however, other factors may also be considered.
Select Plus Housing Fee = $1,500
Financial 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 fee
**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.
††round-trip based on U.S. East Coast departure
†††Visa application in the US+non-citizen ID card
††††$100 emergency fund + cell phone expense + toiletries
†††††Yellow Fever Vaccination - All travelers must present a vaccination card upon entry to Ghana. Costs and insurance coverage may vary. CIEE recommends booking an appointment for the vaccine well in advance.
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.
You might also like
- Full-Time Internship
Spend your summer expanding your business portfolio, growing your global network, and gaining real-world work experience on an international internship in Legon, Ghana!
- Life by the Sea
- Small City
- Legon, Ghana
- Study Program
Earn credits studying culture and reproductive health in the extraordinary West African city of Legon” to “Earn credits studying Ghana’s rich history in the extraordinary West African city of Legon.
- Life by the Sea
- Small City
- Volunteering
- Legon, Ghana
- Study Program
Spend your winter break studying abroad in one of West Africa's most extraordinary destinations.
- Life by the Sea
- Small City