How admission works

Admissions

Apply with confidence

Here is exactly what happens from the moment you start your application to the day you enrol - and what you can do yourself at every step.

  • Apply your way

    Two paths to get started - buy your Admission PIN at a partner bank or online. Both lead to the same application.

  • Fast, trusted verification

    Your WASSCE results are checked through the exam-board (WAEC) API, and your name, gender and date of birth are matched against your WAEC record. Other qualifications are verified by our admissions team.

  • One login for everything

    One account carries your application from PIN to enrolment - and once admitted it gives you your student email, portal, admission letter and ID card.

Get started

Two paths, one application

Every application starts with an Admission PIN. Choose the way to get yours that fits your connectivity and how you pay.

  • Recommended

    Buy your PIN at a partner bank

    Best for unbanked and rural applicants

    Visit any partner bank branch and pay the application fee in cash. The teller records your identity details and sells you an Admission PIN - it is printed on your receipt and your account is created on the spot. No internet needed.

    • No card needed
    • Any partner bank
    • PIN on your receipt
  • Fastest

    Buy your PIN online

    Fully digital, account created instantly

    Pay the application fee online - Orange Money, AfriMoney, Monime, PayPal or card. Your account is created immediately and your PIN is emailed to you along with your receipt.

    • Mobile Money or card
    • Instant account
    • PIN by email
    Buy a PIN online

Both paths converge in the same place: an applicant account with a paid Admission PIN attached. First time here? Sign in with your email and the PIN as your initial password - you will set your own password right away. Applied in 2025-2026, or already a USL student? The PIN joins your existing account: keep signing in with your existing password. Either way, from there the application is identical - one form, one journey, one portal to track it in.

Admission PINs

What your PIN is - and is not

The Admission PIN is your proof of payment and your right to submit one application. Here is how it works.

  • One PIN, one application

    A PIN entitles you to exactly one application in the admission cycle and category it was bought for (for example undergraduate or postgraduate). It is used up when your application is submitted.

  • Locked to your identity

    Your full name, gender, date of birth, ID document and NIN are recorded when the PIN is sold, and those details are locked on your application forms. A PIN is final and cannot be transferred or resold to another person - so make sure the details you give at purchase are exactly right.

  • Your first password - first-timers only

    New to the system? The PIN doubles as your initial password: sign in with your email and the PIN, then set your own password and confirm your phone with a one-time code. Already applied in 2025-2026 or a current student? The PIN is NOT your password - keep using your existing one.

  • Lost your PIN?

    Enter the NIN, email and phone number from your purchase and we will re-send the PIN to your email - as long as it has not already been used. Bank buyers can also re-read it from the bank receipt. If all you need is to sign in, use Forgot password with the email you paid with and a reset link is sent to it.

  • Check if your PIN was used

    Not sure whether your PIN is still good? Look it up with the same three details. The check tells you it has been used (and by whom) or that it is still unused and ready to apply with - it never shows or re-sends the PIN itself.

    Check PIN status

Applying again?

Already in the system? You keep your account

If you applied in 2025-2026 or you are a current USL student, the system recognises you - you never end up with a second account.

  • I applied in 2025-2026

    Your account is still here. Buy a new PIN for this cycle using the same email address: it attaches to your existing account as a fresh application entitlement, and we tell you so on screen, on your receipt and by email. The PIN is not your password - sign in with your existing password and start the new application.

  • I am a current USL student

    Applying for a new programme works the same way: buy a PIN with the email address on your student account and it is added to that account. Your student records stay untouched, your password stays the same - the PIN only entitles you to a new application.

  • I forgot my password

    Choose Forgot password on the sign-in page and enter the email you used to pay - a password reset link is sent to it. A new PIN is never the answer to a lost password, and a lost PIN is never fixed by guessing: use the PIN recovery and status tools above.

Admission checklist

Be ready before you start

Have these in place and your admission will run smoothly from PIN purchase to enrolment.

  • Your NCRA ID card

    Make sure you have your NCRA ID card and that its details match the WASSCE or exam result you intend to use.

  • Show your ID at the bank

    When you visit the bank to buy your PIN, hand the teller your NCRA ID so they record your details exactly as they appear on the card.

  • Your own email address

    Have a valid email account of your OWN - never use someone else's. No email yet? Create a free Gmail account in advance of applying; if you visit an internet cafe, ask the staff to help you create your own.

    How to create a Gmail account

  • A reachable phone number

    Use a phone number where we can contact you by WhatsApp or SMS.

  • Names, gender and date of birth

    Check and double-check your names, gender and date of birth - they must match your WASSCE result exactly.

  • Collect your bank receipt

    Collect your receipt from the bank and confirm it includes your PIN before you leave the counter.

