THE Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU) has opened the admission applications window for Bachelor's degree applicants for the 2024/2025 academic year.

Prof Charles Kihampa, the TCU executive secretary, stressed in remarks at a press conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday that applicants need to take precautions against being cheated by freelancers claiming to be TCU agents or consultants.

He demanded that prospective students avoid seeking out those who claim to provide services on how to join higher education institutions, noting that applications will be received August 10, in just over three weeks.

"TCU would like to inform the public, institutions of higher education and all stakeholders that this window is open, so applicants with qualifications of the form sixth, diploma or comparable qualifications.

There are also qualifications of the preliminary certificate of the Open University of Tanzania (OUT) which can be used for application, he elaborated, asking applicants to study the criteria shown in TCU admission application handbooks.

Applications should be sent directly to universities or colleges that the applicant wishes to join in study programmes of the candidate’s own choice, he said, underlining the importance of carefully reading and understanding the admission guide and the specific instructions indicated by universities or colleges before seeking admission.

Applicants with certificates issued by examination boards abroad should submit their certificates to the National Examinations Council of Tanzania (NECTA) for secondary education certificates or the National Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (NACTVET) for diploma to get testimony of matching qualification before filling admission forms.

As of February 2024, approved university institutions operating in Tanzania stand at 49, with 19 being public entities and 30 privately owned, he said, reaffirming that TCU is mandated to oversee both private and public university institutions.