Students seeking to change the universities or colleges they have been placed in will now have one month to do so after the Ministry of Education extended the KUCCPS inter-university transfer window, giving learners more time to review their choices and make decisions before reporting to their institutions.
The announcement was made by Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba during the release of the 2026/2027 Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) results.
He said the transfer period, which has traditionally lasted two weeks, has been doubled to one month to allow students enough time to make informed decisions about their academic and career paths.
“I know that some students who have been placed today may wish to transfer from one university to another. In order to allow adequate time and opportunity for such transfers, this year we will be extending the transfer window from the period that is normal of two weeks to one month,” Ogamba announced.
The announcement comes after KUCCPS completed the placement of 293,869 students into universities and other tertiary institutions for the 2026/2027 academic year, the highest number recorded since the centralized placement system began in 2014.
Out of the total placements, 202,133 students secured university degree slots. Another 28,246 were placed at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC), 765 at Kenya Utalii College, 500 in the Kenya School of Law Diploma in Law programme, while 875 were admitted to secondary teacher training colleges.
Ogamba said there was enough capacity to admit every student who qualified for university education.
He noted that 270,508 candidates attained the minimum university entry grade of C+ and above, compared to the 327,157 available spaces across public and private universities.
He directed all universities and colleges that received successful applicants to begin processing admissions immediately and issue joining instructions without delay.
“Universities and colleges to which students have been placed are now expected to immediately work on preparations for admission and communicate appropriate joining instructions following the conclusion of the placement process,” he said.
The Cabinet Secretary also announced that the Higher Education Financing portal had been opened for first-time applicants seeking government scholarships and student loans.
“The Higher Education Financing Portal is now open for applications by first-time applicants. All placed students interested in securing funding are therefore advised to apply as soon as possible,” Ogamba said.
At the same time, the Ministry directed KUCCPS to reopen the placement application portal for eligible 2025 KCSE candidates who did not submit applications during the initial placement exercise.
Ogamba encouraged students to take advantage of both the extended transfer period and the reopened application window, saying the government’s priority is to ensure that “no student should be left behind” in accessing higher education and training.