Nursing and Medicine dominated health sciences enrolment as student numbers in public and private universities rose to 37,908 in the 2025/26 academic year, according to the 2026 KNBS Economic Survey.
According to the survey, the figure increased from the 33,110 courses recorded in 2024/25, reflecting growing demand for medical and health-related training in the country.
Undergraduate enrollment rose to 33,693 students in 2025/26 from 30,354 the previous year, while postgraduate enrollment increased sharply by 52.9 percent to 4,215 students from 2,756.
KNBS Data Shows Nursing and Medicine Top Health Science Courses in University Enrollment
Among undergraduate courses, Nursing recorded the highest enrollment, with 8,829 students, followed by Medicine and Surgery at 8,365 and Medical Laboratory Sciences at 3,135.
Clinical Medicine and Surgery enrolled 2,400 students, while Public Health had 2,182 students. Pharmacy enrollment stood at 1,827 students.
Community Health and Development recorded 1,422 students, while Medical Psychology had 1,338 students.
Nutrition and Dietetics enrolled 1,047 students; Environmental Health, 920; and Health Records Management, 979.
Health System Management, on the other hand, enrolled 394 students, Physiotherapy had 305 students, and Dental Surgery recorded 351 students.
Occupational Therapy enrolled 199 students.
The report further showed that male students continued to dominate Medicine and Surgery courses, where 4,697 men were enrolled compared to 3,668 women.
In Nursing, enrollment was more balanced, with 4,578 male students and 4,251 female students enrolled in 2025/26.
University Health Sciences Graduates Rise
The report further shows that total graduates in health sciences programmes increased by 28.3 percent to 7,056 in 2025/26.
Graduates from undergraduate programmes increased by 30 percent to 6,325, while postgraduate graduates rose by 15.3 percent to 731.
Nursing remained the leading programme, accounting for 29 percent of all graduates. Medicine and Surgery produced 934 graduates.
Medical Laboratory Sciences recorded one of the sharpest increases, with graduates more than doubling from 312 to 768. Community Health and Development graduates also increased significantly from 108 to 384.
Female graduates outnumbered male graduates in Nursing and Community Health programmes.
Also Read: KUCCPS Cut-Off Points for Bachelor of Science in Nursing Across Kenyan Universities
Community Health Nursing, Clinical Medicine Top Courses as KMTC Enrollment Rises to 36,330
Meanwhile, enrollment of middle-level health trainees at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) increased by 23.5 percent to 36,330 students in the 2024/25 academic year.
Certificate courses recorded 12,936 students.
Among certificate programmes, Health Records and Information Technology enrolled 2,543 students, while Emergency Medical Technician had 2,475 students.
Orthopaedic Plaster Technology recorded 2,439 students, Community Nursing had 2,232 students, and Community Health Assistant enrolled 1,602 students.
Medical Engineering Technology recorded 641 students, Nutrition and Dietetics had 631 students, while Environmental Health Sciences enrolled 373 students.
Diploma Programmes Accounts for 22,092 Students
Community Health Nursing recorded the highest enrollment, with 5,715 students, followed by Clinical Medicine and Surgery, with 2,298 students.
Community Health enrolled 2,102 students, Orthopedic and Trauma Medicine enrolled 2,082 students, and Health Records and Information Technology enrolled 1,826 students.
Pharmacy enrolled 756 students, Nutrition and Dietetics had 738 students, Medical Engineering Technology recorded 700 students, and Physiotherapy enrolled 673 students.
Environmental Health Sciences had 668 students, Occupational Therapy had 653 students, Medical Imaging Sciences had 659 students, and Medical Laboratory Sciences had 650 students.
Emergency Medical Technology recorded 470 students, Mortuary Science had 422 students, while Registered Nursing and Midwifery enrolled 309 students.
Registered Nursing-Mental Health and Psychiatry recorded 297 students; Medical Social Work had 227 students; Health Counseling enrolled 190 students; and Dental Technology had 155 students.
Meanwhile, Community Oral Health recorded 152 students, Orthopaedic Technology enrolled 136 students, Registered Nursing had 103 students, and Optometry recorded 71 students.
Health Education and Promotion enrolled 40 students.
Also Read: KUCCPS Cut-Off Points for Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery in 13 Universities
Higher Diploma Programmes Record 1,302 Students
Clinical Medicine and Surgery recorded the highest enrollment at 554 students, followed by Nursing with 239 students.
Ultrasound Image Pattern Analysis enrolled 123 students, Pharmacy had 92 students, and Medical Engineering had 92 students.
Medical Education enrolled 73 students; Orthopedic Technology (Orthotics) enrolled 36 students; Health Education and Promotion enrolled 35 students; and Environmental Health Sciences enrolled 23 students.
Health Systems Management enrolled 11 students; Orthopedic Trauma Medicine, 9; Optometry, 9; and Health Administration, 6.
The report highlights increasing interest in health sciences training as Kenya expands efforts to address shortages in healthcare workers and strengthen service delivery across the country.
KMTC Graduates
The Economic Survey further shows that KMTC produced 22,746 middle-level health science graduates in the 2024/25 academic year, a 7.6 percent increase from 2023/24.
The increase was mainly driven by a 26.6 percent rise in the number of ordinary diploma graduates.
Certificate-level graduates declined by 17.9 percent to 7,614, reflecting a shift toward advanced training.
Higher diploma graduates rose by 45.3 percent to 740, with female students accounting for the majority of graduates.
