At least 1,891 students have failed the 2025 Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) examinations, results indicate.
Last year, a total of 166,402 candidates sat for the UACE examinations, marking the third and final series of national assessments in the academic calendar.
The 2025 candidature represented a 14.6% increase compared to the 141,996 candidates who sat the exams in 2024. Of the total number, 42,328 candidates (25%) were government-sponsored under the Universal Post-O-Level Education and Training (UPOLET) programme, while 124,074 candidates (75%) were privately sponsored.
Despite the failure rate, 68,906 students attained three principal passes; 44,385 earned two principal passes; 31,838 obtained one principal pass; 18,152 received one subsidiary pass; while 1,891 failed. The failure rate represents a 15.9% increase compared to 1,632 in 2024.
According to the results, 590 girls failed compared to 1,301 boys, indicating that female candidates outperformed their male counterparts. Pass percentages at higher levels (three and two principal passes) are higher among females, while lower-level passes and failure rates are higher among male candidates.
“A high percentage of 98.9% of candidates qualify for the UACE certificate. Under current regulations, a candidate requires a subsidiary-level pass in a principal subject to qualify,” Daniel Odong said.
University admissions to degree programmes have, so far, required a minimum of two principal passes. If this requirement is maintained, 113,291 candidates will qualify for university admission, compared to 92,273 in 2024.
An additional 21,018 university places will be needed to accommodate the increased number of qualified students. In cases where one principal and two subsidiary passes are considered for admission to other tertiary institutions, such as TVET institutions offering diploma programmes, 145,129 candidates (87.9%) will qualify.
