Makerere University has introduced a new Digital Student Tracking Framework designed to monitor students’ academic progress and improve completion and graduation rates.
The framework was unveiled on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, as the university announced a series of measures aimed at strengthening academic administration and supporting students through their studies.
Speaking to the media at the University’s Main Building, Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe said the digital system would enable Makerere to move from simply identifying concerns about students’ graduation completion to taking concrete institutional action.
The system will provide a university-wide mechanism for monitoring students’ academic progress and key milestones, particularly for postgraduate students pursuing Master’s and PhD programmes.
Prof. Nawangwe said the framework is part of Makerere’s broader ambition of transforming the institution into a research-led university.
Tracking students from progress to completion
Under the new digital approach, progress and completion milestones for Master’s and PhD students will be monitored through a centralised university-wide system.
The framework is intended to strengthen monitoring and accountability by allowing the university to follow students’ progress rather than waiting until graduation time to identify those who may have fallen behind.
The move is part of Makerere’s wider digital transformation, with the university seeking to digitise academic and research processes.
Deputy Vice Chancellor Dr Sarah Ssali said academic processes and research work at the university have been digitised, reducing reliance on paperwork.
She said the move is also intended to address challenges associated with paper-based systems, including the risk of forgery.
7,000 graduate students admitted
The digital tracking system comes at a time when Makerere is expanding its graduate programmes.
Prof. Nawangwe said the university admitted 7,000 students into graduate programmes for the 2026/2027 academic year.
He said the development reflects the university’s progress towards its research-led university agenda.
The university has also embarked on infrastructure expansion to respond to limitations in available space.
Dr Ssali cited the new graduate building, which is nearing completion, as well as another facility planned to support distance learning.
Supplementary exams reinstated
Alongside the digital tracking framework, Makerere has reinstated supplementary examinations for final-year students.
Prof. Nawangwe said the examinations are intended to support students’ academic progression while maintaining the university’s academic standards.
The university will hold one supplementary examination session each year, at the end of Semester Two and before the beginning of the next academic year.
The measures come as Makerere seeks to strengthen systems for monitoring students’ academic journeys, particularly progression towards completion and graduation.
