Students at Rwanda Coding Academy (RCA) have welcomed the construction of a dedicated Rwanda Coding Academy University, saying it will address long-standing gaps in higher education for advanced technology learners.
The new university is being built at the existing Rwanda Coding Academy campus in Mukamira, Nyabihu District, and is expected to enable students to pursue internationally competitive advanced training in software engineering and digital technologies.
Rwanda Coding Academy, established by the Government of Rwanda in 2019, offers specialised secondary-level education in advanced computing, software development and emerging technologies.
The institution was created to nurture high-potential Rwandan youth and strengthen the quality of education through technology.
However, RCA students have long raised concerns that the advanced level of training they receive over three years places them ahead of most local universities, forcing many who do not study abroad to repeat coursework at undergraduate level in Rwanda.
Some students told Mama Urwagasabo TV that the courses offered at conventional universities often duplicate content they already mastered at RCA, limiting their academic progression.
“The courses we study here are very advanced. When you finish and join local universities, you find yourself repeating material you covered years ago,” one student said.
Students say the new university will allow them to progress seamlessly without academic regression.
“Once our university is completed, it will build on our existing curriculum instead of repeating it. We will focus on higher-level knowledge,” another student said, adding that the institution will offer advanced degrees aligned with global standards.
Rwanda Coding Academy Director Dr Papias Niyigena confirmed that the application to accredit the institution as a university has already been submitted to the Higher Education Council (HEC).
“The proposal is still under review by the relevant authorities. Our goal is to admit as many qualified students as possible,” he said.
Construction of the Rwanda Coding Academy University is 75 percent complete, with the project costing over Rwf 6 billion. Once completed, the university is expected to strengthen Rwanda’s talent pipeline in the digital economy and reduce reliance on foreign institutions for advanced technology training.
