Legon comes from two indigenous Ga words: “ni-le” which is translated “knowledge” and “gon” which is translated as “hill”; thus Legon is the rendering of “nile- gon” - “hill of knowledge”; aptly describing the 121 metre altitude of the Legon Campus.

Located 13 kilometers northeast of Accra, Legon Campus is recognised as the nerve-centre of Ghana’s premier academic resource. It houses the central administration and the five traditional Halls of the University - Legon, Volta, Commonwealth, Akuafo and Mensah Sarbah. Many of the academic, residence and support service facilities which were commissioned in the 1960s and 1970s have undergone renovation and expansion. Recent projects include VALCO Trust Hostel (1997) Jubilee Hall (1998), International Students Hostels (1999) and Hilla Limann, Alexander Adum Kwapong, Jean Nelson Aka (2010) and Elizabeth Frances B. Sey Halls (2012).