Aspiring lawyers in Ghana can now breathe a huge sigh of relief.
The stressful entrance examinations that once stood as a major barrier to professional legal training have been scrapped under the country’s new legal education reforms.
Majority Chief Whip, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, made this clear while speaking in an interview on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Monday, May 11, 2026.
He explained that the changes are already in force and will apply to all accredited law schools across the country.
Majority Chief Whip explains delay in scrapping law school entrance exams
“The entrance exams, as we know, no longer exist effective immediately,” he said.
According to the South Dayi MP, even if the Ghana School of Law wants to continue with entrance examinations after receiving accreditation, it would still need approval from the new Council for Legal Education and Training.
He stressed that admission standards and processes will now be standardised across all accredited institutions to guarantee fairness.
“One school cannot do another thing from the other,” he stated, adding that institutions seeking accreditation must first undergo verification, authentication, and inspection before beginning admissions.
These developments come after President John Dramani Mahama signed the Legal Education Reform Bill, 2025, into law on Monday, May 11, 2026.
The new law brings an end to the 66-year monopoly that the Ghana School of Law held over professional legal education in the country.
For decades, thousands of LLB graduates faced intense competition for very limited spots, with the dreaded entrance exam often determining who could proceed with their dream of becoming a lawyer. Many qualified students were left frustrated and stuck each year.
The reforms now open the door for accredited universities to offer professional legal education programmes. Campaigners and stakeholders have long pushed for this change, arguing that the old system created unnecessary and unfair barriers to entering the legal profession.
Signing the bill into law on Monday, May 11, 2026, the President said the legislation was designed to do two things at once: maintain quality and expand access.
www.ghanaweb.com
Law School entrance exams abolished under new reforms – Dafeamekpor
