Addis Ababa University Admission Guide: Entrance Exam Scores and Placement Process

How AAU Undergraduate Admission Works

Addis Ababa University fills its regular undergraduate places through Ethiopia's centralized entrance and placement system, not a separate university application. After completing Grade 12 (Preparatory), students sit the Ethiopian Higher Education Entrance Certificate Examination (EHEECE), administered by the National Educational Assessment and Examination Agency (NEAEA) under the Ministry of Education. Your EHEECE score, not a personal application to AAU, determines your eligibility for placement.

The Entrance Exam and Placement Process

The EHEECE tests the subjects tied to your Grade 11-12 stream, natural science or social science. It is administered by NEAEA under the Ministry of Education. After results are released, the Ministry of Education announces the minimum entry points required to join public universities for that cycle. These minimums are set fresh each year based on how students performed and how many university places are available nationally, so a past year's cutoff does not predict the current one.

Placement into specific universities and fields of study, including Addis Ababa University, is handled centrally by the Ministry, matching your score, your stream, and your ranked preferences against available capacity at each institution and department. AAU, as Ethiopia's oldest and most established public university, historically draws a large share of the highest-scoring applicants, particularly in fields such as medicine and engineering.

Programme-Specific Steps at AAU

Once the Ministry places you at Addis Ababa University, complete registration directly with the university: submit your EHEECE result slip, Grade 12 records, and identification documents within the university's own enrollment window. For certain programmes, AAU has also required applicants to sit its own admission test after central placement, so check your assigned programme's page on the AAU admissions portal for whether this extra step applies to you.

Graduate and Other Entry Routes

The EHEECE placement route above covers regular undergraduate admission from secondary school. Graduate programmes, evening and distance programmes, and applicants with foreign secondary certificates follow different entry procedures managed directly by AAU rather than the national placement system, so check the specific announcement for your programme type on the AAU admissions portal before assuming the EHEECE route applies.