The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) has explained why some top-performing students, including those who scored Grade A in KCSE, failed to secure slots to study medicine.
Speaking during the 2nd KUCCPS Webinar for 2026, KUCCPS CEO Dr. Agnes Wahome said the main reasons are limited space and intense competition, not a lack of qualifications.
KUCCPS Details Why Top KCSE Students Missed Out on Medicine Courses
According to the CEO, Kenya has fewer than 1,000 slots for medicine across both public and private universities. However, thousands of students meet the minimum requirements for the course every year.
To qualify for medicine, students must have at least:
- Grade B in Biology
- Grade B in Chemistry
- Grade B in Mathematics
- Grade B in English or Kiswahili
Dr. Wahome explained that many students meet the minimum grade requirements, but that is not enough to guarantee placement.
“We have about 2,000 students who scored an A. If all of them apply for medicine and we have less than 1,000 slots, some Grade A students will still miss out,” she said.
She added that competition goes beyond just the overall grade. Students selected for medicine often have straight A grades across all cluster subjects, making it difficult for others to qualify, even if they score highly overall.
The CEO also pointed out that thousands more students with A- and B+ grades also apply for medicine, increasing the competition further.
Because of this, KUCCPS uses a competitive placement system to ensure fairness, selecting only the highest-performing candidates in the required subjects.
Dr. Wahome urged students and parents not to focus solely on medicine, noting that many other marketable courses are available.
“Medicine is not the end. There are many other programs that can lead to successful careers,” she said.
Wahome encouraged students who were not placed in medicine to explore other courses or apply to similar programs in different universities, adding that KUCCPS continues to open new programs to accommodate more learners.
Placement Challenges, Course Capacity, and What Students Should Do Next
Dr. Wahome also addressed concerns from students who were not placed in their first-choice programs, urging them not to give up and to revise their applications using the courses still available.
Also Read: How KUCCPS Inter-University Transfer Works: Requirements, Application Steps, and Approval Process
She explained that once a student secures a placement, they are temporarily removed from the system to prevent any changes that could affect the process.
For those not placed, she said KUCCPS continues to add new courses as they are approved, meaning there are still opportunities available.
“You should not lose hope because we still have programs… as the Commission for University continues to accredit these programs, we continue availing them,” she said.
Wahome further advised students to take responsibility for all the choices, noting that each option listed in the application is taken seriously in the placement process.
At the same time, she pointed out that highly competitive courses may disappear from the portal once they reach full capacity and warned that relying entirely on transfer opportunities later may not work, since slots only open when another student exits a program.
