Students joining Senior One this year will face stiffer competition for slots in most of the top performing schools in the country.

A preliminary survey carried out by New Vision shows that top schools will either hike Senior One entry points or maintain last year's already high entry points.

At least 10 top schools have set aggregate 5 as the cut-off point for admission to Senior One. Last year, only eight schools set Aggregate 5 as the cut-off for admission.

This means that almost all top performing schools are gradually becoming harder to join. The selection exercise is set to commence this morning at Didi's World in Kansanga, Kampala, after having been postponed due to the NRM anniversary national celebrations yesterday.

According to information gathered by New Vision, Namilyango College, St Mary's College Kisubi, Mount St. Mary's Namagunga, Nabisunsa, King's College Budo, Namugongo and Kitende have the highest entry points at aggregate 5.

Other schools in this category include St. Henry's College Kitovu, Gayaza and Trinity College, Nabbingo.

This means that for a pupil to be admitted to any of these schools, he or she must have scored only distinctions.

The conclusive cut-off points list will be released today, after head teachers have obtained their official selection documents.

The hike in entry cut-off points is attributed to the improved performance in the examinations sat by PLE candidates last year.

More so, the number of candidates went up last year, compared to the previous year.

The pass rate in last year's national examinations was 88.4% compared to 86.4% the previous year.

Admissions to Senior One are based on the candidate's performance in PLE and the schools he applied to.

PLE candidates are required to fill forms before the examinations, indicating the schools they prefer to join for secondary education.

However, most schools under the Universal Secondary Education programme, especially those upcountry, are expected to admit candidates who scored up to aggregate 28.