In a landmark move aimed at addressing the growing mismatch between education and employment, the Ugandan Government will, effective July 1, take over admissions to all higher institutions of learning—both public and private.
This shift marks the end of over three decades of institutional autonomy in student admissions.
For the past 33 years, universities and tertiary institutions in Uganda have independently developed their own courses and admitted students based on internal capacities and priorities.
However, concerns over persistent skills gaps and rising graduate unemployment have pushed the Government to centralise and standardise the admissions process.
The sweeping reform is outlined in the upcoming National Development Plan IV (NDP IV), which will guide national strategy for the next five years beginning July 2025.
Under this plan, a National Central Admission System will be created to manage all university and tertiary-level admissions.
It will align higher education intake with the country’s critical skills needs as defined in the development plan.
“The Government will establish and implement a national central admission system for higher education,” the NDP IV states, “and link higher education admissions and financing to the critical skill needs identified in the plan.”
This move means all students—whether enrolling in public or private institutions—will now go through a unified admission process overseen by the Government.
Entry requirements will be harmonised across institutions. For example, admission criteria for competitive courses like law and medicine will be uniform, regardless of whether the university is government-owned or private.
Officials say this new system aims to ensure that institutions run relevant, demand-driven academic programmes that reflect national priorities.
It is also expected to streamline student placement, curb admission fraud, reduce resource wastage, and close loopholes exploited under the current decentralised system.
A senior Ministry of Education official revealed that while the plan is still awaiting final guidance from First Lady and Education Minister Janet Museveni, groundwork is already underway.
Currently, the Public Universities Joint Admissions Board (PUJAB) oversees admissions for government-sponsored students in public universities, while private institutions and non-sponsored students are handled independently by each university.
Under the new arrangement, the Government will take full responsibility for all admissions, regardless of sponsorship.
The reform comes amid growing alarm over the disconnect between graduates and job market needs. Uganda churns out around 400,000 graduates annually, but only about 15% of labour market entrants are considered in demand.
The rest face slim job prospects due to unmarketable qualifications, according to government data.
The Education Ministry has also struggled to track enrolment across the country’s 54 universities and 1,439 tertiary institutions—most of which are privately owned.
Reports suggest some institutions admit students beyond capacity or without clear oversight.
The Government says the unified admissions platform will also help eliminate multiple admissions, where students secure spots at several institutions but fail to enroll, thereby wasting opportunities and government funds.
A report revealed that 8,000 students admitted under the government merit scheme since 2012 never turned up, costing the state billions in wasted sponsorship funds.
Stakeholders in the higher education sector have had mixed reactions to the proposal.
Prof. Celestino Obua, former Vice Chancellor of Mbarara University of Science and Technology, described the system as “a good innovation” that could solve issues such as double admissions and unfilled slots.
However, he emphasized the need for a clear implementation strategy.
Prof. Eriabu Lugujjo, Executive Director of the Uganda Vice-Chancellors’ Forum, expressed caution. He warned that unless government revises high entry requirements—especially for competitive programmes—the system could disadvantage many students who currently access private institutions through more flexible criteria.
Despite such concerns, the Government maintains that centralised admissions are critical for realising Uganda Vision 2040 and achieving a tenfold economic growth over the next 15 years.
If successfully implemented, Uganda will join countries like Tanzania, Hungary, Thailand, and Slovakia, which already use centralised admissions to manage student enrolment in higher education.
