Just two weeks to the Application deadline, over 100,000 candidates who sat for the 2024 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams and achieved a C+ grade or higher have yet to apply for university placement.
According to the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS), 104,514 of the 246,391 eligible candidates have applied for placement in degree programmes.
Additionally, 8,130 candidates eligible for degree programmes have opted for diploma courses in technical and vocational education and training (TVET), Kenya Medical Training College, Kenya School of Law, and Morendat School of Oil and Gas.
The KUCCPS extended the application window to allow more students to apply from the initial deadline of April 21 to April 30.
The 2025 placement exercise is expected to streamline the admission process, ensuring students are matched with courses that align with their career aspirations and qualifications.
KUCCPS announced that candidates who scored a mean grade of C+ and above in the 2024 KCSE examinations are now eligible to apply for placement in various universities and colleges.
Eligible students can apply for programs in 40 public universities, 29 private universities, and the Open University of Kenya (OPUK). Additionally, the placement includes training opportunities in TVET institutions, the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC), and TTCs.
The application process is accessible via the KUCCPS student portal at student.kuccps.net. Students have until April 30, 2025, to complete their applications.
KUCCPS staff, including those on temporary contracts, are conducting nationwide sensitisation campaigns to boost awareness and applications.
The support centres are distributed across the 47 counties and hosted in select universities, technical and vocational colleges, and national polytechnics. Additionally, students can seek application support in all 58 Huduma Centres nationwide, as well as at the KUCCPS headquarters at ACK Garden House on Ngong 1st Avenue in Nairobi.
The KUCCPS platform, which integrates with eCitizen, helps match candidates to degree or TVET programs based on their performance. This year, like in past years, it is expected that around 15 per cent of qualified candidates will pursue education abroad, opting for private universities or other institutions.
While universities have declared capacity for approximately 300,000 students, enough to accommodate all those eligible, the Commission for University Education (CUE) limits the number of students each university can admit based on available resources.
However, challenges loom for the incoming students. A High Court ruling in December annulled the government’s funding model for universities, leaving the funding situation uncertain for freshmen and those in the second and third years of study.
KUCCPS appealed the ruling, but its efforts to suspend the decision and proceed with the placement were unsuccessful. The body however, continues to urge students to apply to secure spots in academic programmes before the final day.
