Exciting News: University Applications Open with No Fee Hike in Sight
Parents of students who took the KCSE exam last year can breathe a sigh of relief, as there will be no increase in fees for their children’s university and college education. Universities and colleges have received instructions to maintain the fee structures set in the previous year and refrain from raising the costs of declared courses.
The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) has initiated the application process for courses available to the 899,453 students who qualified for degree and diploma programs after completing the 2023 KCSE. Investigations by The Standard have revealed that the Universities Fund (UF) and high-ranking Ministry of Education officials are diligently reviewing declared courses and associated costs to identify any institutions that might have increased fees.
Reports indicate that vice-chancellors have been cautioned about potential punitive measures should they be found in violation of directives against fee hikes. The current cohort marks the second set of students to be admitted under the new funding model, granting universities the flexibility to establish individual program fees while maintaining consistency for enrolled students throughout their studies.
KUCCPS Chief Executive Officer, Mercy Wahome, emphasized that the online application portal is open for last year’s candidates, and school leavers from the past 12 years are also eligible to apply for non-degree courses. The application process encompasses placement in various programs, including degree, diploma, certificate, craft, and artisan courses.
Out of the total qualified students, 201,073 are eligible for degree programs across universities nationwide, while the remaining 694,231 are vying for placements in diploma and certificate programs at TVET institutions, Teachers Training Colleges (TTCs), and Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) campuses. A total of 69 universities, including the Open University of Kenya, three secondary TTCs, 226 public TVET colleges, and 86 KMTC campuses have declared vacancies.
Last year, certain degree programs such as Medicine, Dental Surgery, Pharmacy, and Engineering stood out as the most expensive under the new funding model. Students enrolling in Medicine and Dental Surgery this September may face fees as high as Sh600,000, depending on their university of choice, for the first year.
