The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service, KUCCPS, has placed 293,869 students in universities, colleges and tertiary institutions in the 2026/2027 placement cycle, marking the largest admission exercise since the centralized placement system was introduced in 2014.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, who presided over the release of the results, said the latest cycle reflects the continued expansion of access to higher education and technical training in the country.

The number is a sharp rise from 72,338 students placed during KUCCPS’ inaugural placement exercise in 2014.

“We have extended the transfer window from the usual two weeks to one month to give students additional time to make any necessary changes to their placements,” said CS Ogamba.

The placements cover degree programmes, Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions, teacher training colleges, the Kenya Medical Training College, the Kenya Utalii College and the Kenya School of Law.

According to KUCCPS, 987,536 candidates sat the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination. Of these, 980,535 were Kenyan citizens while 7,001 were non-citizens.

A total of 270,508 candidates, representing 27.4 per cent, attained the minimum university entry grade of C+ and above, while 717,028 candidates, or 72.6 per cent, qualified for diploma, certificate, artisan and other post-secondary programmes.

KUCCPS Chief Executive Officer Agnes Mercy Wahome said the placement exercise reached about 81 per cent of all candidates who qualified for university admission.

She said the remaining 19 per cent may have pursued other options, including studying abroad, joining the military, enrolling as self-sponsored students in public or private universities, or taking alternative career pathways.

Of the total placements, 202,133 students were admitted to degree programmes. Another 28,246 were placed at KMTC, 500 in the Diploma in Law programme at the Kenya School of Law, 765 at Kenya Utalii College, and 875 in secondary teacher training colleges.

Ogamba said the Commission for University Education had approved 327,157 vacancies across 43 public and 33 private universities, exceeding the number of candidates who qualified for degree admission.

He added that public TVET institutions have more than one million available training slots, underscoring the government’s push to absorb learners into skills-based training.

KUCCPS also disclosed that 8,915 candidates who qualified for degree programmes voluntarily chose to pursue non-degree courses in tertiary institutions.

Medicine remained the most competitive programme in the placement cycle. While universities had only 702 approved medical training slots, more than 6,500 candidates applied.

The applicants included 1,535 candidates who scored grade A and 3,328 who scored A-, highlighting the intense competition for limited medical training opportunities.

KUCCPS further noted that technical subjects continued to record the strongest performance among candidates. Aviation Technology had the highest proportion of candidates attaining C+ and above.

However, performance in science subjects remained a concern.

Chemistry recorded only 13 per cent of candidates scoring C+ and above, while Physics recorded 26 per cent, Biology 17 per cent and General Science 18 per cent.

Ogamba also used the release of the results to dismiss claims that the education sector is being starved of funds.

He said critics claiming education is underfunded “do not have their numbers right,” citing the government’s Sh784.5 billion allocation to the sector in the 2026/2027 Financial Year.

According to the CS, the allocation represents nearly 30 per cent of the national budget and is the largest share given to any government sector.

However, he acknowledged that financing remains a concern for universities and assured institutions that the government is working on a lasting solution to higher education funding.

Ogamba directed KUCCPS to reopen applications for eligible candidates who missed this year’s placement exercise, saying no qualified student should be left behind.

He also announced the extension of the inter-institution transfer window from the usual two weeks to one month, giving students more time to change institutions or programmes after the release of the placement results.

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