Study at ALU

For the bold and creative.

ALU is for those who see opportunities where others see challenges and are ready to imagine their own path to learning.

Maximize your potential

Students choose ALU because they want hands-on, real-world experience led by some of the world’s most innovative educators. They want a place that does not limit their potential with old rules but believes in their capacity to solve Africa’s most significant challenges in new ways. They want their time at a university to lead them to a job or even to launch a company or create social impact. They want to be part of a global network committed to their success.

An ALU education prepares students to make an impact as leaders of communities that are as small as a village and as large as the globe.

Learning
Model

We believe in
learning by doing

Guided by a series of learning coaches, visiting faculty, experts in residence and mentors, ALU students undertake an immersive learning process close to the problems they will need to solve as leaders, and the communities they serve. Hands-on projects, internships, community-based research and other community engagement opportunities provide the practical experience necessary for effective real-world problem-solving. By the time every ALU student graduates, they are already prepared for the real world.

Heroes need
Missions not Majors

At ALU, students harness interdisciplinary learning opportunities to craft their own journey and define their missions. Missions allow students to focus their learning on the area they are most interested in exploring.

Unlike in traditional universities, ALU students pursue missions not majors. The missions are linked to any of the top 14 Grand Challenges and Great Opportunities on the continent of Africa. Experts in each Mission, “mission curators”, help students explore and discover courses, conferences and other ways to learn more about their mission.

Pillars: Immersive Learning, Meaningful Collaboration, Ubiquitous Learning & Play

Our students incorporate playful imagination, drive, and a passion for Africa to collaborate with one another in solving problems in their communities. Practical learning, collaboration with community stakeholders, and building genuine relationships are the hallmarks of an ALU education.

Each student’s journey is unique. We believe that good grades alone are not the mark of a true leader. Leaders come in all shapes and sizes. As such, we are not only looking for those who are at the top of their class, but also those who have stories of impact and are passionate about tackling problems without waiting for someone else to solve them.

Foundation

(How to think, How to be, How to learn, How to do)

SKILLS IMMERSION

MISSIONS

BEL | SPECIALIZATION

BSE | SPECIALIZATION

Our Foundation
Programme

During the Foundation programme, students learn important skills to help them on their learning journey. The Foundation skills are composed of 12 skills, which are grouped into 4 categories: How to Think, How to Be, How to Do, and How to Learn.

Students are prepared to be independent, self-directed learners, are exposed to Global Challenges and Opportunities, Missions, and Entrepreneurial Literacy.

Students choose their specialization (either a Bachelor’s Degree in Entrepreneurial Leadership or in Software Engineering) and their personal missions. They will then be supported in selecting learning materials and professional development experiences to support that mission for the rest of their time at ALU.

Degree
Programmes

2 Degree Programmes.
1 Unforgettable University Experience

Degree programmes are a vehicle for developing foundational skills and knowledge in a field of your choice. We’ve designed our degrees in ways that provide breadth in key areas while affording students opportunities to explore and pursue depth in particular domains or problem spaces of interest.

Every day, African businesses are harnessing their ingenuity to empower their communities. There is no one better to solve the continent’s challenges than Africa’s developers and entrepreneurs. We have crafted 2 degree programmes that resonate with the continent’s needs as well as equip you to pursue a rewarding career. Undergraduate students can apply for Bachelors in Entrepreneurial Leadership or Software Engineering.

BSc (Hons) Entrepreneurial Leadership (BEL)

“To solve the world’s great problems, we want to create people who start with the question – which problem do I want to solve? – and then they ask – how do I get the skills and knowledge to solve that problem?”

Fred Swaniker, Chairman, ALU

A truly personalised 3-year degree centred on your unique mission

The Bachelors of Science in Entrepreneurial Leadership is a 3-year program that is designed to create a new generation of entrepreneurial leaders for the continent. It has been carefully developed to equip graduates with the skills and attributes needed to adapt to a dynamic world and address the variety of complex and interrelated challenges that society is currently facing. In this interdisciplinary degree, students curate personalised learning journeys by identifying a challenge or opportunity they would like to address, acquiring a rigorous understanding of that particular area, and developing skills to create innovative and contextualised solutions.

This type of education aims to produce entrepreneurial problem-solvers who will not only be highly employable but also better equipped to create their own jobs. Invest in a degree that prepares you for the future, no matter where it leads.

The eligibility criteria includes completion of a final national secondary school exam and graduation from secondary school with a certificate of secondary education on an A Level or equivalent; Having taken a minimum of 2 A-Level subjects or equivalent with a minimum overall grade average of a C; Evidence of having attained sufficient English language proficiency.

BSc (Hons) in Software Engineering (BSE)

Acquire the technical skills and job-ready competencies that employers need.

