Nursing has become one of the most advanced medical professions in the world and in Ghana. Nursing specialisation and career progression (professional and academic) is at an all-time high. Every year, tens of thousands of diploma nurses and midwives graduate from the numerous public and private nursing and midwifery training colleges. With the current schedule, the nurses and midwives who pass their licensing exams successfully would usually see out the year in which they wrote their licensure and start their national service in the middle of the following year, all things being equal.
With the increase in the number of straight-degree nurses and midwives churned out from the many public and private universities each year, the obligation for diploma nurses and midwives to do their degree top-up programmes has left the realm of wants; it is a basic need and requirement in the career progression path of any nurse or midwife, whether the ambition is to venture into academia or to become a colossus in the field/ward/professional practice.
The need to start the degree top-up is dire, but many nurses and midwives are bedevilled with the difficulty of choosing the right module/programme that ticks all the boxes. While some prospective applicants are worried about time, others are mindful of the financial implications in terms of fees; some are concerned about how flexible the module is in terms of studying, and even still, some applicants worry over travelling to and from the lecture venues.
Campuzvibe.com takes a comprehensive look at the three main programme modules for the prospective University of Cape Coast post-diploma-to-degree nurse/midwife to help make informed choices on which module best suits their interests and demands. The current modules in situ are the regular, sandwich and weekend (campus-based) models.
1. REGULAR MODULE
Nature of classes: The regular module is the oldest module of all the three modules. It runs on the regular university calendar of two semesters (typically four months or 16 weeks). Save for some peculiar reason which causes applicants to be admitted into level 200, all applicants are usually admitted into level 300 and run the main university module with the straight SHS students (generics) who were admitted into level 100. Classes are typically on weekdays (with a few exceptions on holidays and weekends) depending on the lecture’s demands. The classes usually start in the morning and end late afternoons or early evenings depending on the day’s schedule and whether the programmes are the courses are 2 credits or 3 credits. Typically, 3 credits would last up to 3 hours and 2 credits would last for 2 hours
Post-diploma students may be required to take/audit some specific courses with level 200 students to make up for the required credits and ensure that they do not miss salient courses which have been done by their generic level 300Â (straight SHS) counterparts when the latter were in level 200
Semesters: The regular programme runs for 4 semesters in alignment with the university’s academic timetable. There is a short inter-semester vacation between the 1st and 2nd semesters and a longer vacation break after the second semester of each academic year (because that vacation ushers in a new academic year which begins the 4th year and the 3rd semester for the post-diplomates and the 7th semester for the generics (straight undergraduates)
Fees: Fees are paid twice throughout the entire programme, yearly for each of the two academic years. The fees are usually quite moderate unless the applicant has been admitted into a fee-paying status for a peculiar reason. The applicants who would be admitted into the 2026/2027 academic year can apply for the government’s “No-Fees-Stress” initiative, which waives academic-related fees for first-year (Level 100) students in public tertiary institutions. Managed by the Student Loan Trust Fund (SLTF), eligible students can get their fees fully covered or refunded if they have already paid them. Initially, refunds were paid directly to beneficiaries. However, the Ministry of Education adjusted this structure, and funds are now typically credited to the student’s institutional portal to offset their second-year tuition.
2. SANDWICH MODULE
Eponymous with its name, the Sandwich module is a compression of the regular academic calendar of two academic semesters into three semesters over a period of two years. The Sandwich programme has been loosely described as best suited for students who can learn under immense pressure. After the entire programme of 3 semesters, the sandwich student would have done almost the same number of credits as the regular post-diploma undergraduate student. Unlike the regular undergraduate top-up, the classes are very compacted, with a lot of classes and slides in half the length of a regular undergraduate semester. It requires a lot of reading and learning in a relatively short period of time and is well suited for students who can read a large volume of notes or slides in a relatively short time frame.
Nature of classes: The classes usually start early in the morning and end early in the evening over a period of 12 hours with short breaks in between. The starting and ending times for each day depend on the courses being taken that day and whether they are 2-credit or 3-credit courses. Typically, three credits last for up to 3 hours, and 2 credits last for 2 hours. The classes are both in person and online, but mostly online. The examinations are usually university campus-based and could be essays or multiple-choice questions. Sometimes too, there is a 2-week face-to-face period on campus at the beginning of the module, usually for the first semesters/newly admitted students, which includes orientation and matriculation.
