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If you are currently pursuing a Master’s degree at Makerere University School of Public Health and your Semester One results were strong, there is a scholarship opportunity you cannot afford to scroll past.
The Centre for Prevention of Trauma, Injury, and Disability (CTRIAD) at Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) has opened applications for its 2025/2026 tuition scholarship — and two candidates will be selected.
The deadline is April 17, 2026 at 11:59 pm.

Which Programmes Qualify?

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The scholarship covers tuition for students enrolled in any of the following Master’s programmes at MakSPH:
Master of Public Health (MPH) Full-Time, Master of Environmental and Occupational Health (MEOH), Master of Biostatistics (MBIO), Master of Health Services Research (MHSR), Master of Public Disaster Management (MDM), Master of Public Health Monitoring and Evaluation (MPH-M&E), and Master of Health Informatics (MHI).

Do You Qualify?

To be eligible, you must meet all of the following conditions. You must be formally registered at Makerere University School of Public Health under one of the programmes listed above. You must have Normal Progress — meaning no retakes — in Semester Two of Year One for the 2025/2026 academic year. You must have a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.0 or above in Semester One of Year One. You must be a Ugandan citizen. And critically, you must have a demonstrated interest in research touching on areas such as drowning prevention, road safety, emergency trauma care, injuries from animal attacks, violence prevention, disability and rehabilitation, and sports injuries. CTRIAD notes that candidates who can link any of these research areas to climate change will have an added advantage.

What You Need To Apply

Putting together your application requires five things. A one-page application letter addressed to the Dean of Makerere University School of Public Health. An up-to-date curriculum vitae. A research concept note of not more than five pages. Two letters of recommendation, with at least one coming from an academic supervisor — both must include functioning email addresses and daytime phone numbers. And a copy of your provisional results for Semester One of Year One, confirming you meet the minimum CGPA requirement.

Important Note For Previous Applicants

If you applied before, your earlier submission will not be considered automatically. CTRIAD has specifically requested that all previous applicants reapply using the new online application form to align with the revised application process. Do not assume your old application is still in the running — reapply.

Why This Matters

Postgraduate education in Uganda is expensive, and financial constraints remain one of the biggest reasons Master’s and PhD students struggle to complete their programmes on time. Scholarships like this one — targeting students already performing well and showing promise in public health research — are rare and genuinely life-changing.

CTRIAD’s focus areas are also increasingly urgent. Road accidents, drowning, sports injuries, disability, and violence-related trauma are public health challenges that Uganda continues to grapple with. The scholars selected through this programme will not just benefit personally — they will be positioned to contribute meaningfully to solving problems that affect millions of Ugandans.
Two slots. One deadline. April 17, 2026.
If you qualify, apply.

Here is the uncomfortable truth about Uganda’s best-ever UACE results: the better everyone performed, the harder it is going to be for you to get into the university course you want.
That is the quiet warning university officials are sending to the 133,291 candidates who scored the minimum two principal passes required for undergraduate admission in the 2025 Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education exams — results released by the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) last Friday.
Yes, you qualified. But so did tens of thousands more people than last year. And the number of university slots has not grown at the same pace.

The Numbers Tell The Story

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Of the 165,172 candidates who sat the 2025 UACE exams, a striking 133,291 — that is 68.6 percent — met the minimum entry requirement of two principal passes for university. That figure represents a 3.1 percent jump from the 92,273 who qualified the previous year.
Breaking it down further, UNEB data shows that 68,906 candidates (41.7 percent) secured three principal passes, up from 54,334 (38.6 percent) in 2024. Another 44,385 candidates (26.9 percent) got two principal passes, compared to 37,935 in 2024. An impressive 98.9 percent of all candidates qualified for the UACE certificate.
UNEB Executive Secretary Daniel Odongo described the performance as consistent with a broader trend of improvement and a significant increase in the number of students who sat the examination this year. He noted that an extra 21,018 university places would need to be made available to absorb the additional qualifying candidates.
For diploma-level programmes at tertiary institutions — where one principal pass and two subsidiaries are considered — the qualifying pool widens even further, with 145,129 candidates (87.9 percent) eligible.

