NAKASERO STATE HOUSE: 13 February 2026– The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has officially released the results for the 2025 Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations results marking a significant milestone as the second cohort of students to be assessed under the New Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
According to the official statement issued on February 13, 2026, there has been a remarkable surge in performance and a sharp decline in failure rates across the country.
The 2025 UCE saw a massive 20.2% increase in candidature, with 432,163 students registering compared to 359,417 in 2024.
Gender Balance: Female candidates led the pack, making up 52.7% (227,871) of the total registration.
Attendance: Absenteeism hit a record low, with 99.5% of registered candidates showing up for the exams.
Performance Highlights: A Record-Breaking Pass Rate:
The most striking takeaway from the 2025 results is the “significant drop” in candidates failing to qualify for a certificate.
Qualification Rate: A staggering 99.69% (428,628 students) qualified for the UCE certificate (Result 1).
Reduced Failures: Only 0.31% of candidates failed to qualify, a massive improvement from the 1.9% recorded in 2024.
Subject Performance & Gender Trends:
Performance improved in major subjects, with English Language, Geography, and Christian Religious Education seeing higher “Exceptional” (Grade A) achievement levels than the previous year.
Science Surge: There was an “encouraging” boost in Sciences, where the percentage of students failing to reach a basic (D) level dropped significantly.
Gender Strengths: Girls outperformed boys in English and Christian Religious Education. However, boys maintained a slight edge in History, Geography, Mathematics, and Sciences at the “Exceptional” and “Outstanding” levels.
Inclusivity: Prisons and Special Needs:
The 2025 exams highlighted Uganda’s commitment to inclusive education:
Prison Inmates: All 51 candidates who sat from Luzira Upper Prison and Mbarara Main Prison qualified for their UCE certificates.
Special Needs: 98.2% of the 708 registered SNE candidates—including blind, deaf, and dyslexic learners—successfully qualified.
The Malpractice Report:
Malpractice remains very low at the UCE level, with only 63 cases reported. Most cases involved teachers allegedly providing experimental results for students to copy during Science practicals.
How to Check Your Results:
Schools can now download results from the UNEB portal. For parents and students, results can be accessed instantly via SMS:
Go to Messages.
Type UCE [space] Index Number (e.g., UCE U0001/001).
Send to 6600 (Available on MTN and Airtel).
Note to Heads of Centres: You have 21 working days from today to submit any queries regarding name spellings or birth dates via the portal.
