The University of Rwanda (UR) is set to increase its hostel capacity to accommodate up to 60% of its undergraduate students. Currently, the university houses about 23% of undergraduates, according to spokesperson Ignatius Kabagambe.
With more than 30,000 students enrolled across six colleges, UR offers 87 undergraduate and 138 postgraduate programs. Despite the expansion plans, Kabagambe noted that most students rely on rented housing in the communities surrounding its nine campuses, indicating no current accommodation crisis.
“The university has plans to gradually expand its hostel facilities, starting next year. The goal is to ensure that within five years, 60% of students at each campus will have access to on-campus housing,” Kabagambe said.
This year, for example, 900 additional rooms will be constructed at the Nyarugenge campus to address students’ housing needs.
Hostel rooms are allocated at the beginning of each academic year, with priority given to students with disabilities, first-year students—especially female students—and further allocations for other female students in subsequent years.
Only registered students who apply for accommodation are eligible for room allocation. Each campus has a committee dedicated to ensuring fairness and transparency in the distribution of hostel rooms.
The University of Rwanda was established in 2013 through the merger of the former National University of Rwanda and six other public higher education institutions. The UR will celebrate its 10th graduation ceremony on October 25, with 8,000 graduates expected. Since 2014, over 72,000 students have graduated from the university.
