An invigilator supervises KCSE English paper one examination at Nakuru High School on November 3, 2025.
Competition for medicine courses in universities has intensified, locking out thousands of high-performing students despite meeting the minimum entry requirements, the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) has revealed.
KUCCPS Chief Executive Officer, Dr Agnes Mercy Wahome, said the country currently has fewer than 1,000 slots available for medicine programmes in both public and private universities, against more than 5,000 applicants who qualified for the course.
The mismatch between the huge demand for medicine and the limited training capacity has left many students and parents frustrated, especially after some candidates who attained a mean grade of A in the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations failed to secure placement in medicine and surgery programmes.
Dr Agnes Mercy Wahome, the CEO of Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service.
“There has been a lot of questions around medicine. Everybody feels they meet the minimum but they did not get the slot and they are being told to revise their choices and now medicine is not there in the portal,” said Dr Wahome during a webinar with thousands of students seeking admission to higher education institutions across the country.
Under the current university admission requirements, students applying for medicine must attain at least a mean grade of B plain, with minimum grades of B in chemistry, biology, mathematics, and English or Kiswahili.
However, Dr Wahome clarified that meeting the minimum entry requirement does not guarantee admission because the competition for the few available slots is extremely stiff.
“The students who applied because they meet the minimum qualifications are many. But because of the competition, if we look at students who scored Grade A, even if all the 2,000 students with A applied and we have less than 1,000 places, some will still miss out,” she explained.
In 2025, some 1,932 candidates out of the 993,000 students who sat the KCSE examinations attained Grade A plain, an increase from 1,693 candidates recorded in 2024 when the candidature stood at 962,512.
Points matter
According to KUCCPS, students eventually admitted to medicine programmes this year posted exceptional performances, including straight As in all subjects.
“We had parents asking why their children missed medicine despite getting Grade A. But remember Grade A also has different point ranges. There is Grade A of 81 points, A of 84 points and others. I can tell you the students who got medicine had straight As in all their subjects,” Dr Wahome said.
The placement outcome has sparked concerns among parents and students on social media, with many questioning how candidates with strong grades failed to secure placement into their preferred courses.
One parent whose child attained a mean grade of A expressed frustration online after the student missed placement despite excelling in key subjects.
“You ought to be serious with your system. How can an A plain student with 83 points miss placement?” the parent posted, listing the student’s grades in Mathematics, Chemistry, Geography, and other subjects.
Dr Wahome, however, defended the placement process, maintaining that KUCCPS only allocates students according to the capacities declared by universities and approved professional training bodies.
The country currently has fewer than 1,000 slots available for medicine programmes in both public and private universities, against a demand of more than 5,000.
She noted that medicine and engineering remain among the most expensive programmes for universities to offer because they require specialised laboratories, equipment, teaching facilities, lecturers and clinical training resources.
“It is for that reason, and many other programmes such as engineering, that capacities remain limited. These are expensive programmes to mount, and that is where KUCCPS comes in to ensure the process is fair,” she said.
However, she urged students who missed medicine not to lose hope, advising them to explore alternative universities or related health science programmes.
“Medicine is not the end. There are many other programmes that are marketable worldwide. Don’t give up. The same programme that you applied for could still be available in a different university. Before giving up, check other universities and apply,” she advised.
The revelations come at a time when thousands of students who qualified for university admission are yet to submit their applications through KUCCPS.
According to the placement agency, since the start of the application process, 212,510 students who scored C+ and above have already submitted their course choices, representing 79.1 per cent of the 268,714 candidates eligible for university placement.
This means that 56,204 students who qualified for degree programmes have not applied through KUCCPS despite the government revising the higher education funding model to make it more student-centred and accessible.
KUCCPS has since reopened its application portal to allow Form Four leavers to revise their choices or submit fresh applications.
The portal, was reopened on May 16, 2026, until May 22, 2026.
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