The University of Rwanda has registered an increase in the number of students admitted for the next academic year, going beyond the set target of 10,000. Out of the 18,961 applications received for the next intake which begins in September, 11, 788 students have managed to secure places. This was an increase from the last intake, where 9,443 students were admitted out of 18,950 applicants. The Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic Affairs and Research, Prof. Nelson Ijumba, told The New Times yesterday that though they had indicated 10,000 places were available, they increased the number to make an allowance for those who would not secure funding. “We had indicated that we were taking 10,000 applicants but we ended up admitting more because we are not sure how many will get funding to join university. But even if they all secured funding, we have the capacity to take them in without being overwhelmed,” Ijumba said. He also said the move to have students apply for places in the university as opposed to the previous selection by Rwanda Education Board was another factor that could have contributed to the increase in admissions. Previously, it was Reb that determined the number of students admitted. The online application began earlier this year in March and closed at the end of April. There was an extension of two weeks to allow applicants who had submitted incorrect information, to complete their applications correctly which saw 2,818 more students get places in the institution. Out of the total admissions, female students make up 30.3 per cent (3,571), a number which the Deputy Vice Chancellor said was due to the small number of female applicants. “It is not deliberate to have less female admissions, we are yet to find out why girls are not coming forward and what’s even more worrying is that in the private institutions, the proportion of female applicants is higher than 50 per cent. We are trying to have discussions with the Centre of Gender Studies to establish the cause,” Ijumba said. The College of Business and Economics took the lion’s share in the admissions with 42 per cent, followed by the College of Science and Technology, which took up 16 per cent. Registration for the new students will begin on August 25, and run up to September 15.