Semesters: The sandwich programme/module runs for 3 semesters in 3 calendar years for a period of 8 weeks on average. The semesters usually start towards the end of the second semester vacation (long vacation) of the regular academic year. It covers the period of the long vacation and ends just before the new regular university academic year begins. The 3 semesters are spread over June-July or August-September of three successive calendar years. For example, a student admitted in 2026 would do the programme in either June-July or August-September of 2026, 2027 and 2028 and graduate towards the end of the 2028 calendar year.
Fees: The fees for the sandwich programme are paid per semester; hence, 3 fee payments are made in each of the 3 semesters that the programme runs.
NB: The regular and sandwich programmes are run by the School of Nursing and Midwifery (SoNM) of the University of Cape Coast.
3. WEEKEND-CAMPUS-BASED MODULE
The weekend campus-based module is the youngest of all 3 modules for the prospective post-diploma to degree nurse or midwife. Like the sandwich module, the program is eponymous. The programme runs entirely during the weekends and is a campus-based programme. Here applicants can choose based on proximity from a list of affiliate Nursing/Midwifery Training School campuses where they would take their face-to-face lectures and write their end-of-semester examinations. This module is best suited for candidates doing their national service, full-time employees or candidates who do not work during the weekends.
Nature of classes: The classes are divided into blocks, then the blocks make up a semester. A block is a combination of 2 or more courses that run for a specific period, online and in-person. A block typically has anywhere between 2 and 5, but the 2-course block is the commonest of all the combinations.
Each semester has a specific number of blocks. Let’s create an imaginary block of three courses, pathology, medicine and biostatistics, and call it “Block 1”. The Block (Block 1) is usually introduced on a weekend.
An institutional Zoom link is shared on the official WhatsApp pages for the students to join. The online classes begin around 7 am and usually end around 5 pm or 6 pm. The online lectures range from 2 to 3 hours for a course depending on the credit the course carries (2 credits or 3 credits), with the 3-credit courses being typically longer. The weekend lectures cover Saturdays and Sundays.
After the block is done for 2 weeks online, the students congregate at their chosen, affiliated campus / centre to have the face-to-face session of that particular block, in this example, Block 1. In the face-to-face sessions, students usually meet lecturers for the courses in that block, take a revision of the slides and concepts that were taught online, do presentations and take a quiz. This is usually over a single weekend juxtaposed to the online session that is usually over a fortnight (2 weeks).
After a particular block, another block begins immediately, and the cycle repeats itself again till all the blocks in that particular semester are all exhausted. At the end of the semester, the students again congregate at their campuses of choice and take the semester exams over a period of two weeks. The nature of the exams is multiple-choice questions (online) and essays (pen and paper). After the examinations, the intersemester vacations follow. The vacations usually have clinical rotations which are specific for each vacation period.
Fees: The fees for the weekend-campus-based programme are paid per semester; hence, 4 fee payments are made in each of the 4 semesters/2 years that the programme runs.
NB: The weekend-campus-based programme is run by the Institution Affiliation Office of the University of Cape Coast.
Here is a summary of the three current UCC modules of diploma-to-degree nursing/midwifery:
|Regular| vs |Sandwich| vs |Weekend-Campus Based|
                                                                                              Summary
| PROGRAMME/MODULE | Number of semester/
years |
Nature of classes | Fees (per semester/per year) | Run by | Campus type | Research |
| REGULAR | 4 semesters
(2 years) |
Mostly in-person and sometimes online | Per year
 (2 times) |
School of Nursing and Midwifery
(UCC) |
The university’s main campus | Yes |
| SANDWICH | 3 semesters (2 years) | Mostly online and sometimes in-person | Per semester
(3Â times) |
School of Nursing and Midwifery
(UCC) |
The university’s campus | Yes |
| WEEKEND
(CAMPUS-BASED) |
4 semesters
(2 years) |
Both online and in-person | Per semester
(4 times) |
Institutional Affiliation Office  (IAO) | Affiliated Nursing and/or Midwifery Training College | Yes |
How to apply for UCC admissions, 2026/2027 academic year.
