With more students qualifying for university this year, competition is about to get tighter.

The Kenya Universities and Central Placement Service says it will rely on past placement trends and exam performance to guide student placement when the application process opens in March.

Speaking on NTV on Tuesday, February 2, KUCCPS Chief Executive Officer Agnes Wahome said the sharp rise in the number of qualifying candidates will likely push cut-off points slightly higher, especially in popular courses.

“This year we have about 270,000 students who scored a mean grade of C+ and above, compared to 245,000 last year,” Wahome said. “That increase alone means competition will be higher.”

According to KUCCPS data, the additional 25,000 candidates qualifying for degree courses has put pressure on limited university spaces. As a result, competitive programmes such as medicine, law and engineering are expected to record modest increases in cut-off points.

Wahome explained how the system works using medicine at the University of Nairobi as an example.

“If the last student admitted last year scored 45.5 points, then this year it could rise to about 45.7 points,” she said. “That is how placement responds to demand.”

She stressed that the changes are not arbitrary. The placement system analyses how courses were filled in previous years, the grades of admitted students and the number of available slots.

To help applicants make better choices, Wahome urged students to study last year’s placement data on the KUCCPS portal. The information includes minimum entry grades and the final cut-off points for each course and institution.

“This allows students to compare their own results with what happened last year,” she said. “It helps them make realistic decisions.”

Still, Wahome acknowledged that performance alone is not the only challenge. She warned that many students, including top performers, are often steered away from courses they genuinely want.

“Students with A or A-minus grades in sciences are sometimes discouraged from pursuing their preferred careers,” she said. “Parents and teachers think they are helping, but it can end up limiting the student.”

To address this, KUCCPS now opens the placement portal after KCSE results are released, rather than while students are still in school. The change, Wahome said, gives candidates time to reflect and choose courses based on accurate data, not pressure.

The portal shows the lowest grades admitted to each course in the previous year, helping students understand where they stand before applying.

“This system reduces guesswork,” Wahome added. “It lowers the risk of students missing out because of unrealistic choices.”

As applications approach, KUCCPS is urging students to research early and keep an open mind, especially where demand far exceeds available spaces.

With a record number of qualifiers this year, Wahome said informed decisions will matter more than ever.