The government has announced the completion of the placement of 2024 KCSE candidates into universities, officially marking the beginning of the admission process under the new higher education funding model.
Education CS Julius Ogamba announced the completion on June 27, through a speech read on his behalf by Dr. David Watene, Director of Education in the State Department of Higher Education, during a joint graduation ceremony of JKUAT and Pan African University Institute for Basic Sciences, Technology and Innovation (PAUSTI) at JKUAT campus in Nairobi.
“KUCCPS has completed the placement of students who applied to join various universities based on the 2024 KCSE. I will release the results next week to facilitate admission for the 2025/2026 academic year,” said the speech read by Dr. Watene.
The placement exercise was conducted by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS). A total of 962,512 students sat the 2024 KCSE exam. Out of these, 246,391 candidates attained a mean grade of C+ and above, qualifying for placement into degree programmes in both public and private universities.
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Placements were based on merit, student preferences and available capacity in institutions.
The announcement comes ahead of the rollout of the New Higher Education Funding (NHEF) model, where the government has set aside KSh 41.5 billion for loans through HELB and KSh 16.9 billion for scholarships through the Universities Fund.
Under this model, students from vulnerable and needy backgrounds will be supported through a combination of scholarships and loans. Scholarships will cater for up to 70% of tuition fees for the most vulnerable, while loans will cover the rest. Those in private universities will only access loans.
The new model also requires students to apply for funding through the Higher Education Financing (HEF) portal after they receive their placement results.
“The new funding approach will ensure that every qualified student can access university education without financial barriers,” said Dr. Watene.
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Admissions for first year students are expected to take place between August and September 2025. Universities will release admission letters after KUCCPS announces the placement results next week.
The Ministry has advised students to prepare required documents, including KCSE result slips, birth certificates or IDs, and income details of parents or guardians, in readiness for the HEF application.
This marks the third year since the introduction of the NHEF model, which was launched in May 2023 and adjusted in March 2025 following court guidance.
By Benedict Aoya
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