The National University of Laos (NUOL) announced on Saturday that it is reopening enrollment across a variety of majors for the 2023–2024 academic year because it has not yet met the enrollment targets set by the Ministry of Education and Sports (MOES).
The new enrollment period opens on Monday, 11 September, and will run until 22 September. It is open to more than 1,500 students, including those who have failed previous entrance exams and high school graduates.
“The NUOL is reopening enrollment for interested students, including those who failed previous entrance exams and high school graduates so that they can pursue a higher education,” the announcement states.
The new enrollment opportunities are available for numerous majors across faculties, including the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture, Education, Natural Sciences, Water Resources, Forest Sciences, Agriculture, Environmental Sciences, Law and Political Science, Business and Management, Social Sciences, Letters, and Sports Science and Physical Education.
In 2023, NUOL recorded the highest number of enrollments among universities in Laos, however, the number of enrollments has declined compared to previous years and is the lowest since 2018.
However, despite the decrease in the number of students enrolling in universities across Laos, the number of students applying for the Bachelor’s program in Chinese Language Teaching at the Confucius Institute has nearly tripled.
According to the MOES, in 2023, only about 10,000 high school graduates in Laos were able to enroll in a university, despite over 49,000 graduating.
The economic crisis in the country has made it difficult for students to afford higher education due to an increased cost of living, amid high inflation and devaluation of the local currency.