It is expected that over the next decade, companies all over the world will continue to experience technology talent shortages. This is resulting in an ever-increasing demand for tech talent across the globe and especially from Africa. But employers are looking for more than just degrees. They are looking for exceptional, well-rounded talent that has the right combination of technical and professional skills.

The ALU Software Engineering Programme is a 3 years programme that prepares graduates to address the world’s complex challenges as they manifest in the African context through the pervasive application of design thinking for the continual improvement of ideas and the building of robust, transformative, scalable and sustainable and contextualized technology solutions.

The programme is delivered in partnership with the Holberton Software Engineering School. BSE students will complete 3 Foundation sprints (within their specialization) to build their knowledge on computer science and web development, before choosing one of four specialization areas: AR/VR, Machine Learning, Low level & Algorithm and Full-Stack Web Development. Students complete their specialization with an open-ended capstone project in their area of interest.

Our Admissions Requirements

General eligibility requirements for ALU Rwanda:

Completion of a final national secondary school exam and graduation from secondary school with a certificate of secondary education on an A Level or equivalent;

Having taken a minimum of 2 A-Level subjects or equivalent with a minimum overall grade average of a C;

Evidence of having attained sufficient English language proficiency

Programme eligibility requirements for the Bachelor of Software Engineering

The programme eligibility requirements require prospective students to have an A Level (or equivalent) in Mathematics or Computer Science with a minimum C grade. In the absence of the required grades in Mathematics or Computer Science, an A Level (or equivalent) in a related scientific or technical subject (such as Physics, Engineering etc) with a minimum B grade shall be considered.

Individuals seeking to enroll onto the Software Engineering programme will be asked to meet additional requirements such as taking and passing a test.

The minimum general eligibility requirements must be met before programme specific requirements will be considered.

Note for BSc (Hons) Entrepreneurial Leadership (BEL), please see the general eligibility criteria.

Application
timelines

Begin your application to ALU through any of the following intakes.

September 2023

Applications open and ongoing.

January 2024

Applications open and ongoing.

2023
Academic Calendar

ALU has three terms (trimesters) in each calendar year. New students are admitted every term/trimester. Please refer to the application timelines for information on application deadlines for the respective terms.

2023 January Term
Term Begins	9 January 2023
Term Ends	29 April 2023
Inter-Trimester Break	02 May 2023 - 13 May 2023

2023 May Term
Term Begins	16 May 2023
Term Ends	26 August 2023
Inter-Trimester Break	29 August 2023 - 2 September 2023

2023 September Term
Term Begins	5 September 2023
Term Ends	16 December 2023
Inter-Trimester Break	19 December 2023 - 6 January 2023

ALU
Campus

Attend Africa’s most innovative university in one of Africa’s most innovative countries.

ALU’s state-of-the-art campus is located in the epicentre of Rwanda’s innovation drive, in the Kigali Special Economic Zone. Our campus has dedicated learning spaces, student venture areas and community commons where you will experience ALU’s unique culture come to life. All students attend their first term at ALU in person, which gives them the chance to meet their fellow classmates and build bonds for life. You will have the opportunity to familiarize yourself with ALU’s learning model, meet and connect with other like-minded, new students, and interact with various on-campus faculty and staff members.

After your first term at ALU, you are free to learn anywhere which drives your curiosity or join our community of students at one of our hubs scattered across Africa and the world.

Begin your journey in the
Rwanda campus

with the option to expand your horizons to any of our vibrant student communities in multiple locations in Africa and the rest of the world.

About Kigali

Kigali is one of the safest and cleanest cities in Africa and a pleasant city to live in during your studies. At ALU Rwanda’s campus, you join a community of students from over 30 countries in Africa while also immersing yourself in life in the beautiful and vibrant East African city. #KigaliIsMyCampus allows you to explore many iconic locations and fun spaces around the city.

Rwanda is leading innovation in the region and has one of the fastest-growing economies on the continent. It is highly ranked in gender equality and has a parliament that is 64% female. These impressive achievements by the country have made it a hub for investment in the East African region. When you come to ALU Rwanda campus you get many opportunities to attend special events around the city and network with top-level professions from the ALUSB MBA programme which is also located in Kigali.

ALU campuses offer:

An innovative learning experience
2 degree programmes
A pan-African experience that gives you the opportunity to network and build relationships with some of the brightest, most passionate and driven peers and leaders on the continent.
A robust ALU Programme for you to craft a meaningful student life experience for yourself, full of growth, discovery and ownership.

ALU Learning
Hubs

#TheWorldisYourCampus

ALU’s experiential learning model adopts the 70-20-10 system where 70% of our student’s learning is done by getting hands-on experience in their chosen field of study, interviewing with experts in their field, attending conferences, doing internships, and working on projects tied to their missions.

Our students see the world as their campus. This means that they are not limited to their campus space but they get to move around from Timbuktu to Madagascar, and wherever they can effectively focus on their mission/project while building and strengthening their network with other students and employers.

