UCE 2025: Record-Breaking Performance as 99.7% of Candidates Qualify for UCE Certificates

The Uganda National Examinations Board (Uganda National Examinations Board) has released the 2025 Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE 2025) examination results.

According to Dan Odongo, Executive Director of UNEB, a total of 432,163 candidates registered for the 2025 Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE 2025) examinations, marking a 20.2% increase from the 359,417 candidates who sat for the 2024 exams.

The examinations were conducted across 3,975 centres nationwide, with 429,949 candidates (99.5%) attending, while 2,214 candidates (0.5%) were absent. This continues a positive trend of declining absenteeism, reflecting improved participation and retention.

Of the total candidates, there were 204,292 (47.3%) males and 227,871 (52.7%) females, while 154,642 (35.8%) were Universal Secondary Education (USE) beneficiaries compared to 277,521 (64.2%) non-USE candidates.

A total of 708 Special Needs Education (SNE) candidates registered for the exams, down from 743 in 2024. Of these, 342 were male, and 366 were female, with a categorical breakdown consisting of 27 blind, 116 low vision, 60 deaf, 90 dyslexic, and 72 physically handicapped candidates, alongside 343 others with various disabilities, including sickle cell anaemia, epilepsy, and accident-related conditions.

Attendance among SNE candidates was nearly perfect, with only 4 absentees (0.6%). The Board provided extensive support, including Braille and enlarged-print question papers, sign language interpreters, additional time, and specialised personnel for dyslexic and physically handicapped candidates.

Improved Performance Under Competency-Based Curriculum

Under the Competency-Based Curriculum, candidate performance is reported using achievement levels A–E, combining 20% Continuous Assessment (CA) and 80% end-of-cycle examination scores.

The 2025 results show significant improvement compared to 2024: 428,628 candidates (99.69%) qualified for the UCE certificate (Result 1), 1,191 candidates (0.28%) did not meet all award conditions (Result 2), and 130 candidates (0.03%) scored below the basic level in all subjects (Result 3).

By contrast, 2024 saw 98.1% of candidates qualifying for the certificate, with 1.9% failing.

“The percentage of candidates who did not qualify for the UCE certificate has dropped significantly, from 1.9% in 2024 to just 0.31% in 2025. This demonstrates both improved candidate performance and the effectiveness of the support arrangements we have put in place,” said Odongo.

The UCE 2025 results were officially released at State House Nakasero, on Friday, February 13, 2026,  and candidates can access their transcripts and certificates reflecting these outcomes.