Makerere Graduate Loses Polish Scholarship Over Expired Course Listing

A Makerere University graduate has reportedly lost a fully funded master’s scholarship in Poland after an accreditation listing on Uganda’s higher education regulator’s website raised questions about the degree.

Warsaw University of Technology withdrew the scholarship after checking the graduate’s Bachelor of Science in Food Science and Technology against the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) database.

The portal listed the programme’s accreditation as having expired in April 2015. According to the account, the university rejected the qualification during the final verification stage.

The case highlights the consequences of accreditation records that foreign universities may interpret differently from Ugandan institutions.

NCHE has previously explained that an “expired” listing does not automatically invalidate a graduate’s degree. It means the programme has reached the end of its accreditation period and requires review.

However, that distinction can leave applicants struggling to prove their qualifications when an overseas institution relies on the regulator’s published records.

The account does not identify the graduate or indicate when the student enrolled or completed the programme. Those dates would help establish the accreditation position during the period of study.

The dispute recalls an earlier case involving a Makerere graduate whose application to the University of Bristol in Britain encountered similar concerns over programme accreditation.

For graduates, securing admission and funding may therefore depend on resolving questions about university records over which they have little control.

The matter has also drawn parliamentary attention. Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa directed the Ministry of Education and Sports to provide an updated list of accredited higher education programmes.

A clear register would help students check their courses and allow foreign institutions to verify qualifications without confusing a pending programme review with an invalid degree.

For the affected graduate, however, clarification would need to come with a review of the scholarship decision to restore the lost opportunity.