A Ghanaian professor has developed a technology platform designed to take the uncertainty out of university admissions by helping students determine their chances of gaining admission to various universities.
The platform, dubbed Admissions Checker, is to enable students to ascertain their chances of admission in almost every university in Ghana before they spend money purchasing application forms.
Prof. Kobby Mensah, a Marketing Professor and Tech Enthusiast, disclosed the innovation during The High Street Journal’s The High Street Talks on career coaching for BECE and WASSCE students and parents.
From Parents’ Admission Questions to a Digital Solution
Prof. Mensah said the idea was born around 2013 when he was frequently approached by parents seeking advice on whether their children’s examination results qualified them for particular university programmes.
With universities generally requiring applicants to submit forms before determining whether they qualify, he said parents and students were often left guessing.
He decided to solve the problem by developing an admission-checking platform that uses university cut-off points to assess a student’s results and estimate their likelihood of gaining admission.
From Guesswork to a 90% Admission Probability
The platform allows students to input their examination results, after which its algorithms compare the results with cut-off points from more than 100 universities in Ghana. Rather than simply telling an applicant whether they qualify, the system provides an estimated probability of success.
A student interested in pharmacy, for example, could receive an assessment indicating a 90%, 60%, or other likelihood of admission, while also suggesting universities where the applicant has a stronger chance of securing a place.
The approach could help students make more informed choices instead of purchasing multiple application forms based largely on assumptions.
More Than Just an Admission Checker
Prof. Kobby Mensah said the platform has since expanded beyond university admissions, with a scholarship engine that matches users with scholarship opportunities published online globally based on their profiles.
He disclosed that the system has already helped some users secure admission opportunities abroad.
The current admission checker focuses on SHS-to-university admissions, while development is underway to extend the service to JHS-to-SHS placement.
From Admission to Research and NGO Funding
The professor said his broader ambition is to build a suite of technology solutions that connect people with opportunities based on their profiles and needs.
A funding engine for researchers and NGOs is currently being developed to identify and link users with relevant funding opportunities.
Interestingly, Prof. Mensah said he does not have a traditional coding background. His experience, he explained, demonstrates that developing technology solutions is not necessarily about being a programmer, but about identifying problems and designing systems capable of solving them.
For Ghanaian students and parents navigating an increasingly competitive education landscape, the admission platform offers a practical proposition: instead of asking, “Can my child get admission?” they can increasingly ask, “Where does my child have the best chance of getting in?”
