The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) updated cut-off points for various degree programs on its portal, with most courses seeing a slight increase.
KUCCPS Chief Executive Officer Agnes Wahome, while appearing on NTV on February 2, said that placement exercises are guided by analysis of previous years’ outcomes, including exam performance and how available course slots were filled.
She noted that such patterns help determine cut-off points, which are expected to rise.
Wahome had earlier attributed the increase to the sharp rise in the number of candidates who attained the minimum university entry grade in the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations.
KUCCPS University Minimum Entry Grade Still C+
Claims have been circulating on social media that a C+ grade will no longer qualify someone for university.
An X user, @MaragiaWakili, posted: “KUCCPS Portal Updated With New Degree Cut-Off Points Ahead of 2026 Application. C+ Will no longer qualify someone for university,” a claim that has sparked fresh discussion around university entry.
A fact check by The Kenya Times on the KUCCPS portal shows that the placement service only updated the portal to display all courses categorized into 20 clusters and the cut-off points used in 2024.
Cut-off points represent the cluster score of the applicant who secured the last available vacancy in a course on merit during the previous placement, after all applicants for the course were ranked from highest to lowest.
They do not reflect the grade you scored in the KCSE.
Form Four leavers who attained Mean Grades of C+ and above in the KCSE examination are eligible to apply for degree programmes.
Those who qualified for university admission and were recently placed in diploma programmes can also apply for Degree programmes.
Also Read: KUCCPS Releases New Degree Cut Off Points Ahead of 2026 Applications
KUCCPS May Scrap C+ as University Entry Grade Under CBC Curriculum
This comes after the KUCCPS CEO announced in January that the long-standing Grade C+ cut-off mark for university admission may soon be scrapped as Kenya fully transitions to the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
Wahome said continued reliance on the minimum university entry grade is becoming unsustainable, especially after a large number of candidates who sat the 2025 KCSE failed to attain the required Grade C+
“Now, this is a conversation that should start fading away as we move fully into CBC, because we have over-emphasised grades and used them as the main measure of success, especially in terms of who gets into university,” Wahome said.
She argued that the country has, for years, placed disproportionate emphasis on examination grades, particularly the number of students qualifying for university, while paying little attention to alternative education pathways that can also lead to successful careers.
The KUCCPS chief explained that many learners who miss out on direct university entry can still progress through certificate and diploma programs before eventually enrolling in degree courses—a pathway that often goes unrecognized in public discourse.
Wahome noted that the outgoing 8-4-4 education system heavily promoted Grade C+ as the ultimate benchmark of success, a culture she said will change as the country completes the shift to Competency-Based Education (CBE).
Under the new system, she said, greater emphasis will be placed on practical skills, talents, and hands-on abilities rather than examination scores alone.
Also Read: How to Register for KCSE Exams as a Private Candidate
New Placement Criteria
Meanwhile, KUCCPS announced plans to roll out revised placement criteria to guide admission to degree courses, marking a significant shift in how students will select and be placed in their preferred programs.
According to the placement body, the review process, which began last year, involved extensive consultations with universities, colleges, and other academic and professional bodies.
KUCCPS noted that the new criteria will take effect only after final validation by stakeholders and formal approval by its board, adding that once approved, the system will be implemented during the 2026/2027 placement cycle.
They should lower it up to D+