The University of Rwanda has graduated 4,953 students across its colleges, marking a 48 per cent decline from the 9,526 graduates recorded in 2025 following changes to the duration of some academic programmes.
The university held its 12th graduation ceremony on Friday, October 23, 2026, at its Rukara campus in Kayonza District. The ceremony was attended by Education Minister Joseph Nsengimana, who served as the guest of honour, alongside other officials.
The graduates included 1,917 women and 3,036 men. Of the total, 3,480 received bachelor’s degrees, 302 earned advanced diplomas, 1,086 graduated with master’s degrees, and 49 received PhDs.
Dr Raymond Ndikumana, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Rwanda, attributed the decline in the overall number of graduates to a curriculum reform that extended some programmes previously completed in three years to four years.
The reform began in the 2022–2023 academic year and was intended to standardise the duration of university programmes at four years.
Ndikumana said the university expects graduate numbers to rise significantly in 2027, when students enrolled in the revised four-year programmes complete their studies. The number of graduates could reach 12,000.
“Next year, students enrolled in these new four-year programmes will graduate, and their number is expected to exceed what we have traditionally recorded in previous years,” he said.
Despite the overall decline, the number of master’s graduates increased substantially. The university’s report put the figure at 1,086 in 2026, compared with 773 in 2025, representing an increase of about 40 per cent. PhD graduates also rose to 49 from 35 over the same period.
The graduates came from the university’s various academic colleges, including Education, Science and Technology, Arts and Social Sciences, Business and Economics, Medicine and Health Sciences, Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, and Veterinary Medicine.
