Varsity selection starts as agency opens portal

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba. [File, Standard]

The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) will, from next week, open its portal for applications for the September 2025 university intake, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has said.

This announcement marks a critical step for students who sat for Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination last year.

In the 2024 KCSE exams, 246,391 candidates attained the minimum university entry grade, 45,258 more than in the 2023, which raised concerns on the cutoff point.

Ogamba said all 246,391 students who scored a mean grade of C+ and above are eligible for university placement.

"The government has not re-introduced a cut-off point for admission to university. The minimum admission requirement for the 2024 KCSE cohort remains a mean grade of C+," Ogamba said.

The placement portal has been active since January 24, primarily for students seeking admission to Kenya Medical Training Colleges (KMTC), Teacher Training Colleges, and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions for the March and May 2025 intakes.

Ogamba emphasized the government's dedication to ensuring fair and inclusive higher education opportunities.

"We are steadfast in our commitment to providing quality and relevant education and training through a system that is inclusive, accessible, and equitable. We will continue to work with all stakeholders in that regard," he said.

In a bid to fill remaining slots, KUCCPS has reopened the portal for KMTC applicants, allowing students another chance to apply. The portal, which was initially open from January 24 to February 14, is now accessible again until March 4.

"All applicants who were not successful in the last application and others who would like to join KMTC in March 2025 are invited to apply," read a KUCCPS notice.

On Wednesday, Ogamba acknowledged that the government may not be able to finance all qualifying candidates, prompting a review of available options.

Addressing higher education stakeholders at Lake Naivasha Resort during the Second Biennial Conference of the Universities Fund, Ogamba emphasized the need for critical decisions on university admission and funding.

"So, a few poignant questions arise: Can we afford to provide full loans and scholarships to all the 2024 KCSE university qualifiers, over and above the existing continuing students? Should we determine the optimal number of qualifiers that the government can afford to financially support, and allow the rest of the students to seek alternative funding and loans for their programmes?" Ogamba posed.

"We are meeting here when the country is set to make critical decisions on university admissions and funding, affecting the highest ever number of qualifiers for university admissions in the history of our country," he said.