Better Results, Tighter Cut-Off Points

For students eyeing competitive programmes like Law, Medicine, and Engineering, the improved national performance comes with a catch.
Makerere University Academic Registrar Prof Mukadasi Buyinza did not mince words. Cut-off points, he explained, will inevitably rise because more qualified students are competing for the same limited number of slots.
“We look at how many have applied, and we usually have a limit per programme. If the thread cuts you out, you are not admitted,” he said.
He also moved to clear up a concern that had been circulating in the media, clarifying that Makerere is not reducing its admissions intake as had been reported. “We are maintaining the usual figure,” he said — which stands at approximately 14,000 students admitted annually.
What is changing, however, is the postgraduate landscape. Makerere’s current total student population sits at around 35,000, including roughly 5,000 postgraduate students. The university’s strategic plan targets doubling Masters and PhD students to about 10,000 by 2030, with postgraduate enrolment expected to hit at least 30 percent of the total student population.
“Our target is to strengthen research output and churn out more specialists who can drive Uganda’s development,” Prof Buyinza added.

Miss Makerere? There Are Other Options

For the many candidates who will not make Makerere’s cut-off points despite qualifying, officials are pointing to Uganda’s growing network of public universities as a safety net.
With 12 public universities now operating across the country — including Gulu, Mbarara, Busitema, Muni, and Kyambogo — there are more options than ever before for students who miss out on their first-choice institution.
Busitema University’s Public Relations Officer, Ms Peace Karungi, explained the dynamic clearly. “Usually, the cut-off points are determined solely by two factors: the students’ performance that year and the capacity of an institution. If the performance was better, it automatically means the cut-off points will be tight,” she said.
In short — a good year for students nationally is a competitive year for every individual student.

If you are among the 133,291 who qualified for university this year, congratulations — your result is genuinely worth celebrating. But as you prepare to apply, here is what you need to keep in mind:
The cut-off points for competitive programmes at top public universities will almost certainly be higher than last year. Apply strategically. Consider your programme choices carefully. And do not rule out other public universities — they are growing, they are accredited, and they may well offer the same degree that Makerere does.
The results were better. The competition just got stiffer. Plan accordingly.

The Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) has today launched its 39th Technology and Innovation Support Centre (TISC) at St. Joseph’s College Ombaci, marking a significant milestone in promoting innovation and intellectual property (IP) awareness among young people in Uganda.

Founded in the 1940s as a technical school, the institution has evolved into a hub for nurturing practical skills, research, and innovation. Its strong innovation culture is reflected in achievements such as emerging among the top performers in the National Science and Innovation Competitions and developing solutions including an automatic fire detector and renewable energy innovations.

The newly established centre becomes the third secondary school-based TISC in Uganda, following similar initiatives at Comboni College Lira and Dr. Obote College Boroboro. The expansion reflects URSB’s commitment to nurturing innovation at an early stage through its IP in Schools initiative.

The centre was officially opened by the Resident City Commissioner of Arua, Betty Otekat Akello, who commended URSB for extending innovation support services to schools.

“This initiative is timely and transformative. By equipping students with knowledge on innovation and intellectual property, we are preparing a generation that can create solutions, protect their ideas, and contribute meaningfully to national development,” she said.

URSB was represented by the Assistant Commissioner for Patents and Industrial Designs, James Tonny Lubwama, who emphasised the importance of integrating intellectual property into education.

“The establishment of this TISC is a strategic step towards empowering young innovators with access to information, tools, and guidance needed to transform ideas into protected and commercially viable innovations. We are taking intellectual property closer to where innovation begins, our schools,” he noted.

Speaking on behalf of the school, Headmaster Charles Ondoga welcomed the initiative and reaffirmed the school’s commitment to innovation and research.

“St. Joseph’s College Ombaci has a long tradition of nurturing practical skills and innovation. This centre will greatly enhance our students’ ability to research, create, and protect their ideas, positioning them for future success,” he said.

Technology and Innovation Support Centres provide access to high-quality technical information, intellectual property resources, and innovation support services. They play a critical role in helping students, researchers, and innovators develop, protect, and commercialise their ideas.

Through the continued rollout of TISCs across the country, URSB is strengthening Uganda’s innovation ecosystem and contributing to the development of a knowledge-based economy driven by creativity, research, and intellectual property protection. The initiative also complements the Bureau’s IP in Schools program geared towards enhancing young learner’s understanding of intellectual property aspects and creation of ground-breaking innovations.

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