Over 42,000 KCSE qualifiers shun university courses

By Newsflash Writer

More than 42,000 students who qualified for university admission after sitting the 2024 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams failed to apply for placement through the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS), new government data has shown.

According to figures from the Ministry of Education, 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 implies that 42,868 eligible students—representing about 17 percent of those who met the university entry criteria—did not seek placement into either degree or tertiary programmes via the official government platform. While releasing the placement results at Jogoo House, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba urged the unplaced candidates to take advantage of continuous intakes being offered by various institutions.

“I encourage all those who have not yet applied to consider applying for programmes in our universities, including the Open University of Kenya, as well as institutions like KMTC that offer continuous intakes,” said Ogamba, who was accompanied by Higher Education PS Beatrice Inyangala and Basic Education PS Julius Bitok.

Though they missed the main placement round, these candidates still have alternative routes into higher education. Institutions like the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) and numerous TVET colleges offer year-round admissions, and KUCCPS is preparing to accept a second round of applications for KMTC’s September intake.

Universities, KMTC and TVET opportunities remain open

This year, KUCCPS had a total of 986,137 slots available—sufficient to accommodate all 2024 KCSE candidates, including those from previous years. Of these, universities alone had a declared capacity of 300,000 for degree programmes, approved by the Commission for University Education (CUE) based on infrastructure availability.

Out of the 965,501 candidates who sat the 2024 KCSE, 244,563 attained the minimum university grade, while the remaining 706,148 qualified for TVET and other technical training programmes. So far, KUCCPS has successfully placed 194,372 students into degree and tertiary programmes, translating to a 79.4 percent placement rate among those who scored C+ and above.

Of those placed, 162,252 students secured slots in public universities, while 17,873 went to private institutions. Additionally, 7,640 candidates who qualified for university opted for TVET courses, and 6,750 joined Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) and teacher training institutions, signalling rising interest in healthcare and education-related careers. Dr. Ogamba highlighted that new public institutions like Kabarnet University College and Nyandarua University College had opened to increase access, along with newly launched KMTC campuses such as West Pokot College and new TTCs for teacher training.

“Engineering, medicine, nursing, and education remained the most sought-after programmes, with agriculture also showing a significant rise in demand, making it the most improved programme this year,” Ogamba stated. However, the demand for KMTC slots outpaced availability. A total of 52,725 qualified applicants vied for only 34,048 slots, leaving 18,677 students unplaced. The 25,034 students successfully placed in KMTC included 6,750 candidates who had scored C+ or higher in the 2024 KCSE.

Boost for learners

The diploma and certificate nursing courses—whose combined capacity was 2,986—drew over 27,000 applications, underscoring continued interest in health-related fields. Other popular KMTC programmes included clinical medicine and surgery, medical emergency technician training, and community health.

In a major boost to students pursuing medical training, Parliament allocated Sh500 million for loans through the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) specifically targeting KMTC students.

“This allocation allows KUCCPS-placed KMTC students to now apply for financial assistance through HELB,” said Ogamba. He added that as the government expands TVET opportunities, there is an urgent need to increase student support. “To complement the existing TVET and HELB allocations, we are calling on other ministries to designate funds for HELB to administer as revolving loans to students in institutions under their oversight,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Higher Education Fund (HEF) portal has been reopened, enabling placed students to apply for government scholarships and loans. These allocations are now guided by a revised Means Testing Instrument (MTI), designed to enhance fairness and accuracy.

“We’ve expanded the MTI variables to include details such as school fees, household income, medical costs, and prior sponsorship. This will ensure that genuinely needy students are prioritized,” said Ogamba. He also noted that in March, the Court of Appeal overturned a previous High Court ruling that had declared the student-centred funding model unconstitutional, thereby reinstating it for use.