The long wait is finally over for thousands of Kenyan students who sat the 2025 KCSE examination. The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) has officially released the placement results, confirming where students will pursue their higher education dreams.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba announced the results on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, at an event held at the Edge Convention Centre in South C, Nairobi.
The announcement brought relief to parents, students and teachers who have been anxiously waiting to know which institutions and courses the students have been placed in.
A total of 993,226 candidates sat the 2025 KCSE examination, up from 962,512 in 2024. This represents an increase of 30,714 candidates, or 3.19 per cent. Of these, 980,535 were eligible to apply for placement.
The performance this year was quite impressive. The number of candidates who attained the direct university entry grade of C+ and above rose to 270,715, representing 27.18 per cent of all candidates. This is a significant improvement from 2024 when 246,391 candidates, or 25.53 per cent, achieved the same grade.
Among the top performers, 1,932 candidates attained a mean grade of A (plain), up from 1,693 candidates in the previous year.
According to CS Ogamba, a total of 293,869 students have been successfully placed in various institutions for the 2025/2026 academic cycle. This represents a sharp increase from the annual average of about 70,000 placements recorded in previous years.
Of those placed, 202,133 students secured admission to degree programmes at both public and private universities across the country. The remaining students were placed in diploma, certificate and artisan programmes at various institutions.
The breakdown of placements shows that 28,246 students were placed at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC). 500 applicants secured places in Diploma in Law (Paralegal) programmes at the Kenya School of Law. 765 students were admitted to Kenya Utalii College, and 875 students were placed in secondary Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs).
For the first time, KUCCPS has placed students to Kenya Utalii College through the central placement system, marking an expansion of institutions available to applicants.
Additionally, 8,915 candidates who qualified for degree programmes opted instead to pursue TVET courses, reflecting growing interest in skills-based education.
KUCCPS CEO Dr Agnes Mercy Wahome explained that a total of 51,835 students who qualified for university admission by attaining a C+ and above did not apply for placement through KUCCPS.
These students chose alternative pathways including studying abroad, joining the military, or enrolling in public and private universities as self-sponsored students.
The application rates varied across different grades. Students who scored A had an application rate of 96.3 per cent, while those in the C+ category had an application rate of 75.1 per cent.
Students can now access their placement results through the KUCCPS Student Portal. Here is a simple step-by-step guide:
Log in using your username (KCSE index number), enter the examination year as 2025, and use your password which is your birth certificate number. Once logged in, your dashboard will display a message indicating the institution and course to which you have been admitted.
Candidates whose results are not yet visible are encouraged to keep checking and refreshing the portal as updates are being uploaded. KUCCPS is also sending placement notifications to candidates through their registered mobile phone numbers.
Applicants are advised to ensure promotional messages are enabled on their phones to avoid missing these important notifications.
KUCCPS places students but it does not admit them. After placements are released, universities and colleges will begin issuing admission letters and joining instructions through their own admission portals.
These documents contain important information including reporting dates, registration requirements, accommodation procedures and the documents you will need on your first day.
Students who require financial support can now apply through the Higher Education Funding application portal. The government provides both loans through HELB and scholarships to students joining public universities and public TVET institutions.
Students enrolling in private universities are eligible only for HELB loans. Those admitted before the 2022 cohort continue to be funded under the previous funding model.
The government has extended the inter-institution transfer period from two weeks to one month, giving students more time to request changes to their placements where necessary.
The 2025 KCSE examination recorded improved performance across the board. The number of candidates scoring C- and above increased to 507,131 (50.92 per cent), compared to 476,889 (49.41 per cent) the previous year.
Those attaining a pass grade of D+ and above also increased to 634,082 (63.67 per cent), up from 605,774 (62.76 per cent) in 2024.
The placement exercise accounted for 81 per cent of all students who attained a C+ and above in the 2025 KCSE examination. However, KUCCPS noted that applications continued to outstrip available capacity in some competitive courses.
For instance, while 6,500 students applied for Bachelor of Medicine programmes, universities had capacity for only 702 students.
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