The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) has opened its application portal for the 2026/2027 academic year, allowing students who sat the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams to apply for degree courses across various institutions.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba announced the start of the placement cycle, confirming that the KUCCPS portal is now live and will remain open until May 6, 2026, giving candidates a four-week window to submit their applications.
“This afternoon, I received a brief on the 2026/2027 Academic Year placement cycle from the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS),” stated CS Ogamba.
“The placement cycle has officially opened today, with the KUCCPS placement portal remaining open until 6th May, 2026.”
The application process targets KCSE candidates, particularly those who attained a minimum grade of C+, and are seeking placement in degree programmes.
KUCCPS has listed institutions available for placement, including 40 public universities, 29 private universities, and the Open University of Kenya (OPUK). Students placed in public universities and OPUK will qualify for both government scholarships and Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) support, while those admitted to private universities will only be eligible for HELB loans.
Candidates have been directed to access the KUCCPS student portal to begin the application process. To log in, applicants are required to enter their KCSE index number, the year they sat the exam, and a password. Students have been advised to use their KCPE index number or birth certificate number as the default password.
How to apply
Applicants are required to visit the KUCCPS website and select the student portal under the portals section. Once on the platform, they should create an account by filling in the required details.
After registration, candidates can log in using their KCSE index number, KCSE year, and password. Upon successful login, the dashboard will display a list of available institutions and courses.
Students should then navigate to the institutions tab to explore the universities and colleges available for placement. They are required to select their preferred courses and add them to their basket while taking note of the respective programme codes.
To complete the application, candidates should click on the “Application” tab and select “Apply Now.” They will then be required to enter the programme codes in the provided form, arranging them in order of priority.
KUCCPS guidelines require applicants to list their first choice course under options 1a, 1b, and 1c, selecting the same programme in three different universities. This should then be followed by other course choices in descending order of preference.