The University of Rwanda will release its undergraduate admissions list for the 2025–2026 academic year on August 22.
The University leadership highlights that it admits students who have performed better than others in national examinations.
Each year, the application process at the University of Rwanda begins shortly after the release of Advanced Level National Examination results. The University issues a public call for applications, inviting students to apply for up to three programs of their choice.
The Registrar of the University of Rwanda, Dr. Odette Uwizeye, underlines that before the application starts, the University of Rwanda issues a call for applications.
“When students are applying to study at the University of Rwanda, after getting marks for students who completed high school, we announce a call for applications to the programs of the University of Rwanda. We then review the list of those who applied and their marks, and enroll them in our programs,” said Dr. Odette Uwizeye.
Admission Process
Admission is merit-based, with minimum entry requirements tailored to each academic discipline.
“Among the criteria for selection to study at the University of Rwanda, there is a minimum entry requirement.
For instance, a student who wants to do engineering at the University of Rwanda should have scored an aggregate of 50 and studied courses like Mathematics and Physics. This criterion applies to every program you apply for,” Dr. Uwizeye explained.
Students are required to select three program options, allowing the university to match preferences with available capacity.
“On admission, we follow the list of applicants who requested to study at the University of Rwanda, and we set the marks according to the marks we get from NESA. We see the programs they requested, and we review students’ grades and select those with top scores, balancing that with the number of students we want to enroll in our programs,” said Dr. Uwizeye.
Once selection is complete, the university publishes the list of admitted students and opens a one-week window for appeals.
“After we release the list of students who are admitted to study at the University of Rwanda, when a student sees that they have an aggregate which was considered but were not selected, we request them to submit the missing documents so we can consider them, as we set aside a week to address student complaints,” Dr. Uwizeye said.
This year, the University of Rwanda received 16,149 applications, out of which 8,000 students will be accepted into first-year undergraduate programs.
“This year, we received 16,149 applications, and among them, we will admit 8,000 students into year one,” confirmed Dr. Uwizeye.
Despite the transparent process, some applicants who are not selected often express frustration. Addressing these concerns, Vice Chancellor Prof. Kayihura Muganga Didas, during the Waramutse Rwanda talk show at RBA in the past two years, emphasized the importance of aligning admissions with institutional capacity.
“According to our capacity, we should admit between 5,000 and 6,000 students every year. However, these numbers sometimes increase to 8,000 depending on demand,” Prof. Didas said.
Dr. Uwizeye echoed the Vice Chancellor’s remarks, stressing that quality education must remain a priority.
“The number of students admitted by the University of Rwanda should align with available resources to ensure quality education,” she emphasised.
Vice Chancellor Prof. Kayihura Muganga Didas emphasised that through the University of Rwanda, the government remains committed to supporting UR by providing essential resources—including classrooms and qualified staff—to help the institution accommodate a growing number of students.
The University of Rwanda will officially begin the 2025–2026 academic year in September.
Since its establishment, the institution has graduated 72,408 students, including both undergraduate and postgraduate cohorts.