  • Check the portal daily

    After you submit your application, check the portal at least once every day.

  • If someone is paying for you

    If your parents, family, a friend or anyone else is buying the PIN or paying your fees for you, make sure they have a copy of your NCRA ID and your current email address and phone number.

  • Tips and updates

    For tips, tricks and learnings, follow the TPEMIS WhatsApp Channel.

    Follow the TPEMIS WhatsApp Channel

  • Rapid technical support

    Stuck or something looks wrong? Reach the support team quickly.

    Get technical support

What happens next

Your journey, step by step

After you start, here is the path to enrolment. You can track every stage in your portal.

  1. Step 1 Get your Admission PIN

    Buy a PIN at a partner bank branch or online. Your identity details are recorded with the sale, your account is created, and the PIN arrives on your receipt or by email.

  2. Step 2 Activate your account

    First time here? Sign in with your email and the PIN as your initial password, then set your own password and confirm your phone with a one-time code sent by SMS, email or WhatsApp. Returning applicants and current students skip this - sign in with your existing password.

  3. Step 3 Complete and submit

    Fill in your application - your vital identity details from the PIN sale are already there and locked - and submit. Your status becomes Pending.

  4. Step 4 Confirmation

    We send you a welcome email and a submission confirmation right away.

  5. Step 5 We verify your qualifications

    Your national results (e.g. WASSCE) are checked automatically via the exam-board (WAEC) API, while any other qualifications are verified by the Student & Academic Affairs office. These run in parallel.

  6. Step 6 Identity match against WAEC

    The name, gender and date of birth on your application are matched against your WASSCE candidate record from WAEC. A mismatch does not reject you - it is flagged for staff to review, and your verified result stays on file so the check never has to be paid for twice. Use your names exactly as they appear on your WASSCE certificate.

  7. Step 7 Eligibility check

    The system matches you against the entry criteria for your campus, faculty, department and programme.

  8. Step 8 Faculty review

    The faculty reviews qualifying applicants and may invite you for an interview or entrance exam.

  9. Step 9 Recommendation and approval

    The Head of Department recommends shortlisted applicants and the Dean of Faculty approves.

  10. Step 10 Provisional admission letter

    Central Admissions issues your provisional letter - view and accept it in your portal.

  11. Step 11 Accept your offer and pay fees

    Accept your offer, then pay 100% of your fees via Mobile Money, card, or at the bank. Finance verifies your payment.

  12. Step 12 Admission number and ID card

    Central Admissions assigns your admission number and generates your student ID card.

  13. Step 13 Your student account

    The ICT Directorate creates your institutional Google Workspace email and links your student portal account with single sign-on.

  14. Step 14 Final admission letter

    Delivered with your admission number, ID, student email and portal login - all in one place.

  15. Step 15 Log in and enrol

    Sign in, print your fee receipt, and you are enrolled. Welcome to the University of Sierra Leone.

Self-service

Do it yourself, anytime

Your applicant portal is open from the moment your account is created until you enrol.

  • Track your progress

    See your real-time application status, from Pending all the way to Enrolled.

  • View and accept your letter

    Read your provisional admission letter online and accept or decline it digitally.

  • Pay tuition online

    Pay your fees in full via Mobile Money, card, or at the bank - your choice.

  • Reset your password

    Forgot your password? Send yourself a one-time reset link to the email you registered with.

    Reset password

  • Change your login email, phone or username

    Forgot which email you used, or lost access to it? Recover or change the email, phone number or username you sign in with by proving your identity.

    Recover or change your login

  • Retrieve your lost PIN

    Lost your Admission PIN? Recover it with your NIN, email and phone - it is re-sent to your email if it has not been used.

    Recover my PIN

  • Check your application status without logging in

    Enter your details to see where your application is in the process - no sign-in required.

    Check application status

  • Find out who used your PIN

    Check whether your PIN has been used and by whom - so you can spot a PIN used by someone else.

    Check PIN status

  • Check your admission fees payment status

    Confirm whether your application / admission fee payment has been received and verified.

    Check admission fees

  • Check your tuition fees payment status

    Confirm whether your tuition fee payment has been received and verified.

    Check tuition fees

  • Check your enrollment status

    See whether your enrollment is complete.

    Check enrollment

  • Find your Student ID card

    Locate and download your student ID card once it has been issued.

    Find my ID card

  • Find your Applicant ID

    Look up the applicant ID assigned to your application.

    Find my Applicant ID

  • Find the email and phone you applied with

    Not sure which email or phone number you used to pay for admissions? Recover them by proving your identity, then continue your application.

    Recover my details

Need help?

How to get support

Reach the right team fast. Save these before you start your application.

Ready to begin?

Buy your Admission PIN Sign in with your PIN account