Background:
Prior research has shown that academic reading is a challenge for university students. One of the stated explanations is that, in contrast to other kinds of reading, academic reading calls for a deeper and more critical analytical ability in order to engage with a range of texts. Further research has shown that the need for students to use a range of skills, such as questioning, interpreting, synthesizing, and reflecting on the texts, makes academic reading more challenging.

Objectives:
Therefore, the current study sought to diagnose the reading challenges that students at a particular institution faced.

Method:
The study followed a qualitative research approach, and a phenomenological research design was deemed relevant for the study. A targeted sample of 65 respondents was selected to answer the open-ended questionnaire. Content analysis was used to analyse the collected data.

Results:
The results showed that university students’ reading challenges were associated with limited English vocabulary, poor reading comprehension, boring material and time constraints.

Conclusion:
The results of this study are expected to raise lecturers' awareness of the reading challenges that their students face. It is crucial to have this knowledge since it might be used to create a thoughtful intervention that would help to remove the pupils' reading challenges.

Contribution:
The results of the study provide data that could create English lecturers’ awareness of their students’ reading challenges so that they could provide interventions that would eliminate the reading challenges of their students.

Keywords: Reading, reading comprehension, academic reading, reading difficulties, reading proficiency, reading material.