Choosing between Cambridge and UNEB in 2026
Parents keep asking the same question. Here's the honest answer, university outcomes, cost, and the part nobody mentions.
Kihumuro, Mbarara, Mbarara
Founded
1989
Enrolment
4,500
Teaching staff
380
Class size
~40
About
Established in 1989, Mbarara University of Science and Technology is Uganda's leading science-and-health-focused public university, renowned for its community-based medical education model and strong faculties of medicine, science, applied sciences and computing.
A message
“MUST was founded to take science and health training to the heart of the community. Our graduates are trained where the need is greatest, and it shows in their service.”
Performance
Medical training 2024
Pioneer of community-based education and service (COBES) in East African medical training
Graduate outcomes 2024
High placement of health and science graduates across Ugandan referral hospitals
What this school emphasises
The Praecip verdict
For medicine, health sciences and the applied sciences, MUST is among the strongest options in the country, with a distinctive community-based training philosophy.
It is smaller and more focused than the national giants, which suits students who want a science-intensive environment over breadth of programme.
Praecip ratings
Fees
| Level | Class | Residency | Amount | Cycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tertiary | Science (per year, govt) | day | USh 1,800,000 | / year |
| Tertiary | Medicine (per year, private) | day | USh 5,800,000 | / year |
Term-fee installment plans available.
Government Sponsorship
Merit scholarships on UACE results, weighted toward medicine and the sciences.
Application & registration
Application fee: USh 50,000
Medicine and pharmacy highly competitive (typically 17+ points govt); science programmes from two relevant principal passes.
Admissions open
2025: 9,000 applied · 2,200 offered places
Diary
Admissions close (2026/27)
30 July 2026
In the news
MUST deepens rural-health placements
Expanded community-based clinical rotations extend the university's signature training model.
27 February 2026
News & insights
Parents keep asking the same question. Here's the honest answer, university outcomes, cost, and the part nobody mentions.
A close read of UCE and UACE 2024, what the topline misses, and which schools earned the bragging rights.
Where alumni go
Doctors, scientists and public-health leaders
Serving across Uganda's health system
Campus
curricular
extracurricular
safety
Gallery
On social
Parent reviews
The community placements made me a real doctor before I even graduated. Unmatched preparation.
Be the first to find this useful
Reviews are post-then-flag moderated. Sign in to write a review (coming soon).
Similar schools
Wakiso Town, Wakiso
Established in 1956 to form young men discerning a vocation to ordained Anglican ministry, Bukalasa pairs the Ugandan national curriculum with a daily liturgical, theological and pastoral formation programme. Open to baptised Anglican boys recommended by their parish.
From
USh 1,080k – USh 1,300k
Jinja Town, Jinja
Founded in 1911 atop Mwiri Hill, Busoga College is one of Uganda's oldest secondary schools and the dominant academic and cultural institution of the Busoga sub-region, a feeder of national leaders, judges and clergy for over a century.
From
USh 1,700k – USh 1,950k
Kasangati, Wakiso
Established in 1905 as Uganda's first girls' school, Gayaza has been the country's most consistent producer of women leaders for more than a century. Its motto, Never Give Up, is woven through every dormitory, every hymn, every classroom.
From
USh 1,750k – USh 2,050k