More than 42,000 candidates who qualified for university admission after the 2024 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) did not apply for placement through the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS), government figures show.
Data from the Ministry of Education reveals that only 201,695 out of 244,563 candidates who attained the minimum university entry grade of C+ and above submitted applications during the recently concluded placement cycle. This leaves out 42,868 eligible students—approximately 17 per cent—who failed to seek placement via the official platform.
Speaking during the release of placement results at Jogoo House, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said: “I encourage those who have not applied to do so and apply for programmes in our universities including the Open University of Kenya and other tertiary institutions such as KMTC, whose intake is continuous.” He was accompanied by Higher Education PS Beatrice Inyangala and Basic Education PS Julius Bitok.
Despite missing the initial cycle, unplaced candidates still have alternative routes to higher education. Institutions such as the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) and various TVET colleges offer continuous admissions, with KUCCPS expected to open a second application window for the KMTC September intake.
This year, KUCCPS availed 986,137 placement slots, including 300,000 for university degree programmes approved by the Commission for University Education (CUE). These were sufficient to accommodate all 2024 KCSE candidates, as well as those from previous years.
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Out of the 965,501 candidates who sat the 2024 KCSE, 244,563 scored C+ and above, qualifying for university admission—while 706,148 became eligible for technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programmes.
KUCCPS has so far placed 194,372 candidates into various degree and diploma programmes, accounting for 79.4 per cent of those who qualified with C+ and above. Among these, 162,152 were assigned to public universities, while 17,873 joined private institutions.
Additionally, 7,640 candidates who qualified for university chose TVET institutions instead, while 6,750 opted to join KMTC and teacher training colleges, indicating increased interest in the health and education sectors.
Dr Ogamba highlighted that new institutions such as Kabarnet University College, Nyandarua University College, and West Pokot KMTC campus have been launched to boost access. “Among the most sought-after programmes were engineering, medicine, nursing, and education, while agriculture also recorded a remarkable rise in interest, making it the most improved programme this year,” he stated.
However, high demand for KMTC courses saw 18,677 students locked out due to limited capacity. KUCCPS received 52,725 applications against 34,048 available slots. So far, 25,034 students have been placed at KMTC, including 6,750 who scored C+ and above in the KCSE.
Programmes such as nursing, clinical medicine and surgery, emergency medical technician training, and community health remain among the most popular. The diploma and certificate in nursing course alone, with a capacity of 2,986, attracted over 27,000 applicants.
In a move to support medical trainees, Parliament allocated Sh500 million for financial aid through the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB). “This means that those who have been placed by KUCCPS to KMTC can now apply for financial support from HELB,” said Ogamba.
He added that expanding TVET opportunities must be accompanied by increased student support. “To supplement the funds already allocated to TVET and HELB, we will be inviting other ministries to set aside funds that can be allocated to HELB to administer as a revolving fund for supporting students enrolled in institutions under those ministries,” the CS said.
The Higher Education Fund (HEF) portal has also reopened, enabling students to apply for scholarships and loans. These are allocated based on a revised Means Testing Instrument (MTI), designed to improve accuracy and fairness.
“We have increased the variables in the MTI to capture details like school fees, parents’ income, medical expenses, and previous sponsorships. This ensures those in genuine need are not left behind,” Ogamba said.
This development follows a March ruling by the Court of Appeal, which overturned a High Court decision that had found the student-centred funding model discriminatory and unconstitutional, allowing for its reinstatement.
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