BY SSENKAYI MARVIN EZRA
Makerere University has admitted close to 20,000 Ugandan and international students.
The private admission list, released on JUNE 1, 2025, includes programmes at Makerere main campus, Makerere University Business School (MUBS), and affiliated institutions such as Nsamizi Training Institute and Jinja Campus.
According to Makerere University deputy academic registrar in charge of undergraduate admissions, Charles Ssentongo, the university offers 70 programmes under private sponsorship, ranging from humanities to sciences.
The most competitive courses were Bachelor of Laws, Medicine and Surgery, and Civil Engineering. As in previous academic years, admission under the private sponsorship scheme has been highly competitive, with a cutoff point for most sought-after courses exceeding 45 points.
This year, the highest cut-off points were for courses such as Bachelor of Science in accounting, procurement and supply chain management (52.5), quantity surveying (50.8) and sports management (49.4).
Ssentongo said students admitted on private sponsorship can begin downloading their provisional admission letters from the university website starting on Monday.
731 students admitted under the district quota scheme
Makerere also released the admission lists for the District Quota admission scheme. A total of 731 students have been admitted under the district quota scheme for the 2025/2026 academic year.
The district quota scheme, introduced in 2005, is designed to promote regional equity by offering access to university education in public universities for students who sat UACE in the previous year from districts considered to be underprivileged. Scholarship slots are allocated to each district, enabling students to compete for government sponsorship outside the general merit-based admission system.
This year, Wakiso and Kampala districts secured the highest number of admissions with 20 and 16 students respectively, while Ntoroko, Otuke and Kalaki districts registered the lowest admissions with only five each.
Charles Ssentogo explained that the variation in admission is due to population disparities. Admission under the district quota system is determined by the district’s population. That is why more populous areas such as Wakiso and Kampala have more slots. He also further noted that the admissions remained provisional pending verification of the applicant’s authenticity and place of origin.
In addition to the private sponsorship and district quota lists, Makerere has also released lists for other special entry categories: 64 students under the Persons with Disability (PWDs) Scheme.125 students were admitted to the Bachelor of Laws program, 35 of whom are on government sponsorship.
Government Sponsorship
This announcement follows the earlier release of students admitted under the national merit government sponsorship scheme where at least 1842 students qualified to study at Makerere University and MUBS.
The government sponsorship allocation, administered by the Ministry of Education, covers tuition and functional fees for selected students. It also includes a living stipend and accommodation allowance.
This year, the Public Universities Joint Admissions Board (PUJAB) adopted a new online system that removed the requirement for LC1 letters, thus improving transparency and efficiency.