How to Apply for Courses on KUCCPS Portal 2024

Applications for placement at Kenya’s tertiary institutions by 2023 from four candidates are ongoing. The process has been marred by system difficulties, resulting in Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) extending the application deadline twice.

The current deadline stands at March 4. 

KUCCPS is the central body mandated to place government-sponsored students in universities and colleges. After the release of the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) results in mid January, the placement body opened their portal on February 8. The application process was expected to take two weeks. However, the KUCCPS portal experienced technical challenges that prevented many students from completing their applications on time. The current extension is the second one, with the first extension being February 26.

How The Placement Works

Upon logging in to the KUCCPS portal, a student will see all the courses that they have access to. Currently, a student will have access to 545 degree programmes, 217 diploma programmes, 112 certificate programs, and 145 artisan programmes. 

All the programs listed have minimal requirements that a student needs to meet before they are allocated admission to the course. Degree courses have the highest grade requirements of C+ and above.

In the portal, the student will only be able to apply for the courses for which they have met the minimum requirements. However, the selection is determined by the overall group performance and the available spaces. 

For instance, if a student wanted to apply for a nursing course at the University of Nairobi, they would have to meet the minimum grade requirement, for instance, B+. However, whether a student gets allocated the course or not will depend on how many other students apply for the course and how the student ranks. If the University of Nairobi has only 30 spaces to fill for the course, the system will rank the students who have applied for the course and only allocate the top 30 to the course.

If a student fails to secure their first option at their preferred university, they will be moved to other universities that offer the same course as indicated by the student in their first choice options. The system will cascade down until it finds the course where the student qualifies and allocates them the course.

Note that private universities may ask for higher fees compared to public universities, even if you applied through the KUCCPS portal.

Additionally, if you transfer courses and shift from the one allocated by KUCCPS, you may be required to pay similar fees to privately sponsored students.

How To Apply

KUCCPS applications are done via the portal. 

• Log in using your KCSE index number as the username, then enter the KCSE year. 
• For the password, use your Birth Certificate No. or KCPE index number. Note: The KCPE index number should match the one used in your KCSE registration.
• Once logged in, you will see all the programmes you can apply for.
• The KUCCPS system will tell you the course you qualify for, depending on your cut-off points
• Explore the system to have a comprehensive understanding of the courses offered.
• If you find a course that you are interested in, add it to the courses basket
• After perusing through the courses and adding all the courses you like to the basket, go to the basket for final selection.
• You have four options to fill in your selection.
• The first option is that you can choose up to three universities
• For options 2, 3, and 4, you can only choose one university.
• Make sure option one is the course you desire the most.
• Analyse the courses in your basket and arrange them accordingly.
• Take note of the course codes in the order you have chosen, enter the codes as your chosen courses, and submit.
• After you submit, you will be prompted to make payment.
• The payment pop-up will direct you to make payment through eCitizen. It will generate a unique code for you.
• Go to M-Pesa and pay using PayBill 222222. Enter the unique code as the account number.
• You will be required to pay Ksh1500.
• In your M-Pesa message, you will also find a unique code that you enter in the pop-up to complete the process.

Take note, you do not enter the M-Pesa code, but a code in the M-Pesa message.

You can apply for courses in universities, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions, the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC), Teachers Training Colleges (TTC) and the Open University of Kenya.

Application Tips

In case of erroneous payment, the amount paid can be reversed. If the payment was made on a non-existent account, the payment will be reversed within 14 days. However, if the wrong payment was made to an existing account, then a reversal must be requested in writing to the Chief Executive Officer.

Ensure you do not delete the M-Pesa message. You can also record the details somewhere else to be safe. When making a follow-up or making any changes, you will need the transaction code.

If you delete the message or lose the message entirely, you can request your M-Pesa statement from Safaricom to retrieve the code.

When making payments, make the payment in one lump sum. Do not break up the payment. For instance, if you do not pay Ksh1000, then pay Ksh500.

Ensure you double-check all your details before making a payment to avoid inconveniences.

Applicant Eligibility

To qualify to apply on the KUCCPS portal, you need to be a Kenyan citizen. 

You need to meet the following minimum requirements for different programmes

• Degree programmes: C+
• Diploma programmes: C-
• Craft programmes: D
• Artisan programs: E

Anyone can also apply through KUCCPS, even if they did not sit for their KCSE in 2023. However, candidates who have never benefitted and those who sat for their KCSE in 2023 will be given priority.

Applicant Choices

Different students are afforded different choices on the KUCCPS portal depending on their KCSE performance. 

• Applicants with a C+ and above are allowed a maximum of six choices for degree programs. The first three options are similar programs in three different institutions and the other three options are different programs in different institutions.
• Applicants with C- and above are afforded a maximum of 8 choices. Four of the choices are diploma courses and four other choices are certificate programmes.
• Applicants with D and above are also afforded 8 choices. Four of the choices are certificate courses, while the other four choices are craft courses.
• Applicants with D and below only have four choices and they are all artisan courses.

Wrapping Up

The KUCCPS application is still ongoing. Once the process is complete, the placements will be made and communicated to the candidates. To find out where you have been placed, you can log back into the system.