The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has released the timetable for the 2025 national exams, covering the Primary Leaving Examination (PLE), Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE), and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE). According to the schedule, UCE exams will begin on October 13, followed by PLE on November 3, and UACE on November 10. Before the exams, students will attend mandatory briefings starting October 10 for UCE, October 31 for PLE, and November 7 for UACE.
This year, a record 1,416,468 students are registered for the national exams, a 7.5% increase compared to 2024’s 1,308,998 candidates. Of these, 51.5% are girls and 48.5% are boys, UNEB Executive Director Dan Odongo said.
At the PLE level, candidature rose modestly from 797,444 last year to 818,010 this year, a 2.5% increase. UCE saw a bigger jump of 12.1%, with 432,025 students registered compared to 379,699 in 2024. UACE recorded the highest growth, climbing 14.7% from 141,996 candidates in 2024 to 166,433 this year.
Special Needs Education (SNE) learners also saw a slight rise, from 4,587 in 2024 to 4,802 this year. Among them, 3,619 will sit for PLE, 670 for UCE, and 513 for UACE.
Funding for the candidates is almost evenly split. Over half, 719,016 students, are government-sponsored under the Universal Education Programs, while 697,452 are privately funded. The increase in candidate numbers highlights Uganda’s continued efforts to expand access to education for all children and young adults.