To apply for University of Cape Coast (UCC) 2026/2027 admissions, purchase an e-voucher at the following banks or use their short codes to purchase your e-vouchers:
Ghana Post: *885# on any network
Fidelity Bank: *776*104#
Prudential Bank: *772*40#
Cal Bank: *771*114#
Applicants who successfully purchase the forms online would receive an SMS containing a serial number and a PIN number via the phone number on which the online purchase (transaction) was done.
Then, log on to apply.ucc.edu.gh to begin the application process with the serial number and PIN.
Delays in obtaining PIN and Serial number via the USSD codes or the Ghana Post shortcode:
Applicants experiencing delays in obtaining the PIN and serial number after purchasing via the USSD codes can contact the office of the Management Information Systems on this contact number and e-mail:
0554802602 or via e-mail at:mis@ucc.edu.gh Â
Applicants applying for the regular and sandwich programmes can also contact the following numbers and e-mail for assistance and information:
+233 (0) 3321 32440
+233 (0) 3321 32480-9
nursing. midwifery@ucc.edu.gh
Applicants for the weekend-campus-based programme can also contact the Institutional Affiliation Office (IAO) at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) via email at iao@ucc.edu.gh.
You can also reach the IAO via phone on:
+233 20 525 1125 or +233 55 513 9
FOR CENTRE-BASED WEEKEND PROGRAMME PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS ONLY
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
Q: Is our programme an undergraduate or a postgraduate programme?
A: The Weekend-Campus based , Regular and Sandwich programme are all undergraduate programmes. It is undertaken by individuals who applied with WASSCE (Generics) or prospectives applying with diploma in nursing/midwifery (Post-Dip).
Postgraduate applicants are individuals applying with a degree into a Master’s or PhD programme.
Q : How many batches/cohorts have been rolled out so far?
A: Six cohorts or batches in situ. This year’s batch would be the seventh (7th Cohort)
Q: How often are fees paid?
A: Fees are paid per semester, i.e., twice an academic year, hence 4 times for the entire programme.
Q: What module are the classes? Online or in-person (face-to-face)?
A: Classes are both online and in-person (face-to-face), but the online usually precedes the face-to-face.
Q: What do I get when I buy the e-voucher?
A: A successful purchase of the e-voucher via the bank (in person) or via Ghana Post and selected banks’ USSD codes give you a serial number and a PIN.
If there is a delay after paying via Momo in the online transaction, kindly call the MIS with the phone number on which the transaction was done (MoMo was paid)
The Serial number is a code consisting of of both letters and numbers
The PIN is a code made up of only numbers.
Q: How do I use the Serial number and the Code to apply?
A: When the portal is opened, in all likelihood (August-September), applicants would log on to the UCC application site and enter the serial number and the pin to start the process of application.
Q: What if I am not given a serial number and a pin at the bank?
A: Insist on getting the Serial number and PIN from the bank after making the e-voucher purchase.
Q: How many times can I submit my application with the same e-voucher Serial number and PIN?
A: 3 times. You can submit your application three times with the same serial number and PIN before the Serial number and PIN for a particular e-voucher becomes invalid.
Q: Would we write Care Study and Research as we did in the Nursing Training Colleges?
A: I) No to the Care Study. Why? The Care study was part of the academic exercises you needed to complete in order to be licensed as a Registered General Nurse/Midwife. Once you have passed the licensure and obtained your diploma, you won’t repeat it.
II) Yes to Research. Why? The research work is part of the requirements by the University in the fulfilment of being awarded a degree in nursing or midwifery or any other undergraduate programme that the University runs. You cannot graduate or receive your certificate without doing your research at the University. Though you did Research in the Nursing & Midwifery Training College, you would do research again , towards the end of the programme.
Q: Would we be licensed again after the programme/course?
A: No, you would not. You have been licensed already if you are working or have completed your National Service/ Rotation or were licensed at the beginning of your rotation. You are only licensed in one speciality once.
Q: Can a Midwife apply for Nursing and vice versa?
A: In the current nature of the programme, NO until the IAO, (the Institution that runs the programme) decides otherwise.
Nurses are encouraged to apply for BSc Nursing and midwives for BSc Midwifery.