KUCCPS CEO Mercy Wahome. /FILE
The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) has opened the 2026 inter-institutional transfer application window, giving eligible students 30 days to apply for transfers to different universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions.
The transfer application period targets students who were recently placed in universities and TVET institutions but wish to move to other institutions offering their preferred programmes.
The placement agency announced that applications are now open through the KUCCPS student portal and will close on August 14, 2026.
"Were you recently placed in a university or TVET programme and wish to move to a different institution? Take advantage of the current 30-day inter-institutional transfer application period. Log in to KUCCPS student portal and apply for a transfer," KUCCPS said.
KUCCPS said the transfer window is open to students from the 2023, 2024 and 2025 KCSE cohorts, provided they meet the cut-off points for their preferred programmes and there are available vacancies in the institutions they wish to join.
Applicants must also satisfy all admission requirements for the programmes they intend to transfer to before their requests can be considered.
The latest exercise follows the release of the 2026 placement results earlier this month, when thousands of students learnt the universities and colleges where they had secured admission for the upcoming academic year.
The placement results showed that more than 200,000 students secured places in universities, colleges and other tertiary institutions.
However, more than 57,000 candidates who attained the minimum university entry grade of C+ were not placed in degree programmes, prompting the Ministry of Education to extend the application review period to allow affected candidates another opportunity to apply for available courses.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba directed KUCCPS to create a mechanism for late applications to ensure no eligible learner missed out on placement.
"I have directed the KUCCPS to immediately devise a mechanism to allow late applications for placement. In the same vein, I call upon all eligible candidates who may have missed the just concluded application cycle to take advantage of this opportunity. Our clarion call is that no student should be left behind," Ogamba said after the release of the placement results.
This year's placement cycle saw education courses remain the most popular among applicants, with KUCCPS Chief Executive Officer Agnes Wahome previously noting that about 40 per cent of applicants selected education-related programmes.
Medicine also remained among the most competitive courses, attracting more than 6,500 applicants for only 702 available slots.
Earlier this year, KUCCPS opened applications for the 2026 university and TVET intake, offering placement into degree programmes, teacher training colleges and TVET institutions.
The placement exercise was supported by universities, TVET institutions and Huduma Centres across the country, where officers assisted students with applications and course selection.
Students wishing to transfer have been advised to submit
their applications before the August 14 deadline through the KUCCPS student
portal.
