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Nearly 294,000 students who sat the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination have secured places in universities and colleges after the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) released the 2026/27 placement results.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba announced the results on Tuesday at the Edge Convention Center in South C, Nairobi, describing the exercise as another step in widening access to higher education and technical training.
In total, 293,869 students were placed in degree programmes and various diploma and certificate courses across universities and tertiary institutions.
Of the 980,535 candidates who sat the 2025 KCSE examination, 270,508 attained the minimum university entry grade of C+ and qualified to apply for degree programmes. The remaining candidates applied for courses in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions.
The latest placement saw 202,133 students admitted to degree programmes. Another 28,246 secured places at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC), while 500 were admitted to the Diploma in Law (Paralegal Studies) programme at the Kenya School of Law. Kenya Utalii College admitted 765 students, and 875 were placed in secondary teacher training colleges.
Ogamba said 8,915 students who qualified for university admission instead chose non-degree programmes, reflecting what he described as growing confidence in alternative career pathways.
He said TVET institutions continue to expand flexible training options through competency-based courses that can be completed within three to six months.
“We recognise that some eligible students did not apply for placement because they may have opted to pursue alternative pathways to higher education and training. For example, they may have joined the disciplined forces, enrolled in overseas training, or taken up self-sponsored programmes in universities and colleges that did not go through the KUCCPS portal,” Ogamba said.
He acknowledged that others may have missed the application window because of personal circumstances and said the ministry had directed KUCCPS to create a system for tracking such students.
“If there are those who missed the opportunity to apply for any other reason, we are going to give them a chance to re-apply,” he said.
The Education Ministry has instructed KUCCPS to open a late application process, giving eligible candidates another opportunity to seek placement.
Students who are unhappy with the courses or institutions allocated to them will also have more time to request transfers. Ogamba announced that the transfer window would be extended from the usual two weeks to one month.
Universities and colleges have been directed to begin issuing admission letters and joining instructions immediately.
The Cabinet Secretary also urged successful applicants seeking government financial support to apply without delay through the Higher Education Funding and HELB portals.
According to Ogamba, every student who applied through KUCCPS is assured of admission.
He said the Commission for University Education approved 327,157 university vacancies across 43 public and 33 private universities for the 2026/27 academic year, meaning available university spaces exceeded the number of qualified applicants.
Beyond universities, he noted that public TVET institutions still have about one million available places, providing additional opportunities for learners pursuing technical and vocational careers.
Ogamba said the latest figures highlight the steady expansion of Kenya’s higher education sector since KUCCPS carried out its first placement exercise in 2014.
That year, 72,338 students were placed in universities and colleges. This year’s intake of 293,869 students marks a sharp increase, reflecting both expanded capacity and growing demand for post-secondary education.
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