Degree choice revision to begin in three weeks

The Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) class of 2020 will start revising their university degree choices within the next three weeks.

The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service chief executive, Dr Mercy Wahome, said that universities have already declared their capacities. The data is being analysed before the portal is opened for students to start applications.

 “We were given three weeks after the release of the results, and soon, we will be opening up the portal for students to apply for their preferred courses,” said Dr Wahome.

 Once the portal is open, students will be required to log in and apply for the courses they prefer and have qualified for. The choice of the courses will be guided by the cluster subjects of the students’ performance in KCSE.

 “We shall inform the students when the portal is open for them to start making applications. This will enable us to place the students in their preferred courses,” she said.

  143,140 candidates  

 The 2020 KCSE saw 143,140 candidates score C+ and above, thereby attaining the university entry mark compared to the 125,747 recorded in the 2019 exams.

Among those who qualified for university admission, a total of 893 scored Grade A (plain), 6,420 candidates scored A-(minus), 14,427 scored B+ (plus), 38,194 candidates have scored B-(minus). In contrast, a total of 57,999 candidates scored C+ (plus) in the examinations.

 Those who wish to join Technical and Vocational Education (Tvet) courses will also apply for either diploma, craft courses or artisan courses on the KUCCPS portal.

Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha said despite the Covid-19 pandemic, universities will not experience any backlog.

 “We have managed to release the candidates to higher institutions of learning on time and with great precision,” he said.

The CS said the placement service is engaging with higher education regulatory bodies like the Commission for University Education (CUE) and the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA) to ensure that all learning institutions are prepared to enrol these candidates.

First semester 

Students report to universities for the first semester in September every year, but some start their semester in January. For the 2019 class, the students reported late in November after the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the academic calendar.

Revision based on the final score

Doctor Wahome explained that most students in the class of 2020 applied for their preferred courses before they sat their exams, but they will be required to revise their choices based on what they scored in the KCSE.

While at school, students are guided by teachers and school principals to log into the KUCCPS portal and enter and submit the choices following the guidelines laid out in the principals’ manual. Students pay Sh500 for the exercise, while the cost for revising the courses is set at Sh1,500 per applicant.

 For students who need help, KUCCPS has made its services available at the 11 Huduma centres across Kenya.

[email protected]