Top 10 Universities in Uganda

Makerere University Uganda is in a list of world top 800 universities which no Nigerian university feature. Read the list of top 10 Ugandan universities.

There has never been an era where education was never important. Even though the medium wasn’t formalized, through all ages, man has found one way or the other to educate himself and those around him. Oftentimes, those without this essential ingredient of living are usually disadvantaged in their interactions with their fellow human beings and environment.

One mustn’t seat in a four-walled classroom before education acquisition is achieved. Former US president Abraham Lincoln trained himself to become a lawyer even without being to a university. And he went on to become the number one citizen of that country. Even Bill Gates, former number one richest man of the world, dropped out of university. But these examples are in the minority. Furthermore, these individuals still acquired education in one form or the other.

From the foregone, it is clear that for one to have a clear future which has no hiccups and landmines, he or she have to achieve a certain degree of education, either informally or formally. Most people acquire education formally by going through the primary, secondary and tertiary education systems.

“Uganda,” according to Google, “is a landlocked country in East Africa whose diverse landscape encompasses the snow-capped Rwenzori Mountains and immense Lake Victoria. Its abundant wildlife includes endangered gorillas and chimpanzees as well as rare birds. Remote Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a famous mountain gorilla sanctuary, while Murchison Falls National Park in the northwest is known for its 43m-tall waterfall and wildlife such as hippos.”

And BuzzKenya stated that the Ugandan system of education comprises 7 years for primary education, 6 years for secondary education and 3 to 5 years of post-secondary education.

In the top 800 world ranking of universities by TopUniversities.com, the top three universities in Africa are University of Cape Town (141 globally, South Africa), University of the Witwatersrand (318, South Africa) and The American University in Cairo (360, Egypt). The first from Uganda is Makerere University (13th in Africa, 701+ globally).

Others are Stellenbosch University (4th, South Africa), University of Pretoria (5th, South Africa), University of Kwazulu-Natal (6th, South Africa), Cairo University (7th, Egypt), Rhodes University (8th, South Africa), University of Johannesburg (9th, South Africa) and Ain Shams University (10th, Egypt). University of Ghana is the only one from Ghana (15th in Africa, 701+ globally), while no Nigerian university was featured on the list.

The methodologies TopUniversities.com used in ranking the universities include academic reputation, employer reputation, students-to-faculty ratios, international faculty ratios, international students’ ratios and faculties’ citations.

Here, Memorila.com presents the list of the Top 10 universities of Uganda based on Google search.

10. Gulu University (Gulu)

Gulu University (GU), is a university in Uganda. It is one of the eight public universities and degree-awarding institutions in the country.

Gulu University was legally established by a Statutory Instrument No. 31 of 2003. Initially, the University was named Gulu University of Agriculture and Environmental Science and was to specialise in agricultural mechanisation. However, it was later proposed that the University should widen its scope beyond agricultural mechanisation and produce high level human resource that can effectively participate in solving the social and economic problems of the country. It was then renamed Gulu University.

From 2002 to 2012 the University steadily increased its intake, faculties and programmes due to the demand to satisfy practical needs nationally, regionally and internationally.  As at 2012 the University has five faculties and two institutes which are Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, Faculty of Science, Faculty of Education and Humanities, Faculty of Business and Development Studies, Institute of Peace and Strategic Studies, and Institute of Research, Graduate Studies and Staff Development.

Visit Gulu University here.

9. Uganda Management Institute (Kampala)

Uganda Management Institute (UMI) is another government-owned national center for training, research, and consultancy in the field of management and administration in Uganda. It is one of the nine public universities and degree-awarding institutions in the country outside the military.

Officially opened on 7th October 1969 as the Institute Public Administration (IPA), the Institute was mandated to conduct intensive in-service training to quickly develop management capacity in the public service. Whereas IPA opened from inception as a department of the Ministry of Public Service, this changed with the enactment of the Uganda Management Institute Statue of 1992, under which it acquired its present name and changed its status to a semi-autonomous body corporate under the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act 2001.

The Institute is structured into four specialized but complementary schools and three regional study centres namely: School of Civil Service, Public Administration and Governance; School of Business and Management; School for Distance Learning and Information Technology and School of Management Sciences. The regional centres are based in Mbarara, Gulu and Mbale.

Visit Uganda Management Institute here.

8. Uganda Technology and management University (Kampala)

Uganda Technology and Management University (UTAMU) is privately-owned. The university was founded in 2012, by Venansius Baryamureeba PhD, its founding and current Vice Chancellor. He recruited other lecturers and professors, both locally and internationally, and UTAMU admitted its inaugural class in May 2013, starting with five undergraduate degree courses in business and information technology.

The university is accredited by the Uganda Nation Council for Higher Education (UNCHE), the government body that licenses institutions of higher learning in the country.

Visit UTAMU here.

7. Uganda Martyrs University (Nkozi)

Uganda Martyrs University (UMU) is another private university, affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church in Uganda. It is licensed by the Uganda National Council for Higher Education (UNCHE).

The university was established in October 1993 with 84 students and two academic departments: the Institute of Ethics & Development Studies and the Faculty of Business Administration & Management. Today, the university consists of seven faculties, one institute, four centers, five departments and two schools.

