- The directive comes as KUCCPS announced the placement of 293,869 students into universities, TVET institutions, and other tertiary colleges for the 2026 placement.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has directed the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) to provide another opportunity for eligible 2025 Form Four leavers who failed to apply for placement into universities, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions and other tertiary colleges.
Speaking on Wednesday during the release of the 2026 KUCCPS placement results, Ogamba said no qualified student should miss out on higher education opportunities simply because they did not submit their applications during the initial placement window.
The Cabinet Secretary instructed KUCCPS to put in place a mechanism that will allow late applications, saying eligible candidates who missed the application deadline should be given another chance to apply for available courses.
The directive comes as KUCCPS announced the placement of 293,869 students into universities, TVET institutions, and other tertiary colleges for the 2026 placement.
Of those placed, 202,133 secured admission to degree programmes, while 28,246 were admitted to the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC). Another 765 students were placed at Kenya Utalii College, 875 joined Secondary Teacher Training College (TTC) programmes, and 500 were selected for diploma programmes at the Kenya School of Law.
ALSO READ:
KUCCPS 2026 placement: 202,133 placed for degree programmes out of 270,508 qualified candidates
Ogamba said the 2026 placement exercise was conducted against a backdrop of increased capacity in higher education institutions. A total of 327,157 university vacancies were available across 43 public and 33 private universities, compared to 270,508 candidates who attained the minimum university entry grade of C+ and above in the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination.
The government has also made available more than one million training opportunities in TVET institutions to ensure students have multiple pathways to pursue higher education and skills training.
The Cabinet Secretary further disclosed that 8,915 candidates who qualified for degree programmes opted to pursue diploma and other non-degree courses in tertiary institutions
KUCCPS has also extended the inter-institution transfer application period from two weeks to one month. The extension will allow students who have already been placed to apply for transfers to other universities or colleges if they wish to change their institutions or programmes.
Students can access their placement results by logging into the KUCCPS student portal using their KCSE index numbers to confirm the institutions and courses they have been assigned.
By Obegi Malack
You can also follow our social media pages on Twitter: Education News KE and Facebook: Education News Newspaper for timely updates.
>>> Click here to stay up-to-date with trending regional stories
>>> Click here to read more informed opinions on the country’s education landscape
