Soroti University (SUN), is a public multi-campus

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

. It is one of the nine public universities and degree-awarding institutions in the country.

Location

Soroti University has its main campus in Arapai, Arapai sub-county,

Soroti District Soroti District is a Districts of Uganda, district in Eastern Region, Uganda, Eastern Uganda. It is named after its chief municipal, administrative and commercial headquarters, Soroti, where the district headquarters are located. Location Soroti D ...

, approximately , by road, northeast of the central business district of the city of Soroti, on the

Soroti Soroti is a city in Eastern Region, Uganda, Eastern Region of Uganda. It is the main city, commercial, and administrative center in Soroti District, one of the nine administrative districts in the Teso sub-region. Soroti city was immediately app ...

–

Amuria Amuria is a town in the Eastern Region of Uganda. It is the chief municipal, administrative, and commercial center of Amuria District, in the Teso sub-region. Location Amuria is located , by road, north of Soroti, the largest city in the Tes ...

Road. This is approximately , by road, northeast of

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,875,834 (2024) and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kampala, Kawempe Division, Kawempe, Makindy ...

, Uganda's capital and largest city. The campus sits on of land, near the campus of Teso College, a boys-only, boarding middle (S1-S4) and high school (S5-S6). The coordinates of the campus of Soroti University are 1°45'56.0"N, 33°3'44.0"E (Latitude:1.765543; Longitude:33.628900).

History

The government of Uganda, following lobbying by stakeholders from the

Teso sub-region Teso sub-region (previously known as Teso District) is a sub-region in Eastern Region, Uganda that consists of: * Amuria District * Bukedea District * Kaberamaido District * Kapelebyong District * Katakwi District * Kumi District * Ngora D ...

, decided in 2012 to establish a public university in Soroti District. A five-person task-force, headed by founding

vice chancellor A vice-chancellor (commonly called a VC) serves as the chief executive of a university in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, other Commonwealth countr ...

Robert Ikoja, was named by the Uganda

minister of education An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...

in September 2012 to prepare for the opening of the university. Soroti University was expected to open in August 2013. In that month, however, the ''

Daily Monitor The ''Daily Monitor'' is an independent daily newspaper in Uganda. Launched in 1992 as ''The Monitor'', it established itself as a leading voice critical of the government and is one of the two largest national newspapers, alongside the state-ow ...

,'' a Ugandan daily newspaper, revealed that members charged with the establishment of the public Soroti University had also been establishing Teso University, a private institution. Construction of the university's main building began in June 2014 with completion expected 24 months later. In June 2015, the

government of Uganda The politics of Uganda occurs in an Authoritarianism, authoritarian context. Since assuming office in 1986 at the end of the Ugandan Bush War, Ugandan civil war, Yoweri Museveni has ruled Uganda as an Autocracy, autocrat. Political party, Politi ...

, officially created Soroti University as a public institution, when the minister of Education, Science and Technology and Sports,

Jessica Alupo Jessica Rose Epel Alupo, commonly known as Jessica Alupo, is a Ugandan politician who is the ninth and current vice president of Uganda since 2021. She is also an educator, and former military officer. She previously served in the cabinet of U ...

, introduced a Statutory Instrument followed by a resolution of Parliament to the same effect. As of February 2018, the pioneer class of students were expected to begin classes in August 2018. After delays, the university admitted the first cohort of students on 17 August 2019.

Schools

As of January 2018, the university maintained the following schools and institutions: * School of Medicine and Health Sciences * School of Engineering and Technology

Academic courses

The following academic courses are on offer: *

Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...

* Bachelor of Nursing Science * Bachelor of Engineering in Electronic & Computer Engineering

References

External links