Education stakeholders have praised the Malawian government's shift to a merit and programme-capacity-based public university selection system. According to the Malawi Nyasa Times, the departure from the previous bed-space admission model allowed 20,682 out of 29,812 qualified applicants to secure places in higher education institutions for the 2026/2027 academic year.
Maranatha Private Schools Managing Director Ernest Kaonga endorsed the policy change, stating it rewards academic ability rather than limiting opportunities due to accommodation constraints. MBC reports that 52 students from Maranatha Academy were selected into public universities under the new framework out of the 90 who sat for the entrance examinations.