Rwanda is a landlocked country in central Africa. Its capital city is Kigali and it is also known as “The Land of the Thousand Hills”. The climate is hot all year round, as Rwanda lies just 75 miles southwards of the Equator.

A recent report of the World Bank also reveals that the country has the second-best business climate in Africa, while Kigali is one of Africa’s cleanest cities. Last but not least, Rwanda is one of the most digitalized countries in Africa. In the paragraphs that follow, we are going to make a short list of the seven cheapest universities in Rwanda.

Cheapest Universities in Rwanda

1. University of Rwanda

  • Tuition fee for international undergraduate students: $2,150 a year
  • Tuition fee for international graduate students: $3,500 a year

Established in 2013, the University of Rwanda has quickly established itself as the largest and most influential higher education provider in the country. It currently has about 30,500 full-time students and about 29,000 of them are undergraduates.

The University of Rwanda now has fourteen campuses all over the country. This cheap university in Rwanda is also organized into six colleges such as, for example, the College of Agriculture, Animal Sciences and Veterinary Medicine and the College of Science and Technology, to name two. The university charges about USD 100 a year in administrative fees to both graduate and postgraduate students. All fees are payable via bank transfer only.

  2. KIM University

  • Tuition fee for international undergraduate students: $3,000 a year
  • Tuition fee for international graduate students: $4,500 a year

This higher education provider in Rwanda began its existence in 2006 as the Kigali Institute of Management. It has been known under its current name since 2015. The school’s academic profile is very high and its focus is in the fields of economics, finance, and management.

Some of Kim University’s most popular undergraduate programs are Bachelor of Business Management (BBM) and Bachelor of Science in Logistics & Supply Chain Management. Its most popular Master’s program is the Master of Business Administration. It is provided by the university’s School of Postgraduate Studies, which was established in 2016.

 Both graduate and undergraduate applicants are liable to pay a one-time application fee of about $50. Other fees include a Guild Fee, a Registration Fee, and a Health Insurance Premium. Neither of these fees is refundable.

3. Kigali Independent University

  • Tuition fee for international undergraduate students: $1,000 a year
  • Tuition fee for international graduate students: $4,000 a year

Kigali Independent University, also called ULK, is a private higher education provider founded in 1996. This is one of the numerous universities established in Rwanda in the wake of the infamous Rwanda Genocide of 1994 that lasted for 100 days and took the life of 800,000 people.

Currently, most of the cheap universities in Rwanda’s campuses and teaching facilities are located in the city of Gisenyi. The Kigali Independent University currently has seven major schools including a School of Economics and Business Studies, a School of Computer Sciences, and a School of Science and Technology, which is located at the Kigali Campus.

4. University of Kigali

  • Tuition fee for international undergraduate students: $ 2,160 a year
  • Tuition fee for international graduate students: $3,900 a year

The University of Kigali, also known as UoK, is an internationally-recognized university in Rwanda. It was established in 2013 and has since grown to enroll over 6,000 graduate students and more than 1,500 undergraduate students.

 UoK currently has eight different schools providing graduate and postgraduate programs in a variety of academic fields. The two most popular schools of this university are the School of Law and The School of Education.

The university’s main campus is in Kacyiru, about 3 km from the center of Kigali. The University of Kigali also has a campus in Musanze. The most popular graduate program taught at Musanze is the Masters of Science in Information Technology.

5. University of Kibungo

  • Tuition fee for international undergraduate students: $1,500 a year
  • Tuition fee for international graduate students: $2,900 a year

The University of Kibungo or UNIK was established in 2003. The academic focus is on high school teachers’ training and providing Bachelor’s and Master’s programs in the sector of agriculture and farming. The university now has two main campuses – one in Ngoma, and one in Rulindo.

The former has got over 1,200 full-time students and the latter has got about 900. The university’s Faculty of Economics and Business Studies offers both graduate and postgraduate programs in the fields of Business, Finance Management, and Economics.

6. University of Gitwe

  • Tuition fee for international undergraduate students: $1,650 a year
  • Tuition fee for international graduate students: $3,850 a year

The University of Gitwe (UG) has played a significant role in Rwanda’s higher education system ever since its establishment in 1993. In fact, this is one of the oldest universities in the country. In 2013, the University of Gitwe started awarding undergraduate degrees. At present, its Bachelor’s programs in Nursing, Biomedical Science, and Computer Science are very popular.

Currently, this cheap university in Rwanda has developed various graduate and undergraduate programs in its five different faculties. For instance, UG’s Faculty of Human Medicine is famous across Africa for its groundbreaking program Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery. Gitwe University’s Faculty of Engineering has also got a very high reputation.

7. INES-Ruhengeri

  • Tuition fee for international undergraduate students: $1,000 a year
  • Tuition fee for international graduate students: $1,200 a year.

The Ruhengeri Institute of Higher Education was established in 2003 in the Rwandan town of Musanze. Today, it’s got just over 4,000 full-time students. The university has got strong ties with the Catholic Church in the country and most of its Bachelor’s and Master’s programs are taught in French. Microfinance and Entrepreneurship are the most popular Master’s programs taught in English.

Conclusion

The seven universities reviewed in the paragraphs above are among the best higher education providers in Rwanda. They all provide their full-time students with the highest level of campus security and sanitation services. All fees have been taken from the universities’ official websites, where they are quoted in Rwandan Francs (RWF). The fees have been converted to USD (1 USD = 925 RWF).

 

We hope that this article on the cheapest universities in Rwanda was helpful. If you are interested in studying abroad, check out the Available Programs for International Students!

About the Author: Hyun Lee

Hyun is the founder at Global Scholarships. He has received a full-tuition scholarship at Birmingham-Southern College as well as $1,000 Burger King Scholarship for his undergraduate degree and has been offered a fully funded scholarship consisting of tuition, living stipend, and health insurance for computer science Ph.D. program at North Carolina State University. Read more about his scholarship journey here.

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