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More than 57,000 students who met the minimum requirements for university admission have not secured slots in degree programmes, according to the latest placement results released by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS).
Following the shortfall, the Ministry of Education has extended the application review period to give affected students another opportunity to apply for available courses.
The move comes after more than 200,000 students were successfully placed in universities, colleges and other tertiary institutions during the 2026/27 admission cycle.
The 2025 KCSE cohort has now completed the transition process to higher education after KUCCPS released placement results. Of the nearly one million candidates who sat the examination, 268,729 achieved the required grade for university admission, but only 202,133 were placed in degree programmes.
This left tens of thousands of qualified candidates without degree placements, prompting the government to create an additional opportunity for them to seek available options.
KUCCPS Chief Executive Officer Agnes Wahome explained that some students who were not placed had already joined alternative programmes, including private universities, Module Two programmes in public universities, or were awaiting placement in institutions such as the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC).
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba directed KUCCPS to establish a system for late applications, urging eligible students who missed the initial application period to take advantage of the extended opportunity.
Ogamba said the government was committed to ensuring that no qualified student misses access to higher education and training opportunities.
Meanwhile, KUCCPS revealed that education courses remained the most preferred programmes among applicants, with education science and education arts attracting the largest share of interest.
Wahome said about 40 per cent of applicants expressed interest in pursuing teaching-related courses, making education one of the most competitive fields.
Medical courses also recorded high demand, with more than 6,500 applicants competing for only 702 available slots, making medicine among the most competitive programmes due to limited capacity and strict science subject requirements.
The Commission for University Education approved more than 327,000 vacancies across 76 public and private universities for the academic year.
Overall, KUCCPS placed nearly 294,000 students in various higher education institutions, including 28,246 students admitted to KMTC, 500 to paralegal studies, and 765 to Kenya Utalii College.
KUCCPS said placement decisions were based on students’ academic performance, course choices, merit, and the available spaces in institutions.
