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More than 293,000 students who completed the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination have been admitted to universities, colleges and technical institutions after the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) released the 2026/27 placement results.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba announced the placement results on Tuesday at the Edge Convention Centre, College of Insurance, South C, Nairobi.
A total of 980,535 KCSE 2025 candidates were eligible to apply for courses through the KUCCPS portal. Of these, 270,508 students attained the minimum C+ grade required for university degree programmes, while others applied for technical and vocational training opportunities.
KUCCPS placed a total of 293,869 students into various programmes, including degree courses, Level 6 diploma programmes, Level 5 certificate courses and Level 4 artisan programmes in universities and tertiary institutions across the country.
The placements include 202,133 students admitted to degree programmes, 28,246 joining the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC), 500 placed in the Kenya School of Law’s Diploma in Law (Paralegal Studies), 765 admitted to Kenya Utalii College, and 875 placed in Teacher Training College programmes.
Ogamba said 8,915 students who qualified for university degree programmes chose to pursue non-degree courses and were placed in other tertiary institutions.
The CS highlighted the growing popularity of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions, saying they now offer flexible modular courses that allow learners to acquire certified skills through short programmes lasting between three and six months.
He acknowledged that some eligible candidates did not apply through KUCCPS because they had taken alternative education and career routes, including joining disciplined forces, pursuing overseas training or enrolling in self-sponsored programmes.
Ogamba said KUCCPS had been directed to develop a system to track students who did not apply and create an opportunity for those who missed the deadline to submit late applications.
Students who are unhappy with their assigned institutions or courses will also have more time to request transfers, with the transfer period extended from two weeks to one month.
The Cabinet Secretary instructed universities and colleges to begin admission procedures immediately and issue joining instructions to successful applicants.
He also encouraged students seeking financial assistance to apply through the Higher Education Portal, saying funding applications are now open for first-time applicants.
Ogamba assured all students who applied for placement that they would receive admission opportunities, noting that universities had more available spaces than the number of qualified applicants.
The Commission for University Education approved 327,157 vacancies across 43 public and 33 private universities for the 2026/27 academic year, while public TVET institutions have about one million available slots.
The CS said the placement figures demonstrate a shift in attitudes towards career choices, with more students embracing diverse academic and skills-based pathways.
He praised KUCCPS for expanding access to higher education, noting that placements have grown significantly since the agency’s first exercise in 2014, when only 72,338 students were admitted compared with the 293,869 students placed this year.
