Kampala, Uganda: The Uganda National Examinations Board has officially released the 2025 Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) results, showing an overall improvement in performance and a rise in the number of candidates qualifying for university admission.
The results were officially released on Thursday by Education Minister, First Lady Hon Janet K. Museveni at State House, highlighting positive trends in several subjects and a significant increase in the number of candidates sitting the examinations.
A total of 166,400 candidates registered for the 2025 examinations, representing a 17.2 percent increase from 141,996 candidates in 2024. Of those registered, 165,172 candidates sat the examinations, including 72,374 females (43.8%) and 92,798 males (56.2%).
The examinations were conducted between 10 November and 5 December 2025 under the theme “Embracing security and holistic assessment of learners in a dynamic environment.”
According to UNEB, 98.9 percent of candidates qualified for the UACE certificate, while the number meeting the minimum requirement of two principal passes for university admission rose to 113,291 candidates (68.6%), compared to 92,273 candidates (65.5%) in 2024.
This improvement means that an additional 21,018 university places may be required to absorb the increased number of qualified candidates.
Candidates seeking admission to other tertiary institutions such as diploma programmes in TVET institutions also increased, with 145,129 candidates (87.9%) qualifying under the one principal and two subsidiary passes requirement.
UNEB Executive Director Dan Odongo said performance improved in several subjects, particularly in the sciences. “The performance of candidates has shown notable improvements in Mathematics, Chemistry, Agriculture, Geography, and Economics. Other subjects with improvements include Biology and Literature in English,” Odongo said.
However, UNEB reported declines in Entrepreneurship Education, Christian Religious Education, Fine Art and Physics.
Odongo also warned that science performance continues to be affected by limited practical exposure in many schools.
“In the Sciences, performance continues to be affected by inadequate practical exposure. Candidates often misinterpret experimental procedures, struggle to analyze data graphically, and make errors in writing correct chemical equations,” he explained.
He added that many candidates struggle to apply classroom knowledge to real-life situations, a challenge observed across several subjects.
Female candidates outperform males in several subjects
According to UNEB Board Chairperson Celestino Obua, female candidates performed proportionally better in many subjects.
“Female candidates have continued to perform commendably better than their male counterparts, maintaining stronger performance grades in several Humanities subjects and demonstrating lower overall failure proportions,” Obua said.
However, he noted that male candidates scored more A passes in Mathematics and Sciences, while female entries in science subjects remain lower.
UNEB reported an increase in candidates from Special Needs Education (SNE) backgrounds. A total of 540 SNE candidates (274 males and 266 females) registered for the 2025 UACE examinations, up from 437 candidates in 2024.
These candidates included learners who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, dyslexic, or those requiring additional time and support during examinations.
The Board also reported that examination malpractice remained relatively low. Odongo revealed that 351 candidates from 47 examination centres were implicated in malpractice cases, representing 0.2 percent of the total candidature.
“Cases of malpractice at this level have remained low. In accordance with Section 5(2)(b) of the UNEB Act, the results of candidates involved will be withheld pending completion of investigations,” he said.
How to access results
Candidates can check their results via SMS by typing UACE followed by the full index number and sending it to 6600 on MTN or Airtel networks. Schools can also download detailed results through their examination centre portals.
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