A total of 527,932 candidates have been successfully placed into Senior High Schools (SHSs), Senior High Technical Schools (SHTSs), and Technical and Vocational Institutions under the 2026 Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).
The Ministry of Education said the placement results were released at 10:00 p.m. on September 4, 2026, following the completion of the 2026 BECE results processing and placement exercise.
According to the Ministry, 623,072 candidates sat for this year’s BECE, representing an increase of 19,744 candidates compared with the 603,328 who sat the examination last year.
Of the 604,567 candidates who qualified for placement, 527,932 have so far been placed. This represents about 87.3 per cent of qualified candidates.
The placed candidates comprise 276,521 females and 251,411 males.
The Deputy Minister for Education explained that the large number of candidates who were not automatically placed was mainly due to the high demand for Category A schools.
A total of 313,283 candidates selected Category A schools as their first choice, compared with 176,614 for Category B and 123,577 for Category C schools.
However, only 76,417 vacancies were declared in Category A schools, while Category B had 250,366 vacancies and Category C had 468,652.
The Ministry therefore said the challenge was not a shortage of vacancies but a “mismatch between where vacancies exist and where candidates most strongly prefer to be placed.”
Self-placement opened
The Ministry has opened the self-placement portal for candidates who could not be matched with their preferred choices, as well as those who obtained a grade 9 in English Language and/or Mathematics.
A total of 57,259 candidates fall into this category. They include 35,382 candidates who obtained a grade 9 in either English or Mathematics and 18,505 who obtained grade 9 in both subjects.
The Ministry encouraged affected candidates to consider schools and programmes with available vacancies rather than focusing only on highly subscribed schools.
However, 3,372 candidates whose examination results are unavailable will not be placed at this stage. They will instead be given an opportunity to resit the examination and subsequently continue along the appropriate educational pathway.
85 private schools join Free SHS
Government has also expanded placement options through the participation of 85 private Senior High Schools in the Free SHS programme for the 2026/2027 academic year.
The Ministry said the initiative would help expand access to secondary education, make use of available infrastructure and reduce pressure on highly subscribed public schools.
Placement remains free
The Ministry has reiterated that CSSPS placement is completely free and warned parents and candidates against paying individuals who claim they can secure or change placements.
“There is no legitimate protocol placement that requires the payment of money,” the Ministry stated.
It urged anyone demanding money in exchange for securing, changing or influencing a placement to report the matter to the Ghana Police Service or the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
Parents and candidates have also been advised to keep their placement credentials secure and not share them with unauthorised persons.
Placement resolution centres
Regional and national placement resolution centres have been established to assist candidates and parents facing genuine placement difficulties.
Candidates and parents are encouraged to first seek assistance from GES or Ghana TVET Service offices at the regional level.
The GNAT Hall in Accra has been designated as the National Placement Resolution Centre for cases requiring national-level intervention.
The Ministry also said the CSSPS has been upgraded with an admission portal, allowing parents and guardians to enrol students and download admission forms without travelling to schools.
It has warned heads of schools against admitting students outside the CSSPS and said sanctions would be imposed on schools that violate the directive.
2026 CSSPS assistance lines:
055 037 7388
059 952 5926
059 844 5898
059 797 4847
055 855 5431
By: Prince Martey-Sogar