Summary
- The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) recently released cutoff points to guide placement for the 2025/2026 academic year.
- Highly competitive programmes such as Medicine, Pharmacy, Engineering, and Architecture recorded the highest cluster points.
- The cutoff marks reflect the minimum scores of the last admitted students in the 2024 placement cycle.
NAIROBI, Kenya- Highly competitive programmes such as Medicine, Engineering, and Pharmacy continue to dominate Kenya’s university placement landscape after the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) released cutoff points to guide the 2025/2026 academic year placements.
The cutoff points represent the minimum cluster points attained by the last student admitted to each course during the 2024 placement cycle.
They serve as a key reference for students preparing to apply through the KUCCPS portal once the application window opens.
According to KUCCPS, the figures may vary each year depending on demand for a programme, the capacity of institutions, and the overall performance of candidates in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations.
Most Competitive Degree Courses
Medical and engineering-related programmes remain among the most competitive, with significantly higher cluster point requirements compared to many other fields.
Medicine recorded some of the highest cutoff points, ranging between 42.0 and 44.9 cluster points, while Pharmacy ranged between 39.9 and 43.7.
Several engineering programmes also attracted strong competition. Civil Engineering recorded cutoff points between 34.3 and 43.1, Electrical and Electronic Engineering ranged between 33.9 and 42.8, while Mechanical Engineering ranged between 31.7 and 41.8.
Architecture also remained highly competitive, with cluster points ranging between 39.0 and 42.5.
Other health-related courses, such as Clinical Medicine and Medical Laboratory Sciences, also registered relatively high entry thresholds.
Popular Courses Across Kenyan Universities
Beyond medicine and engineering, other programmes also recorded strong interest among 2025 applicants across universities.
Computer Science, which has gained popularity amid growing demand for technology skills, recorded a wide range of cutoff points between 23.0 and 44.4, depending on the institution.
Courses such as Actuarial Science, Economics and Statistics, Information Technology, and International Relations also maintained relatively high entry thresholds in several universities.
Leading institutions such as the University of Nairobi, Kenyatta University, and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) continued to attract higher cluster points due to strong demand and limited programme capacity.
Slight Drop in Some Humanities and Education Courses
While technical and medical courses maintained high demand, KUCCPS noted a slight reduction in cutoff points for several humanities, education, and basic science courses in some universities.
The adjustment is aimed at expanding opportunities for more students to secure university placements.
For instance, programmes such as Bachelor of Arts, Education courses, and some science degrees recorded comparatively lower cluster point requirements.
However, KUCCPS emphasised that meeting the cutoff point does not automatically guarantee placement, as final selections also depend on competition among applicants and the available slots within institutions.
Over 270,000 Students Qualify for University
The placement cycle is expected to be highly competitive after 270,715 candidates scored a mean grade of C+ (plus) and above in the 2025 KCSE examination, representing 27.18 pc of all candidates.
Among them, 1,932 students attained grade A, placing them among the top performers eligible for admission into the most competitive courses.
Students have been advised to carefully review the cutoff points for their preferred programmes and institutions through the KUCCPS portal before submitting their applications once the placement window officially opens.
