Following the opening of the Kenya Universities and Colleges Placement Service (KUCCPS) online application portal, the agency has issued fresh directives to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutes, as well as public and private universities, regarding student intake and programme offerings.
In a notice published in a local daily, KUCCPS instructed all higher education institutions to publish comprehensive details of their programmes on prominent platforms to help students make informed choices during the application period.
''TVETs and public and private universities are required to provide sufficient information about their programmes to enable potential students to make informed choices on their career pathways,'' the notice read in part.
The move comes after KUCCPS officially opened the online placement system for universities, public TVETs, and teacher training colleges (TTCs), running from March 28 to April 30, 2025.
The announcement targeted applicants seeking entry into public and private universities across the nation.
According to KUCCPS, an applicant seeking placement in either a public or private university must be a Kenyan citizen. Currently, non-citizens are not eligible for university placements in Kenya.
However, non-Kenyans are eligible for placement in the Diploma in Primary Teacher Education, Diploma in Early Childhood Teacher Education programmes, and Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) programmes.
Further, an applicant must have sat for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination, which is administered annually by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC).
A candidate seeking placement through KUCCPS must meet the minimum requirements to apply for degree, diploma, certificate, and artisan courses.
According to KUCCPS, an applicant looking to pursue a degree course must obtain a minimum grade of C+ (plus) in KCSE, while a diploma student must have at least a C- (minus). A certificate student is required to have a minimum grade of D+ (plus) in KCSE.
As the application window continues, KUCCPS CEO Agnes Wahome on Tuesday addressed concerns over students being placed in courses they did not apply for.
Wahome explained that the issue is most common among applicants for medical courses, noting that many students tend to focus heavily on a few specific programmes, leading to stiff competition and eventual placement in alternative courses.
