KUCCPS to offer guidance on degree course revision in Wednesday webinar

KUCCPS CEO Mercy Wahome. /FILE

The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) will Wednesday evening hold a webinar to guide students seeking to revise their degree course choices as the fresh application window nears closure.

The webinar comes amid heightened activity on the KUCCPS student portal after the placement agency reopened applications on May 16 following the expiry of the initial application period on May 6.

The second application window is expected to give students another opportunity to revise university degree choices or make fresh applications to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions, the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) and Kenya Utalii College.

KUCCPS said the portal will remain open until midnight on May 22, 2026.

As the deadline approaches, the placement agency is now seeking to guide students through the revision process to minimise errors and improve their chances of securing placement.

KUCCPS chief executive officer Mercy Wahome is expected to lead the online session, which will address common concerns raised by applicants during the revision exercise.

Students interested in participating are required to register in advance through Zoom using Meeting ID: 811 9226 2572 and Passcode: 632756.

According to KUCCPS, the webinar will address several critical areas including who should revise courses, factors to consider before changing programme choices, what happens after provisional placement and other concerns students may have regarding the application process.

The revision window is particularly significant for students who missed placement during the first application phase or failed to submit applications altogether.

KUCCPS routinely opens the revision exercise to allow unplaced students to compete for remaining vacancies after highly competitive courses and institutions fill up during the first selection round.

Programmes such as Medicine, Pharmacy and Engineering often attract thousands of applicants, leaving many students locked out despite attaining strong grades.

In some cases, applicants select courses or universities whose cut-off points exceed their cluster points, reducing their chances of placement.

Others make strategic and clerical mistakes during application by choosing only one programme or institution, incorrectly arranging their course priorities or encountering payment and portal submission errors.

The placement agency is therefore encouraging applicants to carefully review available programmes and select courses where their weighted cluster points exceed previous cut-off marks.

Since the 2026 cut-off points are yet to be released, KUCCPS has advised applicants to rely on the previous year’s cut-off points as a guide during the revision process.

The agency has also consistently urged students to consider a wider range of degree and TVET opportunities instead of concentrating solely on a few highly competitive programmes.

Ahead of the webinar, several students had already taken to social media to seek clarification on eligibility and placement concerns.

One student who sat the 2024 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination and attained a B- grade said financial challenges prevented them from applying during the earlier placement cycle.

“I did my KCSE in 2024 whereby I attained a grade B- and I missed application because of financial instability. I cannot afford self sponsored/direct entry and I only seek government sponsored placement. Kindly consider,” the student posted on X.

In response, KUCCPS advised the learner to formally submit the matter through email.

“Please send your request by email to [email protected]. Provide your KCSE Index Number, KCSE Year and reasons why you did not apply for degree programmes in 2025. You will be guided thereafter, and your issue is not affected by the current revision deadline,” KUCCPS said.

The concern reflects struggles other students who may have missed earlier application opportunities could be facing.

Placement into universities and colleges will begin once the revision exercise closes, with successful applicants expected to be selected strictly on merit and programme capacity.

The webinar is expected to play a critical role in helping applicants avoid last-minute mistakes as the countdown to the May 22 deadline enters its final days.