KUCCPS CEO Signals End of C+ University Entry Requirement Under New Curriculum

The head of Kenya’s central university placement authority has signaled that the country’s long-established Grade C+ university entry requirement may soon become obsolete as the education sector completes its transition to a competency-based model.

Agnes Wahome, Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS), stated on Tuesday that the current grade threshold is increasingly incompatible with the direction of Kenya’s evolving education framework.

Her remarks followed widespread discussion about university access after a significant portion of candidates who completed the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations did not meet the minimum entry standard.

“This is a conversation that needs to start dying off as we get fully into CBC because we have overemphasised the grades and measuring using the number of people who get to university,” Wahome told journalists.

Shifting Focus from Grades to Skills

The KUCCPS chief argued that Kenya’s education discourse has historically concentrated too heavily on the proportion of students achieving C+ or higher, while neglecting to recognize alternative pathways that lead to equally successful professional outcomes.

Wahome emphasized that thousands of learners who do not immediately qualify for direct university entry can pursue certificate and diploma programs before eventually accessing degree courses—a progression pathway she believes deserves greater acknowledgment.

“Remember, some don’t get to university but take another pathway in life and start with a certificate and proceed to a diploma and still end up in university, but nobody talks about them,” she said.

According to Wahome, the outgoing 8-4-4 education system placed disproportionate importance on the C+ grade, but this emphasis is expected to diminish as Kenya completes its migration to Competency-Based Education (CBE).

Under the new system, assessment will prioritize practical skills, individual talents, and hands-on competencies rather than relying solely on examination performance as the primary measure of student capability.

“I think we have overglorified Grade C+ and above, and that is a conversation that will definitely change when we look at Competency Based Education,” Wahome stated.

Current Policy Remains Unchanged

Despite these forward-looking statements, the C+ university entry requirement remains officially in place. The transition to the CBE system is projected to take approximately two years to complete.

The KUCCPS announcement came one day after Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba moved to quash speculation about imminent changes to university admission standards.

In a public statement, Ogamba urged Kenyans to disregard circulating claims that the entry grade had been revised, confirming that government policy maintains the C+ threshold.

“The government has not changed the policy of the cut-off point for admission to the university. This cut-off point remains C+ and above,” Ogamba clarified.

The contrasting messages from education officials highlight ongoing policy discussions as Kenya navigates the complex transition between two fundamentally different educational philosophies—one centered on examination outcomes and another focused on competency development.

As the country moves toward full implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum, questions remain about how university access will be determined in an education system designed to measure achievement through multiple dimensions rather than a single grade threshold.