Education

KUCCPS Opens TVET Applications for May 2026 Intake — Deadline Set for March 18

EDUCATION & TRAINING | KENYA By Staff Reporter | March 9, 2026

NAIROBI, Kenya — The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) has launched the application window for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions ahead of the May 2026 intake, offering students across all academic performance levels a direct route into skills-based careers.

In an official notice published on Sunday, March 8, 2026, KUCCPS confirmed that the exercise targets candidates from the 2000 to 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) cohorts — meaning the opportunity is not limited to last year’s Form Four leavers. Students who completed secondary school in previous years are equally eligible to apply.

Wide Range of Institutions and Courses on Offer

Courses are available at national polytechnics, technical training institutes, institutes of science and technology, and other accredited technical colleges spread across the country. KUCCPS stressed that the breadth of available programmes is designed to accommodate students of all academic backgrounds.

“With any KCSE mean grade, you can find a course.” — KUCCPS, March 8, 2026

Candidates are advised to log into the KUCCPS student portal, review available courses, select their preferred institutions and programmes, and submit applications ahead of the deadline.

Application Deadline: March 18, 2026

KUCCPS has set Tuesday, March 18, 2026 as the final date for submitting applications. The placement service has urged students to apply early and to carefully review course listings before making selections, as late or uninformed choices could limit options.

Government Accelerates TVET Expansion

The May 2026 intake is part of Kenya’s wider strategy to scale up vocational training and equip young people with practical, market-relevant skills. In a major recent development, the Cabinet approved China’s involvement in upgrading more than 70 TVET institutions nationwide under Phase III of the Kenya-China Project.

The programme will see selected institutions receive modern, industry-standard equipment and upgraded facilities across eight priority technical disciplines — directly aligning training outputs with labour market demand and improving graduate employability.

KMTC Applications Open; University Placement Awaited

The KUCCPS announcement follows Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) recently opening applications for 31 health-related programmes, signalling an active period across Kenya’s post-secondary placement landscape. Many 2025 KCSE candidates, however, are still awaiting the opening of the university placement window, which KUCCPS is expected to announce separately.