The University of Cape Coast admitted only 3000 out of more than 10,000 candidates who applied for admission into the for the 2001/2002 academic year.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Rev. Professor Emmanuel Adow Obeng who disclosed this on Saturday attributed this to lack of residential, academic and other facilities.

Rev. Professor Obeng told the matriculation ceremony for the 3000 fresh students admitted to pursue various courses at the university that the number of female students was increased from 20 to 31 per cent this year, a move towards the planned policy of admitting 50 per cent each of male and female students.

He said only 10 per cent of students admitted were offered residential accommodation in the six halls of residence on the campus. He pleaded with landlords at surrounding villages, in whose houses the students are seeking shelter to charge reasonable rents.

Rev. Professor Obeng appealed to Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) to speed up work on its Hostel projects, which have stalled considerably and express his sincere gratitude to the VALCO Trust Fund for ensuring that work on the Post-graduate Hostel progresses on schedule.

He renewed his appeal to financial institutions; churches and private estate developers to invest in the provision of students' accommodation on the various university campuses as such investment would be a significant contribution to university education in the country.

The university currently has no large lecture theatre that can adequately accommodate the large class sizes, which characterise courses offered by some departments.

"In view of our limited lecture Theatre and laboratory space as well as the inadequacy of equipment, we have over the past several years been able to admit around 35 per cent of qualified applicants" he said.

A large lecture theatre, with a seating capacity of 1,500 which was programmed to be constructed as part of the measures to deal with the backlog of students created by the closure of the university in 1995 is no where near completion.

Rev. Professor Obeng therefore, appealed to the government to release funds for the expansion of academic and other facilities on the campus.