University of Rwanda (UR) is set to welcome 14,152 first-year students for the 2025/26 academic year after merging the 2024 and 2025 student intakes. ALSO READ: More students seek admission to University of Rwanda Didas Kayihura Muganga, UR’s Vice Chancellor, announced on October 13 that 6,867 students were selected from those who completed secondary school in 2024, and 7,285 students from those who completed secondary school in 2025. ALSO READ: University of Rwanda to merge 2024 and 2025 student intakes Previously, secondary school graduates had to wait a whole year before being admitted to the University of Rwanda. “We merged the two intakes so that secondary school graduates no longer wait the whole year to be admitted to UR. The number of those admitted is almost the same as in the previous intake, which admitted around 7,000 new students. The number of those from 2025 is higher than those from 2024,” said Kayihura. The minimum cut-off mark to be admitted to UR was 50 out of 73 for those completed in 2024 and before. Applicants must have scored between 50 percent and 75 percent in the 2025 Advanced Level National Examinations, depending on the programme they wish to pursue. ALSO READ: University of Rwanda planning to accommodate 60% of students However, those with higher grades, especially science and technical graduates, are prioritised depending on the available capacity to receive new students across 88 programmes, he explained. Admission is based on published criteria, including performance in specific subjects, overall results, alignment with priority national programmes (especially STEM), and programme availability. Those admitted have to register and also apply for a study loan. The student loan application for students who completed secondary school in the year 2025 started from October 11, 2025 to October 17, 2025. ALSO READ: University of Rwanda to hold 10th graduation in October “A two-week induction will start on October 27. The classes will kick off on November 10,” he said. Muganga explained that university hostels are still not enough to accommodate all students, despite efforts to increase the number. “That is why we chose to accommodate first-year students, with girls prioritised. While there are new hostels at the Nyarugenge campus, the other campuses will use the ones they already have.We will keep improving annually,” he said. Over 900 additional rooms were built at the Nyarugenge campus to meet students' housing needs. “A number of lecturers have been recruited. We do not have a recruitment season. We recruit based on demand. This time, we even started recruitment before the academic year started. We continue to recruit even after the academic year starts,” he explained. ALSO READ: University of Rwanda reforms: Why new college of veterinary medicine will be set up He added that there has been a slight increase in laboratories. “We can’t say students are 100 percent comfortable or that all the needed facilities are available on campus. But we are continuously improving,” he noted. Raymond Ndikumana, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Strategic Planning and Administration at the University of Rwanda, added: “As for hostels, they are not enough, and we have never been able to accommodate all students, since only 20% are housed across the University. What we planned this year is to reserve the few available spaces for new students, and we are working with local authorities and the private sector to secure additional accommodation.” In 2024, UR officials said they were planning to increase its hostel capacity to accommodate up to 60 per cent of undergraduate students. The institution currently accommodates about 23 per cent of undergraduate students. The university has about 31,000 students in seven colleges. It offers 87 undergraduate and 138 postgraduate programmes.
