Students planning to join university can now submit their course choices after the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) opened its application portal. The announcement was made on Tuesday, April 7, by Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba following a meeting with KUCCPS officials led by CEO Agnes Wahome.
Ogamba said the portal is now active and invited candidates who sat the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams to apply for their preferred degree courses. He encouraged students who scored a mean grade of C+ and above to take advantage of the opportunity within the given timeline.
The application window will remain open for four weeks, closing on May 6, 2026. According to the CS, the KUCCPS team had briefed him on the preparations for the 2026/2027 placement cycle, confirming that the system is ready to receive applications.
Students are required to log into the KUCCPS portal using their KCSE index number, the year they sat the exam, and a password. They have been advised to use either their KCPE index number or birth certificate number as the password when accessing the system.
The placement service has listed 42 public universities and the Open University of Kenya as institutions where students can receive both government scholarships and Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) support. In addition, 30 private universities have been included, but students admitted there will only qualify for HELB loans and not government scholarships.
Applicants will also find that degree programmes have already been uploaded based on the 2024 cut-off points, which will guide the 2025 KCSE candidates during this placement cycle. This is meant to help students make informed decisions when selecting courses.
The programmes have been grouped into 20 clusters, depending on factors such as demand, available slots, and the capacity of institutions. This means some courses will be more competitive than others, and students are encouraged to choose wisely based on their grades and interests.
KUCCPS has urged all eligible students to apply early and carefully review their options before submitting their choices to avoid last-minute challenges.
