By Stabroek News
Copyright stabroeknews
The University of Guyana (UG) officially opened its 2025/2026 academic year with a record-breaking intake of 5,633 new students, registered by noon yesterday, which represents a rise from 3,776 new students in 2024.
The ceremony was held at the Ameena and Sattaur Gafoor Multi-Purpose Auditorium on the Turkeyen campus, celebrating both the historic student enrolment and academic expansion.
In announcing the increase in students, Registrar Nigel Gravesande in his welcome remarks shared that the numbers represent 51 percent of the current student population, making it the first time in history that new students have outnumbered those continuing.
The Registrar also highlighted a significant demographic trend where female students now account for 70 percent of the incoming class, or 3,956 students, compared to 50 percent last year. Male enrolment stands at 1,677 new students, or 30 percent.
However, Gravesande pointed out a shift in male participation in specific fields. For the first time in six years, he said, more male students have registered in engineering and technology programmes, surpassing their female counterparts.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Paloma Mohamed Martin reflected on the continued growth and significance of UG, noting that being accepted into the university places students in the top 10 percent of eligible candidates. If one was selected this year, it means that two weren’t, she shared, as she underlined the value of a UG education which she said is an investment that could reach $1 million by graduation, and significantly more for students in law and specialised disciplines.
Mohamed shared that UG currently serves over 12,000 students, with approximately half attending classes on campus and the remainder engaging online. The university is set to launch two new international Master’s programmes – one in Human Relations and the other in International Business, along with upcoming offerings in Forensic Studies (Maritime Operations, Cargo Handling).
Reflecting on the university’s modest beginnings in 1963, the Vice-Chancellor paid tribute to UG’s founding visionaries reminding that the operations started in a bottom-house setting and that nobody believed it would expand to where it is today. This was the first university in the world, she noted, that was established by people who were not free, but by people who put their heart and soul into building it from practically nothing.
She also hinted at broader initiatives to make higher education more accessible, revealing that UG is currently collaborating with government authorities to see what other reductions can become a reality for students.
As of this academic year, over 75,000 students have graduated from UG.
