PSU Orders Victoria University to Suspend Pharmacy Training for 300 Students

The Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda (PSU) has directed Victoria University to immediately suspend teaching and clinical training for more than 300 pharmacy students who were admitted beyond the institution's approved annual intake. The regulatory body warned that failure to comply could jeopardize the recognition of the university's Bachelor of Pharmacy programme.

Directive Follows Over-Admission

In a letter dated November 2, 2026, the PSU instructed the university to halt all teaching, assessments, and clinical placements for students admitted beyond the approved limit of 50. The directive comes after Victoria University admitted 364 students for the August/September 2026 intake, more than seven times the approved capacity.

According to the PSU, the university organized the students into separate cohorts of 50 in an attempt to accommodate the additional numbers without obtaining regulatory approval. The university had earlier applied to the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) on August 11, 2025, seeking permission to increase its annual intake to 250 students spread across three intakes. However, the PSU stated that the application did not constitute approval. The society added that a joint inspection by NCHE and its team, required to establish whether the university had adequate facilities and staff to accommodate the proposed numbers, had not been conducted.

The PSU also cited an NCHE directive issued on December 1, 2023, which limits medical-related programmes to one intake annually, arguing that the university's proposal for three intakes was inconsistent with the directive. PSU records further show that Victoria University enrolled 895 students across 11 intakes between September 2022 and March 2026.

Regulatory Tug-of-War

The directive has brought into focus the respective mandates of NCHE and PSU in regulating pharmacy training at universities. Saul Waigolo, NCHE's Senior Public Relations Officer, said the council was awaiting guidance on PSU's mandate in overseeing university pharmacy programmes. Waigolo declined to comment specifically on the Victoria University case, saying the Attorney General had already guided Parliament on the responsibilities of the two bodies.

"The Attorney General guided on that issue in Parliament. Do I need to make a comment? No. I know you are contacting me about Victoria University. Overall, it is about the mandates of NCHE and PSU, which the Attorney General addressed," he said.

The standoff raises questions about the oversight of pharmacy education in Uganda and the consequences for students who may be caught in the middle of a regulatory dispute. The PSU's directive is likely to have significant implications for Victoria University's pharmacy programme and its students, who now face uncertainty about their academic future.