UCE 2025: 99.69% of Candidates Qualify for Certificate in Marked Improvement Over 2024

Minister of Education and Sports, Hon. Janet Kataaha Museveni

By Our staff Reporter
Kampala, Uganda – February 13, 2026 –The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has released the results of the 2025 Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations, revealing a significant improvement in candidate performance compared to the previous year. The results were officially unveiled on February 13, 2026, at State House, Nakasero, by the Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Kataaha Museveni.This marks the second cohort of students assessed under the new lower secondary Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), which integrates 20% continuous assessment (CA) from schools and 80% from the end-of-cycle examinations. A total of 432,163 candidates registered for the exams, conducted between October 13 and November 7, 2025 an increase of about 21% from the 2024 pioneer cohort.

Impressive Qualification Rates
According to UNEB Executive Director Dan Odongo, 99.69% of the candidates who sat the examinations 428,628 out of approximately 429,949 qualified for the UCE certificate, classified as Result 1. This represents a marked rise from 2024, when 98.1% (350,146 candidates) achieved the same outcome.

The percentage of candidates who did not qualify for the certificate dropped dramatically from 1.9% in 2024 to just 0.31% in 2025. Those who did not fully qualify received Result 2 (e.g., due to missing project scores, incomplete subjects, or lack of CA scores) or Result 3 (scoring below the basic level, Grade E, in all subjects).

UNEB highlighted that achievement levels across subjects showed overall improvement, reflecting the effectiveness of the competency-based approach in fostering holistic learner evaluation.

Key Comparisons from Table 2 (General Performance)
Result 1 (Qualified for Certificate): 428,628 candidates (99.69%) in 2025 vs. 350,146 (98.1%) in 2024.
Non-qualifying cases (Results 2 and 3 combined): Around 1,321 candidates (0.31%) in 2025 vs. 6,974 (1.9%) in 2024.
Absent candidates: 2,214 (0.5%) in 2025, slightly down from 2,297 (0.6%) in 2024.

These outcomes will appear on candidates’ transcripts and certificates accordingly, with Result 1 indicating full qualification.
The strong performance has been attributed to enhanced implementation of the new curriculum, better preparation, and increased focus on practical competencies. Education stakeholders have welcomed the results as a positive indicator of progress in Uganda’s secondary education system.

Candidates can now access their results through official UNEB channels, and schools are advised to handle any outstanding issues promptly. Congratulations to all the 2025 UCE candidates on their achievements!