The University of Rwanda (UR) has announced a significant delay for its first-year students, pushing the official start of their academic calendar to November.
The university’s main academic year commenced earlier, in September, but the delay is intended to accommodate a diverse group of incoming students, according to Vice Chancellor Prof. Kayihura Muganga Didas.
“The academic year for continuing students began in early September,” Prof. Didas explained. “However, for the first-year intake, we deliberately extended the starting period.
“This is to effectively bridge the gap between two cohorts: those high school graduates who have spent a full year waiting, and those who completed their final exams more recently, in August. We are consolidating these two groups, which is why we pushed back the start date,” he affirmed.
The Vice Chancellor confirmed that the late start will involve a two-week induction program beginning on October 27th, with lectures formally commencing in November.
Despite the planned intake, Prof. Didas was frank about the university’s ongoing challenge with on-campus accommodation.
“Unfortunately, the university’s available hostel capacity remains limited,” he stated. “We have added new girls’ hostels specifically at the Nyarugenge campus, but other campuses still rely on their previous inventory.”
The Vice Chancellor acknowledged that he the existing facilities are insufficient, prompting the university to warn students and their families to seek out private accommodation in the immediate vicinity and surrounding neighborhoods of the campuses.
“While the facilities are not enough to house everyone, we have made every effort to prioritize the available rooms for first-year students, with a particular focus on providing housing for female students,” Prof. Didas emphasized.
He concluded with measured guarantee: “I cannot guarantee that we will accommodate all of our first years, but I can confirm that the vast majority of students who secure on-campus accommodation will be first-year students.”
UR confirms double intake for 2025/2026 academic year
The University of Rwanda’s plan to delay the first-year intake is directly related to a major “double intake” announced by the institution.
This move, highlighted in a related news report, confirms that UR is preparing to merge two cohorts of secondary school graduates-those from the previous year and the most recent Advanced Level graduates-into a single academic intake.
The University of Rwanda confirmed that the 2025/2026 academic calendar will feature this “double shift,” which has been set in motion following the release of the most recent national examination results.
This consolidation of students means the university, as the largest public higher learning institution in the country, will be welcoming thousands of new faces, creating a “vibrant start” to the academic year despite the logistical challenges like the aforementioned accommodation scarcity.
Aimable Ishimwe / The Kaminuza Star