The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) is gearing up to launch its online application system for the 2026/2027 academic year later this month, offering students a chance to secure placements in universities and colleges nationwide.
Institutions are preparing to admit new first-year students by the end of August, following the completion of the placement exercise.
According to Ministry of Education data, approximately 270,000 candidates who sat the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam achieved grades that qualify them for direct university entry.
The placement process will allow these students to choose from degree, diploma, and technical programmes across public institutions.
Vice chancellors from over 40 public universities met with KUCCPS chief executive Agnes Wahome to finalise preparations for the next intake. The leaders confirmed that the portal is expected to open by mid-March to give students sufficient time to submit their applications.
Vice Chancellors Committee chairman Daniel Mugendi said candidates will be required to review updated entry requirements that integrate academic performance with skills and competencies relevant to their chosen careers. Prof Mugendi added that the portal will remain open for one month to allow ample time for course selection and career guidance.
In 2025, 993,226 students sat the KCSE exam, an increase from 962,512 candidates in 2024, representing a 3.2 per cent rise. Of these, 1,932 attained grade A, up from 1,693 the previous year, while roughly 47,000 scored a mean grade of E, making them eligible for enrolment in vocational institutions.
“We were discussing this year’s intake and we have a clear roadmap. We invited the KUCCPS boss Dr Wahome, and her Universities Fund counterpart Edwin Wanyonyi to discuss the intake,” said Mugendi.
Wanyonyi noted that universities are revising placement criteria and expect the portal to be operational by the end of the month so that students can start applying promptly.
Mugendi, also vice-chancellor of the University of Embu, said universities are targeting the end of August for admitting the new cohort.
The university leaders have further proposed a harmonised academic calendar, with most institutions set to start the 2026/2027 academic year in August or September and orientation activities beginning in the final week of August.
Student welfare was a major focus during the discussions. University leaders pledged to collaborate with county security committees to enhance safety for students both on campus and in private hostels located nearby.
Measures will include stricter enforcement of hostel regulations, improved street lighting, and increased security patrols.
The vice chancellors also called on the government to ensure timely release of capitation and scholarship funds, citing predictable funding as critical for smooth operations.
They emphasized that continued government support is necessary to maintain institutional stability while reforms in the higher education sector are implemented.
“We met in Mombasa to discuss many important issues affecting education in our universities, chief among them financial sustainability and governance of our institutions,” said Mugendi.
Higher Education PS Beatrice Inyangala said the university leaders are speaking with one voice to strengthen the sector and improve governance and operational systems.
“It is these systems that determine the kind of outcomes we have and how they influence the progress of the country,” she said.
Wanyonyi urged parents to encourage their children to apply for university funding and ensure that all application information is accurate to avoid delays in processing.
