There is emphasis in the educational policy of Ghana for the promotion of Distance Education programmes to widen access to education at all levels and facilitate human resource development. This study examined the level of access and challenges faced by learners in science oriented programmes offered by distance in the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. The study used descriptive statistics for analysing data from 120 learners and 8 facilitators from three science-based programmes. The findings indicated that the top-up initiative programmes by distance increased enrolment and participation of learners in 3 science-oriented programmes in KNUST. We found evidence of high rates of learners' persistence in the three science programmes which were linked to factors such as strong personal determination to succeed in achieving higher academic status, the availability of learning materials for the courses and support from family members (spouse, children, and friends). The study indicates that both learners and facilitators faced challenges that ranged from lack of time as a result of work activities to delays in receiving course materials among students and short contact hours with learners to low remuneration for facilitators.