Although 60,000 to 70,000 students in Uganda leave secondary school each year qualified to go on to higher education, only some 35 per cent of them (at most 25,000) are able to find places at the limited number of institutions. The majority of students go to universities, both public and private. Makerere University in Kampala has about 95 percent of the total student population in Uganda's universities. The remainder are distributed among the more than 20 private universities and a smaller number of non-university institutions. Recognised universities in Uganda include:
Government universities
Busitema University
Gulu University
Kabale University
Kyambogo University
Makerere University www.mak.ac.ug
Mbarara University of Science & Technology
Muni University
Soroti University
Lira university
Religious-affiliated universities
African Bible University
All Saints University
Ankole Western University
Bishop Stuart University
Bugema University
Busoga University
Islamic University in Uganda
Kumi University
LivingStone International University
Ndejje Christian University
Uganda Christian University
Uganda Martyrs University
Uganda Pentecostal University
Kabalega College Masindi
Private secular universities
African Rural University
Busoga University
Cavendish University Uganda
International Health Sciences University
International University of East Africa
Kabale University
Kayiwa University
Kampala University
Kampala International University
Mountains of the Moon University
Muteesa I Royal University
Nkumba University
Royal Open University
St. Augustine International University
St. Lawrence University
Uganda Technology and Management University
Victoria University
Vocational and technical education
Vocational and Technical Education is a necessary aspect of the education system in Uganda. The UN has led efforts to support this form of education through the UNESCO subdivision International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). According to a UN report, "Uganda's TVET mission is defined as being to ensure that individuals and enterprises acquire the skills they need to raise productivity and income." These TVET programs range in both complexity and scope. Some provide for craftsmen or technician level training that replaces standard modes of secondary education, while some TVET programs provide graduate engineering level education to students seeking education at the tertiary or post secondary level.
Literacy programs
Early literacy movements were characterized by Western aid and leadership and have since given way to a more local decentralized approach to adult and youth literacy in Uganda. This transition is due in part to the realization of leaders in the West and in Uganda that literacy, and literacy in English particularly, is not a silver bullet for solving Uganda's economic issues. Much of the literacy work is conducted by NGOs acting on a local level in conjunction with local or village governments. There is a great demand for these programs, and their rates of return, satisfaction, and literacy retention for graduates have been high. However, these programs face great challenges including lack of funding, social reluctance, and a general lack of appreciation for literacy and literature.