Career guidance & employability services

It is important for students to note that each campus of the University has got a CES office that is led by CES Specialist. This is the office in charge of helping the students to get placed in jobs in different organization. It also provides career guidance services to students on which appropriate courses of study to take. Students are advised to regularly visit this office to be advised accordingly. 

Internship/Industrial attachment

It is mandatory to all students to carry out internship program more especially while in their final academic year. Internships are done differently based on the nature of the discipline that a given student is undertaking. Students can always seek more information in the office of the Career and Employability Specialist, which is in charge of ensuring that internships are implemented. Each University campus has such an office. 

Lectures

The University provides lectures in several disciplines based on what the students were admitted for. Lecturing is one of the methods used at the university during teaching and learning situation. However, several other pedagogical approaches are applied in teaching and learning situation to ensure that students acquire knowledge in the most efficient way. The teaching and learning approach used depends upon the prevailing situation. 

Umuganda

Umuganda is a national community service respected by all the people of Rwanda and foreigners in Rwanda. Both private and public organizations including University of Rwanda and its community do participate in it. This is normally done on the last Saturday of every month. Students are encouraged to collaboratively participate in Umuganda. 

Community outreach

University of Rwanda does community outreach in different domains. Both staff and students participate in such activities. UR students through guild leadership do plan, organize and effect community outreach activities such as helping the needy people, repairing their houses, constructing their shelters and offering food stuffs. 

Student Agaciro fund and savings schemes

Of recent, Huye campus initiated Agaciro Fund and saving scheme for students. This initiative is very important as it focuses on saving schemes that are beneficial to its members in terms of enabling students to access small loans that may be used to solve small financial issues that require financial support. 

There is hope that the initiative will be blessed by other UR campuses as massive awareness campaigns are underway through Guild leadership to student community. 

Class representative system (Class Rep)

At the University of Rwanda, each class has got a class representative system. This is a system that plays an important role in as far as coordination of the class activities is concerned. The “class rep” connects students to teachers and vice versa by providing information necessary to be shared by all. Relevant announcements, memos, attendance lists, students’ assignments, communications from lecturers to students, communications from administration, to mention but a few, are all coordinated by the said “class rep”.    

Zero-tolerance

University of Rwanda believes in zero-tolerance approach as a way of creating and maintaining an appropriate environment for teaching and learning. Such an approach is supposed to be followed while effecting a strict enforcement of rules, regulations and bans against behaviors that are considered to be undesirable by the University. Any behaviors that are described to be unbefitting in as far as the University standards are concerned are banned at the University. Students are encouraged to avoid involving themselves in unwanted behaviors in order to avoid possible punishments.       

How to study effectively :

It is important for students to note that studying is part of the University life. Students need to focus on study techniques that will help them achieve their educational goals. One example is that students should do self study closer to the day they learned the material than the day of the test. The rate of brain retention about the material learned is high when revision is made shortly after lessons than reading prior to sit for examinations. Students should avoid cram work and instead try to understand the subject matter. 

Students are advised to plan for a study timetable, prepare a study area, minimize distractions and overcome procrastination/postponing, keep healthy by eating, sleeping and excising physically and knowing when to take breaks. However, it is imperative to note that there is no single standard study method that is uniform for all. It all depends upon the situation. 

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone else's work and lying that it is your own. This involves copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit. It also involves failing to put a quotation in quotation marks and giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation made. 

Most cases of plagiarism can be avoided by citing sources of the information you are presenting. Simply acknowledging that certain material has been borrowed and providing your audience with the information necessary to find that source is usually important to prevent plagiarism. UR students are advised not to engage themselves in plagiarism activities as they lead to disqualification. Students should work hard to do the right thing at the right time. 

Time management-urgent and important matrix

Students should learn how to manage time and become time management masters during their study life at the University. Time is a finite resource and it matters how one uses it to achieve stated goals. Students need to understand that “If you lose money, you might get a chance to make it back ; but a wasted hour is irreplaceable”. 

Effective time management has the potential to help students to create a healthy balance of their workflow including study work. University students need to understand that effective time management is the effective use of one’s time that allows them to plan their days in such a way that their work can get finished with less effort and make the most of the limited time they have. 

Financial saving

It is important for students to understand the importance of saving culture. Saving involves preserving money for future use. Students need to develop a culture of saving as little or as much as possible for future financial plans. If the students have the culture of saving, even the little amount of money, say, one coin, that is despised will at one moment become something of importance. Therefore, students must understand that for one to be able to save, she/he must reduce expenditures. Unnecessary behaviors such as drinking alcohol, smoking, use of drugs to mention but a few, should not be practiced as they also call for expenditures.