The Kenya Universities and College Placement Service has opened its portal for applications for inter-institution transfer.

The application is open for 2022 KCSE candidates who have been successfully placed in various universities and TVET institutions but wish to transfer to other institutions.

The placement body has informed students who are unhappy with their initial placement to apply for a transfer before August 15, 2023.

The opening of the portal follows complaints by 2022 KCSE candidates who lamented difficulties accessing some key information on the portal.

Some of the concerns raised by the students include difficulties accessing their admission letters for their respective institutions as well as a mismatch between their cluster points and the courses they have been assigned to.

How to change Universities, programmes on KUCCPS portal

One of the cases that sparked debate online is of a Pangani Girls student who was admitted to pursue a diploma in nutrition at Kiambu Institute despite scoring an A- (minus).

The unidentified student said her desire was to pursue a course in Dentistry, which was her first and second choice during the course selection exercise. She further selected a Medicine course and a Nursing course at the University of Nairobi.

Responding to the unfortunate occurrence, KUCCPS CEO Agnes Wahome said that the student was placed in a TVET institution as the choice of the universities she wished to pursue the courses in demanded higher cutoff points.

“The student who made the choice to do  Dentistry with an A-, unfortunately, we have less than 50 capacities for the course. Students who got dentistry had straight As with a cluster weight of 43 yet this student had 40,”

KUCCPS on Why A- Pangani Student Landed Diploma Course

“Clearly, with the choice of dentistry in two institutions, Medicine as her third choice, and Nursing at UoN as her fourth choice, there was no way she could have made it in all these. Her next choices were in Diploma. She had a first choice in Nutrition at Kiambu Institute, so it automatically takes you there.” Explained Wahome.

The KUCCPS boss further explained that KUCCPS gives priority to the first choices made by students. If a person misses that, the system then goes to the second choice, then and finally, the fourth consequently.

The higher institution placement body said it allows Inter-University Transfers to give students an opportunity to pursue courses that align with their interests and passions.

KUCCPS also said a majority of students request for transfers due to medical and financial challenges, as well as accommodating persons with disabilities.