Thousands of Kenyan students who did not initially apply for placement in local universities are being targeted by an international education exhibition bringing together more than 30 overseas universities in Nairobi this month.
The Study Abroad Expo will be held at Sankara Hotel in Nairobi on September 19, giving students and parents an opportunity to meet university representatives and explore courses, scholarships and admission requirements.
The event comes months after the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service, KUCCPS, revealed that 212,510 of the 268,714 Kenyan candidates who scored C+ and above in the 2025 KCSE examinations had applied for university courses by May 16.
That represented 79.1% of those eligible for degree programmes, leaving 56,204 who had not applied at that point. KUCCPS subsequently opened another application window for qualified students who had not applied or secured courses.
The figures point to a sizeable group of students considering alternatives to the conventional local university route, including studying overseas.
“This coming Expo at Sankara Hotel in Nairobi is partly an answer to this gap,” Imperial Education Consultants director Mohammed Karama said.
Organisers say entry will be free, allowing students and parents to speak directly to representatives from international universities about courses, tuition fees, scholarships and visa requirements.
IEC says it works with hundreds of universities across destinations including the UK, US, Canada, Australia, Germany, Ireland, Malaysia, Switzerland, Spain, Turkey and India.
One institution targeting Kenyan students is Germany's Constructor University, where programmes are taught in English. The university's official website confirms that English is the language of instruction and identifies Terry Muriungi as its recruitment counsellor for Sub-Saharan Africa.
“Many think that for you to study in Germany you have to first learn German. That is not true,” Muriungi told guidance and counselling teachers at a recent Nairobi event.
Kenyan student Castro Tsuma said studying at Constructor had also allowed him to work alongside his studies.
“The people in Germany are good and very friendly, and I get to work when I am not in class, earning some money for my use,” said Tsuma, a former St Mary's School student pursuing Information Technology.
Scholarships and study grants could also prove important for families concerned about the cost of overseas education.
The Nairobi exhibition is confirmed for Saturday, September 19, from 10am to 6pm at Sankara Hotel. Middlesex University Dubai is among institutions publicly confirming its participation, offering prospective students information on more than 90 UK-accredited programmes and available study grants.
A second expo is scheduled for September 22 at Bliss Resort in Nyali, Mombasa.
For students who missed local placement opportunities, or simply want a different route, the exhibitions offer another option. But families will still need to carefully compare tuition and living costs, scholarship conditions, visa requirements and recognition of qualifications before committing to an overseas university.
Category: Education
Related Video: Beyond Aid: How Japan Is Shaping Kenya’s SME Future | JICA Training Experience
Related Explainer: Kiharu Technical College September Intake 2026: Courses, Skills and New Opportunities
Facebook
Twitter / X
WhatsApp
LinkedIn
Telegram
Reddit