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| KUCCPS CEO Agnes Mercy Wahome |
More than 56,000 students who qualified for university admission in Kenya have yet to apply for placement through the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS), raising concern among education stakeholders.
According to KUCCPS data, over 268,000 candidates attained the minimum university entry grade of C+ and above in the 2025 KCSE examinations. However, by the close of the first application window, only about 212,000 students had successfully submitted applications for degree programmes.
Education experts say several factors are contributing to the low application numbers despite thousands of learners qualifying for admission.
One major reason is the growing preference for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions. Many students are increasingly choosing practical skill-based courses that offer faster entry into the job market compared to traditional university degrees.
Financial challenges are also discouraging many families from pursuing university education. Concerns over tuition fees, accommodation costs, and uncertainty surrounding government funding and HELB loans have left some students hesitant to apply.
At the same time, competition for marketable courses such as Medicine, Engineering, Pharmacy, and Nursing has intensified. KUCCPS confirmed that several highly demanded programmes filled up quickly during the initial application phase, forcing some applicants to reconsider their career choices.
KUCCPS has since reopened the application and revision portal to allow students who missed out or were unsuccessful in the first phase to submit fresh applications or revise their course selections. The agency is encouraging all eligible students to take advantage of the opportunity before the revision deadline expires.
The placement body noted that Kenya has enough university capacity to accommodate all qualified candidates. Public and private universities across the country collectively offer more than 322,000 degree programme slots for the 2026/2027 placement cycle.
Education officials continue to urge students to carefully review available programmes, consider career opportunities, and apply through the KUCCPS portal to avoid missing government-sponsored opportunities.
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