The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) has announced the official opening of the inter-institutional transfer window for students placed in universities and colleges for the 2025/2026 academic year. 

The period of transfer runs from July 14 to August 24, 2025, allowing students an opportunity to change their institutions or programmes, subject to approval. 

The annual process is designed to give students who were placed during the main cycle but may wish to pursue different programmes or move to other institutions a chance to realign their academic paths. 

KUCCPS has emphasised that all transfers must be conducted strictly through the online application system, following clearly outlined steps. 

“The student initiates an online transfer application, which will be submitted to the receiving institution, and the receiving institution endorses the application through their institution portal and accepts the student online,” said KUCCPS Chief Executive Officer Dr Agnes Mercy Wahome 

In a letter addressed to the Vice Chancellors, Principals of constituent colleges, and Directors of TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) institutions, Wahome explained in detail the procedure for inter-institutional transfers. 

Seamless process 

Wahome also stated that the releasing institution will receive the application letter and release the student through the same portal.

The endorsed application reverts to KUCCPS online reviews and approves the transfer, generating a formal transfer letter. 

Wahome reminded institutions to strictly adhere to the minimum programme requirements, including cut-off points and subject clusters, when processing any intra-faculty or programme-level transfers in degree programmes. 

On July 1, 2025, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba announced the successful completion of the placement process for the 2024 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) candidates into universities and colleges. 

Ogamba praised KUCCPS for a seamless and technologically-enhanced exercise that saw over 310,000 students placed into various programmes. 

The Minister stated that there were 986,137 openings across universities, TVETs, and teacher training institutions sufficient to accommodate not only the 2024 KCSE cohort but also applicants from previous years. 

Out of the 244,563 candidates who scored a mean grade of C+ and above, 194,372 (80 per cent) were placed in degree programmes.  

Among the 950,711 Kenyan students who sat the 2024 KCSE exam, 706,148 qualified for TVET and other tertiary programmes.

Ogamba has urged the 43,868 eligible students who have not yet applied for university placements to submit applications to institutions, including KMTC and the Open University of Kenya, which have ongoing intakes. 

The government has continued to expand training capacity by launching new institutions, including Kabarak University College and Nyandarua University College.

Several KMTC campuses were also established, the latest being in West Pokot. Additionally, new teacher training colleges were opened in Northern Kenya. 

A total of 93,207 students have been placed into public TVET institutions for the March, May, and upcoming September intakes.

For KMTC, 52,725 qualified students applied, against an available capacity of 34,040.

Nursing programmes continued to be the most sought after, and the  CS announced a second round of KMTC applications for the September intake is ongoing. 

Following revisions to entry requirements based on recommendations by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reform, enrolment in teacher training colleges saw a notable boost.

KUCCPS received 20,786 applications for diploma programmes in teacher education, with 11,636 students securing placements.

Of these, 10,800 joined diploma programmes for primary education and 836 for secondary education. 

“Another positive development in this year’s placement is the introduction of the Kenya School of Law Diploma in Law in the KUCCP placement portal, with a capacity of 500. The programme has received overwhelming interest and the slots were filled,” Ogamba revealed. 

Ogamba also announced that university tuition fees have been rationalised, with some reduced by as much as 40 per cent, depending on the course.   

“The highest decrease in terms of rationalisation of fees was in the area of medicine because it was the highest figure that was there,” he said. 

Students can also now apply for financial aid through the Higher Education Fund, whose portal is currently open.