Education

KUCCPS reopens portal for inter-university transfers

Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) CEO Dr. Agnes Wahome. (Photo: Justine Ondieki)

By Lucy Mumbi | Tuesday, June 4, 2024

Appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Education on Tuesday, Wahome noted that the reopening of the portal will allow students to switch courses or universities of their choice.

The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) has reopened its portal for students seeking inter-university transfers, KUCCPS Executive Officer Agnes Wahome announced.

Appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Education on Tuesday, Wahome noted that the reopening of the portal will allow students to switch courses or universities of their choice.

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“We are opening the systems tomorrow, June 5, to allow students to transfer. So they have adequate time before they can join in September,” she told the MPs.

Applicants may only apply to transfer to one program and can only transfer once during the duration of the program. Students who wish to apply will have to make their applications on the KUCCPS student portal: http://students.kuccps.net.

The deadline is July 4, 2024.

However, the placement process has faced criticism and scrutiny, with issues emerging that some students were placed in private universities while they had chosen public institutions. This, according to the MPs, has led to some students missing out on government funding.

“I have a case of a student who has been placed in Kabarak University. So him and his parents know that the institution is public but it’s not. Why don’t you set your portal to show public and private institutions separately? I assume your portal just mixes up and that’s why these students end up selecting private institutions thinking they are public,” Malava MP Moses Malulu said.

“Your portal has to be very clear and user-friendly for students to differentiate between private and public universities,” Tinderet MP Julius Melly added.

In her defence, Wahome pleaded with the Committee to support KUCCPS in enhancing its systems to curb these challenges.

This year, out of 201,133 candidates who scored a mean grade of C+ or above, 134,743 students were placed in various public universities across the country, while 18,528 were placed in private institutions. Additionally, 153,301 candidates opted to pursue degree programs while 11,991 students opted for diploma courses.

“Eighty-five per cent of 2023 KCSE candidates with C+ and above, made applications where 76.2 per cent opted for degree courses while the rest opted for diplomas,” she said.

Further, 7,834 students opted to join universities that are of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) level, and 19,653 others were placed in various Kenya Medical Training Colleges (KMTC).

During the meeting, Wahome revealed that 6,000 students were put on hold because they did not make any application. She noted that they will be placed in the September intake, which will open on June 10, 2024.

“These 6,000 will have the priority to join KMTC because they did not apply,” she said.