Study in Uganda: Admission, Cost, Visa and Scholarships (2027)

Uganda's public universities teach in English. At Makerere University, established in 1922, international students are admitted through the private sponsorship scheme and pay a separate tuition rate from Ugandans and East Africans. In 2026/2027, international students pay UGX 3,406,760 a semester for Medicine and Surgery, Dental Surgery and Nursing Science, UGX 2,714,762 for Civil Engineering and UGX 2,874,454 for Computer Science, plus functional fees of UGX 1,516,253 in the first semester and UGX 132,250 in the second. International undergraduate applicants pay a USD 75 application fee and graduate applicants UGX 151,500. Makerere's 2026/2027 undergraduate applications closed on 28 May 2026 and graduate applications on 30 April 2026, and the university says undergraduate applications usually open in mid-May. Applicants from countries where English is not the language of instruction must show evidence of English proficiency, and Makerere's School of Languages offers tests on request. Ugandans and East Africans pay a lower rate, such as UGX 2,044,056 a semester for Medicine and Surgery and UGX 1,916,303 for Computer Science, so East African students also avoid the student pass fee.

The Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control issues a student pass to foreigners above the age of four who are enrolled in a learning institution. The pass can be granted for three, six or twelve months. Applicants provide a valid student identity card, a copy of the passport bio-data page with at least six months of validity, a recent passport photograph, a support letter and an admission letter from the school, proof of payment of fees and their current immigration status, such as a visa or previous pass; students under 18 also provide the immigration status and identity documents of a parent or guardian. The fee is USD 100, paid at the point of application, and it is a standard fee for any period granted. East African nationals are exempted from the fee. The Directorate's page does not publish a processing time, a funds requirement, rules on working while studying or options to stay after graduation.