As of January 2015, total student enrollment is in excess of 5,000. Of these, about 1,500 students are residential, while nearly 3,000 students are enrolled in UMU’s distance learning programs. The number of staff members is over 400.

Visit UMU here!

6. Mbarara University of Science and Technology (Mbarara)

Mbarara University of Science & Technology (MUST), commonly known as Mbarara University, is a public university in Uganda. Mbarara University commenced student intake and instruction in 1989. It is one of the eight public universities and degree-awarding institutions in the country. MUST is accredited by the Uganda National Council for Higher Education.

The university has two campuses, the Mbarara and Kihumuro campuses. The Mbarara Campus is in the town of Mbarara, on the Mbarara-Kabale Highway, approximately 266 kilometres (165 mi) southwest of Kampala, Uganda’s capital and largest city. While the Kihumuro Campus is in the suburb of Kihumuro, approximately 7 kilometres (4.3 mi), by road, west of Mbarara’s central business district along the Mbarara-Bushenyi Road.

As of January 2016, MUST has three Faculties and three Institutes. These are Faculty of Medicine; Faculty of Science; Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology; Institute of Computer Science; Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation and Institute of Interdisciplinary Training and Research

Visit MUST here!

5. Nkumba University (Entebbe)

Nkumba University (NU) is a private university in Entebbe, Uganda. It was established in 1994 as part of a group of schools and colleges which originally grew from a kindergarten set up in 1951. The University is dedicated to the promotion of excellence in applied business education.

According to Wikipedia, the university builds its “students on the 4Cs: Creativity, Confidence, Competence and Character. The university is not affiliated with any particular religious organization, but it accommodates several religious associations, which allow the students to fellowship along religious beliefs and to devote adequate time to God.”

The academic affairs of Nkumba University are organized under six constituent schools of the university. These are School of Business Administration; School of Education, Humanities and Sciences; School of Social Sciences; School of Law and Institute of Criminal Justice; School of Industrial, Commercial Art and Design; School of Sciences.

Visit Nkumba University here!

4. Kampala International University (Kampala)

KIU is a private university in Uganda which has built a name in Uganda’s education sector with remarkable resilience. The university is chartered by the government of Uganda as a recognition and acknowledgement of its ability and competence to offer relevant education and is a member of pre-eminent bodies such as the Commonwealth Universities, Association of African Universities and the Inter-University Council of East Africa.

KIU has its main campus at Kansanga, a location in Makindye Division in the southeastern part of Kampala, Uganda’s capital and largest city. KIU’s second campus is located in Ishaka in Bushenyi District, approximately 360 kilometres (220 mi), by road, southwest of Kampala. KIU maintains a third campus, the KIU Dar es Salaam Constituent College, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

KIU’s main campus has four constituent colleges and two schools: College of Education, Open and Distance Learning; College of Computing and Information Technology; College of Higher Degrees and Research; College of Professional and Extramural Studies; School of Law and School of Economics and Management

Visit KIU here!

3. Uganda Christian University (Mukono Town)

Uganda Christian University was founded when the historic Bishop Tucker Theological College was promoted as a university in 1997. Bishop Tucker Theological College trained clergy and educators during its 84-year history from 1913-1997. The local chief, Hamu Mukasa, granted land for the college to operate in Mukono.

International partnerships were part of the College’s missionary history. The Church Mission Society teamed with Ugandan leaders and others to assure the College had the necessary intellectual and other capital.

The university is divided into the following schools, faculties and departments. These faculties are Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology; Faculty of Social Sciences; Faculty of Business and Administration; Faculty of Education and Arts; Faculty of Law; Faculty of Science and Technology; Faculty of Health sciences; School of Research & Post Graduate Studies

Visit Uganda Christian University here!

2. Kyambogo University (Kampala)

Kyambogo University (KYU), is a public university in Uganda. It is one of the eight public universities and degree-awarding institutions in the country.

Kyambogo University (KYU) is Uganda’s third public university established by the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act 2001 and the Universities and Other Tertiary institutions (Establishment of Kyambogo University) instruments of 2003. It is a merger of the former Uganda Polytechnic Kyambogo (UPK), the Institute of Teacher Education, Kyambogo (ITEK), and the Uganda National Institute of Special Education (UNISE).

As of January 2012, Kyambogo University has six faculties and one school which are Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; Faculty of Education; Faculty of Engineering; Faculty of Science; Faculty of Special Needs & Rehabilitation; Faculty of Vocational Studies and School of Management & Entrepreneurship.

Visit Kyambogo University here!

1. Makerere University (Kampala)

Makerere University Kampala (MUK) is Uganda’s largest and third-oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922 and is now part of Uganda Christian University. In 1963, it became the University of East Africa, offering courses leading to general degrees from the University of London.

It became an independent national university in 1970 when the University of East Africa was split into three independent universities: University of Nairobi (Kenya), University of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), and Makerere University. Today, Makerere University is composed of nine colleges and one school offering programmes for about 36,000 undergraduates and 4,000 postgraduates.

These units are College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences; College of Business and Management Sciences; College of Computing & Information Sciences; College of Education and External Studies; College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology; College of Health Sciences; College of Humanities and Social Sciences; College of Natural Sciences; College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal resources and BioSecurity; and School of Law.

Visit Makerere University here!