The hubs are an extension of ALU’s campus, an ecosystem where our students can connect with each other for peer work, projects, or individual work while maintaining a student community. Hubs provide a collaborative space with reliable electricity and internet connection to make it logistically easier for students to gather.

Hubs have vibrant self-run communities of students that organize activities according to their needs and preferences.

Read about Peggy Ongoma’s (’22) experience at the ALU Hub in Kampala, Uganda.

Life at
ALU

Student Life

The world is your campus!
In ALU Rwanda, Learning Hubs, communities, the surrounding area, and Africa, passionate future leaders come together to learn, create, work, and play along their three-year journey.

Studying at ALU, the world is your home, playground, and learning space. Our students get to discover what it means to be a student, a community member and a leader by boldly championing student projects and collaboration across stakeholders, country borders, and regions. We are driven by ORCHID Values: Ownership, Restless Excellence, Continuous Learning, Humility, Integrity and Diversity!

The Student Life Team provides guidance and support, empowering ALU students to co-design and own their leadership journey by intentionally building a culture of safe space, open dialogues and student empowerment through programs, events and support services.

Wellness Center

The Wellness Center is a Student Life offering aimed at the promotion of holistic health for each member of our community.

Success at ALU also involves the mind, body and soul. Our wellness center team is composed of qualified counselors who are committed to ensuring that our students are healthy physically&mentally, happy and involved in the work they do. Through initiatives led by the peer counselors, and the overall wellness team, continuously challenge our community to self-care, seek help, and be there for their peers.

Alive 1:1’s

One on one conversations with students covering a wide range of topics to assist in their academic, professional, and personal journey.

Culture Series

These are group sessions designed to assist students to develop deeper awareness of culture and special issues that arise in society and that need or require them to be aware of in order to facilitate further growth.

Peer Counselling Programmes

The Peer Counseling Program is a subset under the Wellness Center which supports and empowers students to help other students with their difficulties. The program involves creating a safe space and a comfortable environment for self-expression as well as providing moral, technical and psychological support to the students in need.

Immigration Support

We also provide Immigration Support Services for our students facilitating the legal entry and transition of international students and ensuring that all students can meet their immigration related responsibilities in a supportive, safe and effective environment

Your professional
development

As an institution, we believe in the holistic development of our students and seek to provide them with experiences and connections to opportunities that help them shape their career paths. In order to support our students’ mission-oriented careers, SPD is committed to providing students with the right skills and mindset they need to not only thrive in the work environment but also take ownership of their careers and act on their mission with confidence.

We understand the diverse career interests students may have and thus have designed our offerings around preparing students to be successful in whichever path they choose to follow, whether in the academic, entrepreneurial, public, or in the corporate world; students are prepared to own, design, pursue, and manage their careers of choice.

Most universities will only start engaging their students to prepare for life after graduation in their final year. At ALU, our students begin their career development journey from day 1, using their study years at university to lay strong foundations for their careers after graduation.

Our approach to career development is centred on five pillars that research, top global employers, and entrepreneurship incubators have identified as key to thriving in the professional world: “Skills, Perspective, Experience, Network, Character”.

Internships &
job placements

We have built a solid network of employer partners and leaders in our movement who mentor and hire our talent. We collaborate with employers, industry, government and communities as we seek professional opportunities where ALU students and alumni can make an impact.

ALU prides itself on its high placement rates at dozens of leading multinational companies operating in Africa, globally recognized universities, and venture support programs. With up to 85% of our graduates placed in jobs within six months of graduation, ALU is now recognized worldwide as a leader in developing and connecting talent to life-changing opportunities.

In 2021, ALU students secured 452 highly competitive internships across the globe for an average duration of 4 months, of which 49% were conducted remotely.

Graduate school
opportunities

Our ALUmni have enrolled in graduate programs to pursue masters and Phd programs in the UK, Switzerland, South Africa, USA, France, Rwanda, and China, with more than 50% in higher learning institutions in Europe. ALUmni include Yenching Scholars, Chevening Scholars, Schwarzman Scholars, Mastercard Foundation Scholars, and Mandela Rhodes Scholars.

Partnerships

Tailored Support

At the heart of the student entrepreneurial journey is the need to have the conversation and support that shape, correct and steer students in the right direction.

The SVP connects periodically with students and provides a safe space for students to grow through 1:1 sit-ins. The tailored office hours is delivered in collaboration with other necessary teams/team members.

Events

Networking is critical for any new entrepreneur. Meeting the right people that can introduce you to contacts in your industry, such as the right suppliers, financiers, and even mentors can be the difference between success and failure.

SVP Events are cocktail of student centred virtual and in person entrepreneurship focused events which are either delivered by the ALU SVP or partner teams and organisation.

