The National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) was established by Act of Parliament No. 15 of 2011, with the primary purpose of promoting and coordinating education provided by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Malawi. One of the NCHE mandate is to harmonize student selection into public universities.
The National Council for Higher Education is therefore inviting applications from suitably qualified candidates for selection into undergraduate programmes for the 2019/2020 academic year offered by the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST), Mzuzu University (MZUNI) and the University of Malawi (UNIMA).
The eligible applicants are as follows: a) Candidates who completed the MSCE, IGCSE or O level equivalent in the past three years (2017, 2018 and 2019). b) Candidates with an Advanced Subsidiary (AS) certificate or a National Senior Certificate (NSC) obtained in the past three years (2017, 2018 and 2019). c) Candidates who completed the Advanced Level, International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma or A Level equivalent in the past three years (2017, 2018 and 2019).
General requirements for eligible candidates
i. You must be a holder of MSCE/IGSCE or other internationally recognised qualification comparable to ‘O’ level certificates with at least six credit passes (a minimum of grade ‘6’ at MSCE or ‘C’ at IGCSE) including English Language obtained in 2017, 2018 or 2019. The following is the interpretation of IGCSE results for admission purposes: A* (90-100) =1; A (80-89) =1; B (70-79) =2; C (60-69) =3; D (55-59) = 4; E (49-54) = 5; F (40-48) =6; G (34-39) =7; O=8
ii. Candidates who failed to satisfy the admission into public universities in 2017 or 2018 but successfully improved their grades after re-sitting a maximum of four subjects in 2017 or 2018 may use their supplementary statements for purposes of accumulating credits.
iii. Candidates cannot combine grades from two independent certificates, i.e. candidates who reattempted MSCE in 2019 cannot combine grades from the 2017 or 2018 for purposes of accumulating credits.
i. Candidates with A-level qualifications must have a minimum of three principal passes with an aggregate of at least 9 points obtained in 2017, 2018 or 2019. For purposes of selection, A-level grades are interpreted as follows: E =1; D =2; C= 3; B =4; A=5; A*=6 (Please note the difference in the interpretation for the O-level grades). Furthermore, candidates must have passed the subjects relevant to their desired programme either at O level or Advanced Subsidiary (AS) Level.
ii. Candidates with an International Baccalaureate must have a minimum of 30 points obtained in the current year or the last two years.
iii. Candidates with an Advanced Subsidiary (AS) certificate must have at least grade ‘C’ in four ASLevel subjects plus IGCSE obtained in the 2017, 2018 or 2019. iv. Candidates with a National Senior Certificate (NSC) must have a minimum score of 60% (Achievement Level 5) in four designated subjects obtained in 2017, 2018 or 2019. v. In addition to the minimum entry requirements, candidates must also meet the individual programme requirements.
All those currently enrolled in public universities are not eligible to apply and those who were withdrawn on academic grounds can only reapply after two years. Candidates must also meet the specific University/Faculty/School requirements specified on the application form. Application forms can be obtained from:
The National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), NCHE House, Area 47 Sector 2, Near Petroda Filling Station. All Public Universities (UNIMA Colleges – CHANC0, COM, KCN, POLY), MZUNI, MUST, and LUANAR).
All District Commissioners Offices (DCs). All District Education Managers Offices (DEMOs).
By downloading from the NCHE website and all websites of various public Universities
Application Fee
i. Applicants using a Paper Application Form are required to pay a non-refundable fee of K10,000.00 for resident Malawians and U$30.00 for international applicants.
ii. Applicants using Online Application Form are required to pay a non-refundable fee of K8,500.00 for resident Malawians and U$30.00 for international applicants.