KIGALI - Public universities will admit 6,237 students in the next academic year, the Rwanda National Examination Council (RNEC) has announced as it released cut-off points for admission.

During last year’s examination, 49,133 students sat for A-level exams.

Accordingly, sciences have the lower cut-off points set at 19 out of 55. On the other hand, arts based courses are set at 55 out of 55. The lower cut-off for sciences is meant to encourage more students to pursue science based courses.

The National University of Rwanda (NUR) will admit the majority of the students -1,798.

The university currently has a student population of 11, 000. The university’s rector Prof. Silas Lwakabamba said that the university takes the biggest number of students because it has many faculties.

"NUR is different from the other institutes like KIE, KIST, ISAE and others that have particular specialisation,” he explained.

NUR is followed by Kigali Institute of Education (KIE) with a total of 1,073. KIE is set to take over the management of all teacher training colleges and Colleges of Education in the country.

The Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) will admit 754.

The Institute specialises in technology. ISAE Busogo which offers agricultural based courses will admit 501 students. Umutarara Polytechnic University will open the door to 459 students while 291 will join Gikondo based School of Finance and Banking (SFB).

Rukara College of Education and Kavumu College of Education will, respectively, allow in 394 and 376 students. Others will join nursing and midwifery schools around the country.

This year’s listing came a month late; RNEC Executive Secretary attributed the delay to budgetary constraints in public universities.

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