Medicine Dominates With Highest Scores Of 54.5 Across The Entire List — Software Engineering, Pharmacy And Dental Surgery Also Among Most Competitive Programmes
Makerere University has officially released its Government National Merit Admission List for the 2026/2027 Academic Year, dated April 24, 2026 and signed by the Office of the Academic Registrar. The list covers dozens of undergraduate programmes across the university’s colleges and Makerere University Business School — and the numbers reveal striking patterns about Uganda’s most competitive academic pathways, who is getting in, and where they are coming from.
Here is what the data shows.
Medicine Is The Most Competitive Programme On The Entire List
The Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) programme admitted 130 students on government merit — by far the largest single cohort on the entire list and simultaneously one of the most score-competitive.
The first 51 female MBChB admits all scored exactly 54.5 — the highest weight on the entire Makerere government merit list. Every single male MBChB admit scored 53.0. The programme drew students from districts across Uganda including Wakiso, Mukono, Masindi, Ngora, Kisoro, Tororo, Amolatar, Ntungamo, Kakumiro, Hoima, Bushenyi, Gulu, Mbale, Butambala, Oyam, Luweero, Butaleja, Kampala, Ibanda, Gomba, Rukungiri, Apac, Kwania, Buikwe, Lwengo, Masaka, Pallisa, Kasese, Kagadi, Lamwo, Agago, Rakai, Kyenjojo, Mpigi, Arua, Mayuge, Soroti, Dokolo, Kiryandongo, and many more.
The gender breakdown in MBChB is particularly striking — 51 female students scored 54.5 while male admits all scored 53.0, with female students outperforming male counterparts at the top of the cohort by a full 1.5 weight points.
Civil Engineering: 46 Admitted In Makerere’s Largest Engineering Cohort
BSc Civil Engineering admitted 46 students — the largest engineering programme cohort on the list. The top 12 female admits scored between 54.5 and 54.0, while male admits generally scored 53.0. The programme drew from an extraordinarily wide geographical base including Mukono, Hoima, Mbarara, Wakiso, Mbale, Masaka, Kabarole, Buikwe, Kyotera, Luweero, Sironko, Rubirizi, Jinja, Kotido, Kampala, Mpigi, Kabarole, Kanungu, Serere, Rukungiri, Kasanda, Nakaseke, Gulu, Ntungamo, and more.
Software Engineering: Five Women Score 54.5 — The Joint Highest On The List
BSc Software Engineering produced one of the most remarkable gender stories on the entire admission list. Five female students — Maria Farhan (Jinja), Nimaro Michelle Oola (Nwoya), Kamya Lucille N. (Kampala), Nalwoga Lynn Christa (Kampala), and Nakitto Mariam Nanfuka (Kampala) — all scored 54.5, tying with the top MBChB admits for the highest weight on the entire government merit list.
The programme admitted 21 students in total, with male admits scoring between 52.7 and 53.0. The presence of five female students at the very top of a STEM programme is one of the most significant data points in the entire list.
Pharmacy: One Of The Tightest Score Ranges
Bachelor of Pharmacy admitted 20 students. The top 10 female admits scored between 54.1 and 54.5, with the two highest scorers — Nanyondo Julian (Masaka) and Nalyongho Esther Desire (Namisindwa) — both at 54.5. Male admits scored between 52.3 and 53.0. The programme’s score range is one of the narrowest on the list, reflecting intense competition for limited slots.
Dental Surgery: Six Female Admits All Score 54.4
Bachelor of Dental Surgery admitted 14 students. All six female admits scored 54.4 — among the highest on the list — while male admits scored 52.9 to 53.0. The programme drew students from Wakiso, Mukono, Ngora, Kabarole, Mityana, Rukungiri, Kapchorwa, Ntungamo, Jinja, Tororo, Kasese, and Mbale.
Business Computing: 46 Admitted In One Of The Largest Non-Medical Cohorts
B. Business Computing admitted 46 students — matching Civil Engineering as one of the largest cohorts outside medicine. Female students dominated the top of the list, with the highest scorer Atukunda Atumanya (Mitooma) scoring 54.1. The programme drew from a remarkably wide range of districts including Mitooma, Kiboga, Wakiso, Kisoro, Kampala, Lwengo, Mityana, Buikwe, Amuru, Serere, Mukono, Kayunga, Iganga, Mbale, Mayuge, Ntungamo, Sembabule, Isingiro, Kitagwenda, Bududa, Lira, Bukedea, Kyenjojo, Gomba, and more.
