Varsity cut-off likely to drop
May 30, 2009
CUT OFF points for private students in public universities may go down slightly in the next academic year, particularly for science courses. The list is expected to be released next month.
BY CONAN BUSINGE
CUT OFF points for private students in public universities may go down slightly in the next academic year, particularly for science courses. The list is expected to be released next month.
The basic argument for the slight reduction of the cut-off points is the general poor performance in last year’s A’level national examinations.
Although the percentage of students with two principal passes went up, more students scored poorly in the other subjects.
According to Uganda National Examinations Board, out of the 89,921 candidates who sat A’level exams last year, 57,510 or 65% got two principal passes, up from 63.7%, the previous year.
However, for many, their accumulative totals do not enable them meet the bar for most courses in public universities to be admitted as private students.
In addition, the majority of those who passed were for arts courses (humanities). This means that fewer science students will compete for entry into public universities.
There are about 27 universities, of which only five are public universities. But the majority prefer to join public universities because of their higher standing.
Saturday Vision brings you all the courses Makerere offered to private students last year and their cut-off points.
Last year, to be admitted on a Bachelor of Pharmacy on private sponsorship, one had to have a cumulative score of 38.3 points.
The cut-off points for law last year was 51. This may slightly change this year. A candidate may just need two As and one B to be eligible.
For medicine, surgery, and dental surgery, candidates must have scored at least three Bs to be relatively sure that they will be admitted. One would have a better chance if they had a good mark in the fourth subject.
The cut-off point for community psychology last year was 25.3 and civil engineering was 41.5.
Under the criteria used by the Public Universities Joint Admissions Board, an A carries six points, a B five, a C four, a D three, an E two and an O one.
The grades in the best two subjects, also referred to as “essentialsâ€, are multiplied by three. The third subject is multiplied by two and the other by half. Passing the general paper carries one mark.
Going by this, a student who scored four As in physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics, with a distinction in the general paper, gets 52 points. He can apply for medicine because his subjects belong to the list of “essentials†required to study medicine.
In addition to the 52 points, the candidates are also awarded marks for their performance at Ordinary Level. A distinction in any of the subjects carries 0.3, a credit carries 0.2, while a pass carries 0.1.
The highest a boy can get is 55.6, while the highest a girl can get is 57.1 as she is awarded a bonus of 1.5 under the affirmative action programme.
Officials at Makerere say the cut-offs are still being discussed since there are 12 new courses that will start in the next academic year.
To cater for the new courses, Makerere University will increase the total number of students admitted on private sponsorship. An additional 5,000 students will be admitted this year, amounting to 17,220 privately sponsored students.
Eight of the 12 new courses were approved by the Senate (the chief academic decision making organ of the university) but will be conducted at Makerere University Business School (MUBS) in Nakawa.
The new bachelor courses at MUBS include science in accounting, travel and tourism management, real estate and business management, transport and logistics management, science in marketing and arts in economics.
Some of them had been started by MUBS in 2006 but have only now been approved by Makerere.
Other bachelor courses that will be introduced next academic year are science in computer engineering, which will be conducted at the faculty of technology. In addition, the faculty of computing and information technology has introduced a bachelors’ degree of science in software engineering, and a bachelor in information systems.
For the last three years, the university has been admitting between 11,000 and 12,000 students following a university council directive to decongest the 85-year-old institution. The new lot will present one of the highest numbers of private students ever admitted at Makerere University, many of whom will be absorbed by MUBS.
Private universities have already started admitting students.
CUT OFF points for private students in public universities may go down slightly in the next academic year, particularly for science courses. The list is expected to be released next month.
The basic argument for the slight reduction of the cut-off points is the general poor performance in last year’s A’level national examinations.
Although the percentage of students with two principal passes went up, more students scored poorly in the other subjects.
According to Uganda National Examinations Board, out of the 89,921 candidates who sat A’level exams last year, 57,510 or 65% got two principal passes, up from 63.7%, the previous year.
However, for many, their accumulative totals do not enable them meet the bar for most courses in public universities to be admitted as private students.
In addition, the majority of those who passed were for arts courses (humanities). This means that fewer science students will compete for entry into public universities.
There are about 27 universities, of which only five are public universities. But the majority prefer to join public universities because of their higher standing.
Saturday Vision brings you all the courses Makerere offered to private students last year and their cut-off points.
Last year, to be admitted on a Bachelor of Pharmacy on private sponsorship, one had to have a cumulative score of 38.3 points.
The cut-off points for law last year was 51. This may slightly change this year. A candidate may just need two As and one B to be eligible.
For medicine, surgery, and dental surgery, candidates must have scored at least three Bs to be relatively sure that they will be admitted. One would have a better chance if they had a good mark in the fourth subject.
The cut-off point for community psychology last year was 25.3 and civil engineering was 41.5.
Under the criteria used by the Public Universities Joint Admissions Board, an A carries six points, a B five, a C four, a D three, an E two and an O one.
The grades in the best two subjects, also referred to as “essentialsâ€, are multiplied by three. The third subject is multiplied by two and the other by half. Passing the general paper carries one mark.
Going by this, a student who scored four As in physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics, with a distinction in the general paper, gets 52 points. He can apply for medicine because his subjects belong to the list of “essentials†required to study medicine.
In addition to the 52 points, the candidates are also awarded marks for their performance at Ordinary Level. A distinction in any of the subjects carries 0.3, a credit carries 0.2, while a pass carries 0.1.
The highest a boy can get is 55.6, while the highest a girl can get is 57.1 as she is awarded a bonus of 1.5 under the affirmative action programme.
Officials at Makerere say the cut-offs are still being discussed since there are 12 new courses that will start in the next academic year.
To cater for the new courses, Makerere University will increase the total number of students admitted on private sponsorship. An additional 5,000 students will be admitted this year, amounting to 17,220 privately sponsored students.
Eight of the 12 new courses were approved by the Senate (the chief academic decision making organ of the university) but will be conducted at Makerere University Business School (MUBS) in Nakawa.
The new bachelor courses at MUBS include science in accounting, travel and tourism management, real estate and business management, transport and logistics management, science in marketing and arts in economics.
Some of them had been started by MUBS in 2006 but have only now been approved by Makerere.
Other bachelor courses that will be introduced next academic year are science in computer engineering, which will be conducted at the faculty of technology. In addition, the faculty of computing and information technology has introduced a bachelors’ degree of science in software engineering, and a bachelor in information systems.
For the last three years, the university has been admitting between 11,000 and 12,000 students following a university council directive to decongest the 85-year-old institution. The new lot will present one of the highest numbers of private students ever admitted at Makerere University, many of whom will be absorbed by MUBS.
Private universities have already started admitting students.