The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) has opened its application portal for degree courses for the 2026/2027 academic year, ending the long wait.
It was widely expected that the applications would start in March. It did not happen, leaving the 2025 Kenya Certificate for Secondary Education (KCSE) examination candidates expectant even though they are expected to report to university by September.
In a statement on Tuesday, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba confirmed that the placement cycle began on April 7. It will run until May 6, giving the Form Four leavers a full month to apply for their preferred courses that will determine their career choices.
“This afternoon, I received a brief on the 2026/2027 Academic Year placement cycle from KUCCPS. The placement cycle has officially opened today, with the portal remaining open until May 6, 2026,” Mr Ogamba said.
Competition for courses is expected to be stiffer this year than in 2025 since 270,715 attained the minimum university entry grade of C+ and above while 993,226 sat for the exam. A year earlier when a total 962,512 sat for KCSE, 246,391 got the nod to proceed to university.
Of these, 1,932 (about 0.19 percent) got A Plain, slightly higher than the 1,693 (0.18 percent) in 2024.
The placement will cover programmes offered in 40 public universities, 29 private universities, and the Open University of Kenya.
Applicants should create an account on the KUCCPS website and log in using their KCSE index number, year of examination and password. Once logged in, candidates can view available institutions and their programmes before picking their preferences.
The Form Four graduates have room to choose up to six courses in order of priority, beginning with their most preferred option that has three slots, namely 1a, 1b, and 1c. This course can be spread in three universities, hoping to benefit from favourable cut-off points at different institutions. Options 2 to 4 give room to choose other programmes.
Candidates are required to indicate whether they are open to alternative programmes in case they do not secure their selections from the six. Applicants pay a processing fee of Sh1,500 while course transfers have been attracting a fee of Sh1,000.
While the most preferred courses have not changed much in the past decade, a trend has emerged where the Form Four leavers are opting for diploma or certificate courses instead of degree, perhaps guided by the fervent campaign by the government to grow skills acquisition in the quest for enterprise or technical jobs.
