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The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service has announced that student placement into university degree programmes will follow a new set of criteria starting in the 2026–27 academic year.
According to KUCCPS, the revised guidelines have already been approved by key stakeholders, including regulatory and professional bodies. The review process began last year and, after validation and approval by the KUCCPS Board, will take effect during the 2026/2027 placement cycle.
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The validation exercise took place on March 18 at Kirinyaga University and was attended by top education officials, including Higher Education Secretary Carol Hunja, representing Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala. Also present were KUCCPS Board chair Cyrus Gituai, CEO Mercy Wahome, Teachers Service Commission chair Jamleck Muturi, and Prof Mike Kuria of the Commission for University Education.
Currently, KUCCPS places students into degree programmes based on merit, factoring in KCSE performance (with a minimum grade of C+), subject cluster points, and student course preferences. An affirmative action policy is also applied to support groups such as women, persons with disabilities, and students from marginalized regions.
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Cluster points remain the main basis for placement, calculated from performance in four key subjects. Students are ranked from highest to lowest, with admission cut-off points determined by the last student admitted into each programme. Placement also considers student choices and available university slots.
The process is competitive, ensuring top-performing students are placed first until available spaces are filled.
The introduction of the new criteria comes as part of plans to scrap the C+ minimum entry requirement in line with the Competency-Based Education system. KUCCPS had earlier indicated that the current threshold is no longer sustainable, especially after a large number of candidates in the 2025 KCSE exams failed to meet it.
Out of 993,226 candidates who sat the 2025 KCSE, only about 270,000 achieved a C+ and above—roughly 27 per cent—leaving over 722,000 students to seek placement in colleges and TVET institutions.
