The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) will apply a revised framework for placing students into university degree programmes beginning with the 2026-27 academic cycle, the body has announced.
KUCCPS said the new criteria had undergone validation by stakeholders, including regulatory and professional bodies, and had received board approval ahead of implementation.
“The criteria review process began last year and, following validation by stakeholders and approval by the KUCCPS Board, will be implemented during placement to degree programmes in the 2026/2027 cycle,” the placement service said in a statement.
The stakeholder validation forum was held on March 18 at Kirinyaga University, where Secretary for Higher Education, Carol Hunja, attended on behalf of Principal Secretary for Higher Education, Beatrice Inyangala.
KUCCPS Board Chair Cyrus Gituai, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mercy Wahome, Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Chair Jamleck Muturi, and Commission for University Education (CUE) CEO Prof Mike Kuria were also present. Kuria chairs the Placement Criteria Review Committee. Vice Chancellors and principals of constituent university colleges from public and private institutions also attended.
KUCCPS described the revised placement as marking a significant shift in how students will select and be placed in their preferred courses.
Under the current system, KUCCPS places students based on merit, combining KCSE performance with subject-specific cluster points and student preferences. Candidates must attain a minimum grade of C+ to qualify for admission to the degree program. An Affirmative Action Criteria covering gender, persons with disabilities and students from marginalised regions is also applied to widen access.
Cluster weighted points, computed from a student’s performance in four relevant subjects, remain the key determining metric. Students are ranked in descending order per course, and the cluster weight of the last admitted student sets the cut-off point for that placement cycle. Slots are filled by merit until institutional capacity is reached, with preference given to a student’s top-priority choices.
Under the new system, the cluster point calculation process will be fully automated. Candidates will log in to the official student portal using their KCSE index numbers and submit up to six course choices, with the first three required to be for the same degree programme at three different universities. Choices four through six may be alternative courses or institutions.
The placement overhaul comes as the government moves to scrap the C+ minimum university entry grade in line with Kenya’s transition to the Competency-Based Education(CBE) system.
KUCCPS Signals Shift
KUCCPS CEO Agnes Wahome said in January that continued reliance on the minimum entry grade was becoming unsustainable, noting that Kenya had overemphasised grades as the primary measure of success and as a determinant of university admission.
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Her remarks followed the release of 2025 KCSE results, which showed that of the 993,226 candidates who sat the examination, only 270,715, representing 27.18 percent, attained the minimum C+ required for direct university admission. The remaining candidates were directed to colleges and TVET institutions.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, however, clarified that the C+ entry requirement remains in force and that the government had not changed the policy. The grade is expected to remain applicable until Kenya completes its full transition to the CBC system, a process estimated to take two years.
By Benedict Aoya
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