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KAMPALA — The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has officially issued its final call to school administrators, parents, and candidates, confirming that the late registration window for the 2026 national examinations closes at midnight today, Friday, 31st July 2026.
The deadline applies across all three levels of national assessment: the Primary Leaving Examination (PLE), the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE), and the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE). UNEB has warned that once the portal shuts at 11:59 PM, no further entries, candidate additions, or late file submissions will be accepted under any circumstances.
What did UNEB announce regarding the July 31 late registration deadline?
According to an official statement issued by UNEB Principal Public Relations Officer, Ms. Jennifer Kalule Musamba, today marks the absolute cutoff for both online candidate entries and the physical submission of candidate registration files to the board’s offices.
“After today’s deadline, there will be no more registration of candidates for Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE),” Ms. Kalule emphasized. “Heads of Centres and Inspectors of Schools are also reminded that today is the last day for the submission of registration files to UNEB.”
UNEB has challenged all headteachers, school directors, and examination center heads to verify that every candidate class learner is fully registered on the portal and that generated invoices have been cleared before midnight.
How much are late registration fees compared to normal rates?
The normal registration window for the 2026 candidate cohort officially closed on Tuesday, 30th June 2026, by which time over 1.6 million candidates had been successfully registered across the country.
The late registration phase, which ran throughout July, carried heavy financial surcharges designed to penalize late submissions:
- Primary Leaving Examination (PLE): Normal registration fee stood at Shs 34,000. With a 100 percent late surcharge added, parents paying today are charged Shs 68,000 per candidate.
- Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE): Normal registration fee stood at Shs 164,000. With a 50 percent surcharge added, the late registration fee is Shs 246,000 per candidate.
- Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE): Normal registration fee stood at Shs 186,000. With a 50 percent surcharge added, the late registration fee stands at Shs 279,000 per candidate.
UNEB has repeatedly warned school heads against charging exorbitant fees above the official board rates under the pretext of administrative costs. Under the UNEB Act, charging unauthorized fees attracts severe legal penalties, including fines up to Shs 40 million, imprisonment for up to 10 years, or both.
What happens next after the late registration portal closes tonight?
Once the registration portal shuts at midnight, UNEB will immediately commence internal quality assurance procedures, cross-checking biodata, subject combinations, continuous assessment scores, and center validation numbers.
Following quality checks, the board will announce official dates for the nationwide display of candidate registers at all examination centers. By law, schools are required to display candidate lists on public noticeboards for at least 60 days prior to the start of national examinations.
During the display period, parents, guardians, and candidates must physically inspect the registers to verify the correctness of spelling, order of names, birth dates, photos, gender, and selected subject options before signing off on final verification forms.
How can parents verify candidate registration or contact UNEB for help?
To prevent situations where unscrupulous school directors pocket registration fees without registering candidates, UNEB encourages parents to verify candidate status directly.
Parents can confirm their child’s registration status via SMS by typing the candidate’s full index number and sending it to 6600.
Also, read about 2025 UCE results
For direct inquiries, complaints about extortion, or technical assistance before the midnight deadline, UNEB can be reached through the following official communication channels:
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Direct Office Line:
041-777-3100 -
Toll-Free Help Lines:
0800-211-077or0800-111-427 -
Official Website Portal:
uneb.ac.ug
