Facts to the Commonly Asked Questions about Makerere University Mature Age Entry Scheme Application and Examination processes
The “Mature Age Entry Scheme” is an opportunity extended to adult persons who have proven to be eligible for University studies but may lack direct entry requirements. Mature Age Entry Scheme is applicable under the following conditions:
Mature Age Entry Scheme Examination is for admission into programmes tenable at Makerere University only.
For a candidate to qualify for entry to the University he/she must sit and pass the Makerere University Mature Age Entry Examination.
To be eligible for the Examination, the candidate must be at least 25 years old before 1st August of the year in which admission is sought.
A candidate who previously attended a programme of study at Makerere University shall not be re-admitted to the University under this scheme to a programme of study in which he/she previously failed to qualify.
The Mature Age Entry Scheme is open to Ugandans and International applicants who wish to study at Makerere University.
Admission of candidates who have sat and passed the Mature Age Examination shall depend on the admission intake quota and available vacancies per programme, as determined by the Senate from time to time.
An applicant who qualifies for admission under other entry schemes will not be eligible for admission through mature age.
Details of the programmes / course covered under mature age entry scheme shall be availed at the time the advert / call is sent out by Makerere University and will be uploaded on the application portal.
Before one starts the process of Mature Age Entry Scheme application you are expected to first read and understand the call / advert released by the University.
All applicants / candidates are encouraged to have a personal e-mail address to enable smooth communication with them during this exercise / process. In case of any further inquiries and or additional information kindly use see@mak.ac.ug.
The application deadline shall be specified in the advert / call to be sent out by the University.
A prospective applicant shall be expected to create an application account and can only proceed with the rest of the application process after making payments as shall be directed / stated in the advert / call.
Every applicant is allowed to make only one choice when applying through the Mature Age Entry Scheme e.g. MAM, PHA, ASS, EDA, etc.
One can either apply for Government and or Private sponsorship.
Private sponsorship has varied study modes. It could be Day/Afternoon/Evening depending on the programme you are applying to.
Before applying make sure the programme of your interest, is among those covered in the mature age programme or listed in the advertisement.
One will be expected to sit and pass two examinations (Aptitude / Paper 1, and Programme Specific / Paper 2) with 50% in each of the examinations.
The two examinations are sat on the same day as shall be stated in the advert / call.
The Aptitude Examination is done in the morning of the day starting 9:00am – 12:00noon, while the Programme Specific Examination is done in the afternoon starting 2:00pm – 5:00pm.
The Aptitude Examination is compulsory for all applicants / candidates, while the Programme Specific is either in Arts/Humanities, and or Science based (depending on the programme one is applying to; i.e, is the Programme Arts/Humanities based e.g BA, Bachelor of Social Sciences, Bachelor of Laws etc and Science based e.g BSc, Medicine, Civil Engineering, Pharmacy, etc).
In case one fails to attain 50% and above in the Aptitude (paper 1) examination you are deemed to have failed the examinations.
In case one passes the Aptitude Examination with 50% and above then their Programme Specific Examination is also marked. Should one still fail to score 50% and above in paper 2, they are also deemed to have failed the Examination.
Where one passes both examinations, their results along with the rest of the other applicant’s / candidates results are submitted to the Makerere University Admissions Committee by the Pre-Entry and Mature Age Examinations Committee for consideration to determine who is admitted and not admitted.
To determine who is admitted and not admitted will depend on the number of available slots for the given programme / course, and the performance of the individual candidates. Whoever scores a higher score is considered first, in the order of performance to fill available / allocated slots until they are filled up.
Passing of the two examinations does not mean nor imply automatic admission to the programme one applied to, and when results are forwarded for consideration to the admissions board it does not mean nor imply that one has been admitted.
When results are released for either paper 1 (Aptitude Examination) and or the Composite Results (combined Aptitude and Programme Specific), whoever may not be contented with the released results is free to appeal to the Academic Registrar, Makerere University, and request for a remark. In your appeal letter ensure you accompany it with a payment of a determined re-mark fee as shall be stated by the University.
The time given for receiving appeals is two weeks from the date when results were published and this applies to the results of either papers / examinations. However, it should be noted that one cannot request for a remark of paper 1 (Aptitude Examination) after the release of the composite results.
When results are released, it shall be uploaded on the respective application portals used by the candidates, and the Makerere University website for candidates to know how they performed.
Admission lists of Mature Age Government Sponsorship is normally released along with the Government Direct Entry scheme sponsorship.
After the list is released, those who applied for Government sponsorship and missed out on admission are usually given two weeks to apply afresh for Private admission.. At this time, those who sat and passed mature age examinations not more than two years ago, may apply for private sponsorship as may be stated in the private sponsorship advertisement.
It shall be after that call / advert deadline that the Private admission list shall be considered and eventually compiled to show all the successful applicants and those admitted.
It should be noted that when one applies for Government sponsorship their results are only applicable for that year of sitting and in case one does not get admitted on government they cannot use the same results to apply for government sponsorship in the subsequent admission cycle but can do so to apply for Private sponsorship in the subsequent admission cycle.
Those who apply for Private sponsorship cannot use their results to apply for government sponsorship and in case they miss out on being admitted in the year of sitting they can use their results to apply for private admission for an additional two subsequent admission cycles.
Those who use their previous results to seek for admission as stated above (32 & 33) need to know that once the given opportunities are exhausted and they are not admitted, then they have to subject themselves to the entire process again if they are still interested in seeking for admission to the University through the Mature Age Entry Scheme.
Kindly note that since the application process is online, before one submits their filled out application they should ensure to first cross check with the information they avail / provide to ensure that it is correct and a true record of what they are asked to submit. Once they confirm it is a true record then they click on the submit button.
After one clicks on the submit button there will be no opportunity or chance given / granted to make any changes to their submitted application.
It shall be after clicking on the submit button that a candidate will be able to print copies of their application form, invitation letter to sit the examinations, and copies of past papers as shall be determined for you.
Once admitted, a candidate will be able to print his/her Provisional Admission letter from the application portal he/she used when applying. This applies to both Government/Private sponsored students. Those who may be unable to print their provisional admission letter, may be assisted from the Admissions Offices of the Academic Registrar.
Thank you
Source: Mature Age Office – Makerere University