Community

Introducing the official ALU Entrepreneurship Club where students are encouraged to stay connected to community & industry and ‘the what’ and ‘the why’ they are learning.

The ALU Entrepreneurship Club is a space for students to hang out and connect with their peers. It is focused on peer-to -peer learning by uniting and empowering student entrepreneurs to launch and grow their businesses and in turn, impact the communities around them.

Engagement

An aspiring entrepreneur should always familiarise themself with the world around them so they can look at industries with a fresh perspective, giving them the ability to build a business around a specific sector following this understanding. It is therefore important for our students to consume a well-curated and diverse array of content. This content can be in the form of Social media posts, podcasts etc.

Venture Space Management

African Leadership University campus is equipped with indoor and outdoor spaces which can be leased at subsidised rates to our student entrepreneurs to help them establish their ventures.

The Venture spaces are applied for by students and the location will be managed by the facility managers/operations team in collaboration with the SVP.

Student Ventures
Programme

Entrepreneurs

Ventures

Jobs

Our students and graduates are already doing the hard things; collaborating with communities, faculty, and each other to tackle global challenges, pursuing burning questions along their missions, and translating ideas into action.

The Student venture program provides a collaborative environment for students to get innovative, hands-on entrepreneurial training that equips them with the skills, knowledge, and resources they need to develop and commercialize ventures.

It also embeds an entrepreneurial culture that exposes all students to entrepreneurial skill building throughout their time at ALU, as well as practically develop entrepreneurship as a viable career path for ALU students, irrespective of their degree program.

The program supports students through non-linear journeys of building entrepreneurial ventures that address the challenges on the continent and also scale to create job opportunities, directly and indirectly.

Fees and
Financial Aid

Cost of study at ALU

We strongly believe that university education should be affordable. That’s why we have continued to optimize our learning experience and education model to ensure students have access to top-notch university education that is relevant, in-demand, and affordable.

This schedule has been prepared to give prospective students and parents adequate information on the ALU fee structure for ALU Rwanda. For ALU fees, you will need to make a deposit in advance to secure the student’s seat. For the remaining fees for tuition and any campus life expenses, you will choose if you would like to pay upfront in one instalment or pay in two instalments. The first instalment for either option is due a few weeks before arrival on campus for your first term.

Review ALU fees structure below and consult our fees FAQs for more information

Item	Cost	Description
Deposit Fee	USD 250	Paid as a deposit in advance. This payment will be deducted from tuition
Annual Tuition Fee	USD 3000 - Deposit	This is the full tuition fee
Health Insurance (optional)	Amount varies based on length of coverage USD 200 - 600	Health insurance coverage through ALU’s voluntary service
Housing per month (optional)	USD 800 for 4 months	Minimum commitment is for 4 months.
Meal Plan per month (optional)	USD 1000 for 4 months	Minimum commitment is for 4 months.
Grant, Financial Aid (if awarded)	Amount Varies	Deducted from the overall amount due

* Please note the following:

(1) The figures above are estimates and may change with time.

(2) Some of the costs above may vary based on individual factors e.g. meals, housing, laptop, flights.

(3) The breakdown takes into consideration ALU’s learning model, in which students have their first term in person on our Rwanda campus and complete the rest of their academic terms wherever they choose.

Financial Aid

One of our objectives at ALU is to make education accessible to future potential leaders across the continent. We offer a need-based financial aid program for eligible applicants, which is intended to make ALU education affordable for students according to their unique and demonstrated financial needs. Our application process helps determine the eligibility for the several types of financial aid available.

Financial aid applicants are required to submit supporting documentation for proof of financial circumstances and declare personal information in addition to their ALU application. There are different types of Grants available at ALU, depending on the financial need demonstrated in your financial aid application. Please note that there are very limited scholarships available per intake.

African Leadership University is higher education for a higher purpose.

Get ready to leadAfrica forward.

WHY ALU

African Leadership University is higher education for a higher purpose.

Get ready to leadAfrica forward.

WHY ALU

For the bold and creative.

On this page

Maximize your potential

Learning Model

We believe in learning by doing

Heroes need Missions not Majors

Pillars: Immersive Learning, Meaningful Collaboration, Ubiquitous Learning & Play

Foundation

SKILLS IMMERSION

MISSIONS

BEL | SPECIALIZATION

BSE | SPECIALIZATION

Our Foundation Programme

Degree Programmes

2 Degree Programmes. 1 Unforgettable University Experience

Application timelines

September 2023

January 2024

2023 Academic Calendar

ALU Campus

Attend Africa’s most innovative university in one of Africa’s most innovative countries.

Begin your journey in the Rwanda campus

About Kigali

ALU campuses offer:

ALU Learning Hubs

Life atALU

Student Life

Wellness Center

Your professional development

Internships & job placements

Graduate school opportunities

Student Ventures Programme

Fees and Financial Aid