General Information
GENERAL ENTRANCE QUALIFICATIONS INTO THE UNIVERSITY
Preamble
A full time Bachelor’s degree at the National University of Lesotho shall normally be of a minimum of four (4) years duration.
The minimum admission requirements for a Bachelor’s degree is a Lesotho General Certificate of Secondary Education (LGCSE). Applicants must have sat for a minimum of Six (6) subjects with an achievement rating of C (60-69%) or better in four (4) subjects including English Language and D (50-59%) or better in the remaining two (2) subjects chosen from designed five (5) subject groups.
CALCULATION OF ADMISSION POINTS SCORE (APS)
The calculation of an APS score is based on a candidates’ achievement in six (6) recognized LGCSE subjects. The University shall assign LGCSE eight-point rating scale of achievement as shown in the table below.
Lesotho General Certificate of Secondary Education (LGCSE) grading
| Achievement | Marks (per cent) |
| A* (1) | 90 – 100 |
| A (2) | 80 – 89 |
| B (3) | 70 – 79 |
| C (4) | 60 – 69 |
| D (5) | 50 – 59 |
| E (6) | 40 – 49 |
| F (7) | 30 – 39 |
| G (8) | 0 – 29 |
A maximum of APS 26 is required for admission into the university. That is, an applicant must have a maximum of four C grades (4 points), and two D grades (5 points).
This can be calculated thus:
4×4=16, 5×2= 10
16+10=26
These are the minimum entry requirements and the University shall admit students based on merit, which means, a candidate that has APS 10 will be admitted before one that has APS 12.
Application period
Application forms are issued immediately after the results of the previous year matriculation (LGCSE) results have been published by the Ministry of Education and Training. Closing date for applications is 31st March.
NUL Academic Year
NUL runs one academic year which starts in August – May of the following year for both undergraduate and graduate studies. There are two semesters in one academic year (1st Semester from August – December while 2nd Semester runs from January – May of the following Calendar year). This applies to both full and part-time programmes. Examinations are normally written in December, May and supplementary examinations in July.
Policy on Students with Disabilities
The University is committed to responding to the needs of students with disabilities. It is required that disability is declared during the application process.
Payment of Fees and Registration
Payment of fees at NUL is governed by the university financial regulations and policies. ADM 4.01 stipulates that “fees are payable in full, on or before the beginning of the [given] academic year’s registration. Financial clearance is a pre-condition for academic registration. Thus, no student will be allowed to register for studies, admitted to residence or be allowed to attend classes until the University shall have received proof of required payment of fees. Fees for any one academic term (of the two semesters) must be paid in full or in installments approved by the University Management before the beginning of the term.
Payment of fees shall be made directly to the NUL Standard Lesotho Bank Account No. 01400-3377-5301 and proof of payment must be presented to the relevant section of Finance and Administration for financial clearance and to the relevant faculty for academic registration.
Accommodation in Halls of Residence during vacations
During short vacations, students who live a long way from home may apply to remain in the Halls of Residence. Students will not normally be allowed to remain during long vacations. Students who are writing supplementary examinations may be allowed into residence one (1) week before the examinations. Any such stay in residence will be charged at M100.00 per day.
Surcharge for damage or loss of University property
Students who damage or loose University property or equipment including Library books or periodicals will be charged with the cost of repair or replacement.
Study Permit and Visa Requirements
Assistance with application for and inquiries regarding procedures for study permit and visa requirements can be sought from the International Students Office of the Dean of Students Affairs at +266 52213347/48/50 or write to the Dean of Student Affairs rc.mokoma@nul.ls .
Students’ Loan Bursaries
The University does not run any bursary scheme for students. The majority of local students are sponsored by the Government of Lesotho through a loan bursary scheme administered by the National Manpower Development Secretariat (NMDS).
Since 2010, NMDS shifted away from sponsoring every admissible student in favour of a quota based system. The University follows Faculty-specific criteria to allocate the given quota. Students without a bursary are admitted on a self-sponsoring basis and they become personally responsible for payment of all mandatory fees.
Regardless of whether a student is sponsored or self-sponsoring, the responsibility to pay all mandatory fees lies with such a student.