AAU Admission (Ethiopia) 2026: Exam Pattern, Eligibility & Study Plan

The Addis Ababa University academic calendar for the 2025/2026 academic year lists the first semester running from September 2025 through January 2026, with the final examination window scheduled during the last three to four weeks of January 2026. The second semester begins in February 2026 and concludes with end-of-semester examinations in late June 2026. Summer programs and distance education follow separate compressed schedules, but undergraduate students on the regular track should mark the January and June examination periods as immovable deadlines. Always re-check the SIS portal two weeks before exams for any date revisions issued by the Office of the Registrar. Source: aau.edu.et

AAU syllabi are structured department by department, with every course assigned a unique course code, credit-hour weight, and prerequisite chain approved by the Academic Commission. Each department publishes a course catalog that lists compulsory, elective, and common-course requirements, and undergraduate degrees typically require completion of between 120 and 180 credit hours depending on the program. To audit your syllabus, log into the AAU SIS portal, open the "Curriculum" tab for your department, and download the PDF catalog tied to your admission cohort year, not the latest version online. Source: aau.edu.et

AAU applies the Ethiopian Higher Education Proclamation No. 1152/2019 grading scale, which converts raw marks into letter grades from A+ through F. A passing grade requires at least a C, equivalent to 50% or higher in most faculties, though some departments set internal thresholds above 50% for professional courses. Grades are accompanied by grade-point values on a 4.0 scale used to calculate semester and cumulative GPAs. Students who fail must register for the next available offering as a repeat course, which is recorded separately on transcripts. Source: moe.gov.et

End-of-semester results are released through the AAU Student Information System portal, typically within three to four weeks after the final examination paper is completed, meaning January 2026 semester-one results are expected by late February 2026. The Office of the Registrar signs off on the published grade lists before they go live, and incomplete or withheld grades appear with an "I" or "NG" code until cleared. Students who spot an error in marks have a 10-working-day window to submit a grade-correction request through their department head. Source: aau.edu.et

The Ministry of Education sets the umbrella rules every Ethiopian public university, including AAU, must follow, and three documents matter most during exam season: the Higher Education Proclamation No. 1152/2019 covering degree classifications and assessment standards, the Senate Legislation governing examination misconduct penalties, and the annual admission and registration directive published each June. Reviewing the MoE admissions page before registration ensures you meet any new credit-load limits, which for the 2025/2026 cycle cap undergraduates at 21 credit hours per semester. Source: moe.gov.et