Commerce: The Highest Volume Programme
The Bachelor of Commerce across two tracks (COE and COM) collectively admitted nearly 70 students — making commerce, taken together, one of the highest-volume admissions on the entire list. The top scorer for commerce was Bakita Rashidah (Amolatar, 54.1). The COM track admitted 49 students spanning virtually every district in Uganda, with scores ranging from 53.9 down to 47.7.
Applied Psychology: Almost Entirely Female
The Bachelor of Applied Psychology cohort of 18 students was 17 female and only 1 male. The top three scorers — Nagawa Vanessa (Kampala), Bwali Seraphine Gabriella (Jinja), and Ariso Isabella Elyanu (Kaberamaido) — all scored 54.2. This programme had one of the highest concentrations of female students of any programme on the list.
Architecture: Female Students Dominate The Top
Bachelor of Architecture admitted 18 students. The top four spots were all taken by female students — Nabisunsa Hajarah (Mukono, 54.4), Namakula Recheal (Wakiso, 54.4), Nansamba Adrine (Kampala, 54.3), and Nsereko Daniella Reidun (Mubende, 54.0).
Electrical Engineering: 37 Students, Female Students Top The List
BSc Electrical Engineering admitted 37 students. The four highest scorers were all female — Nanyonjo Marian Nabbosa (Wakiso, 54.4), Kwagala Victoria (Jinja, 54.4), Atuhaire Jovitah (Hoima, 54.3), and Namyalo Hilda Kakembo (Kampala, 54.3). Male admits mostly scored 52.9 to 53.0.
Procurement And Supply Chain: 30 Admitted, Female-Led
B. Procurement and Supply Chain Management admitted 30 students. The top 17 admits were female, with Ayebare Pretty (Ntungamo, 54.2) topping the list. The programme drew from districts including Ntungamo, Bukomansimbi, Hoima, Kiboga, Wakiso, Mukono, Moyo, Kampala, Jinja, Kabarole, and more.
Programmes With The Widest Score Ranges
Some programmes show dramatically wide admission score ranges — a signal of limited competition relative to available slots. Bachelor of Statistics admitted students with scores as low as 39.9, while BSc Conservation Biology admitted students at 41.8. Bachelor of Actuarial Science had admits scoring as low as 42.9. These programmes represent genuine opportunities for students who meet minimum requirements but may not have the ultra-competitive scores needed for medicine, pharmacy, or engineering.
Veterinary Medicine: 34 Admitted, Female Students Score Higher
Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine admitted 34 students. The top two scorers were female — Abalo Cecilia (Lira, 54.3) and Ocen Amos (Amolatar, 54.1). The programme drew from Lira, Amolatar, Wakiso, Mpigi, Luweero, Nakaseke, Kaberamaido, Masaka, Ntungamo, Kyenjojo, Hoima, Budaka, Lganga, Kagadi, Nakasongola, Soroti, Buikwe, Kwania, Mbale, Kitagwenda, Oyam, Isingiro, Masindi, and Bugiri.
The Wakiso And Kampala Effect
One of the most consistent patterns across the entire admission list is the dominance of Wakiso and Kampala districts. In virtually every programme — from MBChB to Software Engineering to Commerce to Civil Engineering — students from Wakiso and Kampala appear in disproportionately high numbers. This reflects both population concentration and the presence of Uganda’s best-performing secondary schools in the greater Kampala metropolitan area.
However, the list also shows meaningful representation from districts including Rukungiri, Mbarara, Kabarole, Masaka, Lira, Gulu, Jinja, Mbale, Ntungamo, Bushenyi, Ibanda, and many others — suggesting that government merit admission is drawing from across the country, not just the capital.
The Gender Story Across The Entire List
Perhaps the most striking headline from the 2026/2027 Makerere government merit list is the consistent outperformance of female students at the top of nearly every programme. In MBChB, Software Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Pharmacy, Dental Surgery, Architecture, Procurement, Applied Psychology, and more — female students either topped the admission list or were disproportionately represented among the highest scorers.
This is a significant and growing trend in Uganda’s higher education landscape — one that deserves to be tracked, celebrated, and understood in the context of the investments in girls’ education that have been made at secondary school level.
Full admission list below;
