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2026 university placement results: KUCCPS explains how cut-off points are set
08th July, 2026 01:20 PM
The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) has explained that university course cut-off points are determined by students’ performance and competition for limited spaces, not by universities or the placement body.
Speaking during the release of the 2026 placement results on Wednesday, July 8, KUCCPS Chief Executive Officer Dr Agnes Mercy Wahome said the final score required for admission into a course is set by the last student placed in that programme at a particular university.
Her remarks addressed concerns from students and parents who often question why candidates with high KCSE grades fail to secure places in competitive programmes.
According to KUCCPS, students are ranked based on their cluster weight, which is calculated from performance in the subjects required for a specific course.
Why courses have different cut-off points
Dr Agnes Mercy Wahome stated every programme offered by universities falls under one of 18 subject clusters. Each cluster has its own subject requirements, depending on the course a student wants to pursue.
She explained that KUCCPS calculates cluster weights using a student’s performance in the subjects required for their preferred course. “Students are then ranked in order of performance in terms of their cluster weight,” she said.
The final student admitted into a programme sets the cut-off point for that course at that university. “We do not set the cut-offs. The students set the cut-offs by how they compete per programme,” she added.
The CEO noted that cut-off points differ from one university to another because institutions have different capacities and attract different applicants.
Therefore one university may have a medicine cut-off point of 46, while another may have 45, depending on the students who applied and the number of places available.
2025 KCSE candidates receive placement results
The explanation came as KUCCPS released placement results for candidates who sat the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba announced the results during an event held at The Edge Convention Centre in South C, Nairobi, ending months of waiting for students seeking admission to universities, Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions and teacher training colleges.
KUCCPS said placement was conducted under the Universities Act, 2012, with candidates assigned to institutions based on their KCSE performance, course choices and the available capacities declared by institutions.
Candidates who did not meet the cut-off point for their first-choice courses were considered for their subsequent choices.
More university and TVET spaces available
A total of 993,226 candidates sat the 2025 KCSE examination, with 270,715 attaining a C+ and above, the minimum grade required for direct university admission.
The number represented 27.18 per cent of the candidates and marked an increase in students qualifying for university placement compared to the previous KCSE cohort.
KUCCPS said Kenya’s 43 public universities and 31 private universities declared 322,396 degree spaces approved by the Commission for University Education. The available degree slots were more than the number of candidates eligible for direct university admission.
TVET institutions declared more than 1.13 million training spaces, while public teacher training colleges made available 2,480 slots.
KUCCPS said the available opportunities give candidates several pathways to continue with education and training after secondary school.
