The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service on Tuesday released the placement results for students who sat KCSE in 2023.
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu said 201,146 (22.5%) students attained a mean grade of C+ and above hence met the minimum requirement for placement to Degree programmes.
Machogu said the remaining 694,086 (77.5%) attained mean grades of between C and E and were eligible for placement to Diploma, Craft and Artisan programmes in TVET institutions.
Before the placement process began, higher institutions of learning declared their available capacity to take in new students.
"KUCCPS provided courses offered in 70 Universities, 35 Teacher Training Colleges, 88 Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) campuses and 248 public TVET colleges," Machogu said.
The CS said the cumulative approved capacities in these institutions was 1,078,806.
This comprised 278,006 available capacities in Universities (Degrees) and 769,820 capacities in TVET colleges and institutes.
For Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs) there were 13,808 available capacities while Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) had 17,172 capacities.
Machogu said the placement to universities considered applicants’ choices and their qualifications as well as available capacities.
"A total of 153,274 students have been placed to various Degree programmes in Universities, accounting for 76.2 per cent of the 201,146 Kenyan students who qualified," Machogu said.
He further noted that applications for Open University of Kenya (OUK) programmes continue on the KUCCPS portal.
For TVET institutions placement, Machogu said a total of 75,718 applicants have secured places in TVET institutions, including 11,991 who qualified for degree programmes but opted for Diploma courses.
With regard to the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC), 56,516 individuals applied and 19,653 were placed as per available slots.
For Teachers Training Colleges (TTC), a total of 10,263 applicants have secured admission places for Diploma programmes.
"These comprise 734 who have been placed in the Diploma in Secondary Teacher Education Programme; 9,529 in Diploma in Primary Teacher Education," Machogu said.
Additionally, guided by affirmative action, Machogu said KUCCPS placement process gave special consideration to eligible applicants on account of gender, marginalised and minority regions and disability.
Of the 2023 KCSE candidates, Machogu said a total of 2,452 students benefited from placement by affirmative action.
"This year’s placement process was a more laborious one compared with previous years. It was the first time that KUCCPS placed students to Universities, TVET institutions, KMTC and TTC within a single process," Machogu said lauding the work done by the placement service.
The CS directed Vice-Chancellors and Principals of Colleges where students have been placed to engage their prospective students, parents and guardians and inform them of the reporting dates and other joining instructions without delay.