KUCCPS Explains Why A- Pangani Student Landed Diploma Course
Agnes Wahome, chief executive officer of the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS), disclosed that a Pangani Girls High School student’s course selections placed her in a diploma program at a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institution.
The unidentified student, who earned an A- on the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), bemoaned the fact that, by her 40-point cluster, she had selected strong science courses at the country’s top institutions.
She expressed a desire to pursue a course in Dentistry and made the course with high demand her first and second preference. The fourth and final option in her top four selections was Nursing at the University of Nairobi.
Upon examining the classification results, however, it was discovered that the student had been assigned to the Kiambu Institute of Science and Technology to pursue a diploma in Nutrition.
“I was astonished because I had been invited to Kiambu Institute to pursue a diploma in Nutrition and Dietetics. I had earned an A- and planned to attend a prestigious university with an excellent program.
“When they open the portal for the third revision, the courses will not be marketable based on the grade I received. The courses for which I enrolled will already be full. She lamented, “I am disappointed because I worked so hard to earn an A-minus.”
Wahome observed that while the candidate qualified for some of the course titles she selected due to her high grades, the institutions she desired to attend required higher cut-off scores.
For instance, there were only 50 spaces for Dentistry, and due to the high demand, only students with perfect grades were admitted. Medicine, the student’s third choice, was also too competitive and required a higher minimum score.
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Her fourth choice, Nursing, which she could have pursued at a different university, required 43 minimum points at the University of Nairobi (UoN), her last option.
“Unfortunately, less than 50 seats are available for the course for the student with an A- who opted to study dentistry. “Students who received a degree in dentistry had all A’s and a cluster weight of 43, but this student only had 40,” Wahome explained.
“Clearly, there was no way she could have gotten into all of these, given that dentistry was her second choice at two institutions, her third choice was medicine, and her fourth choice was nursing at UoN. Her subsequent options were in Diploma. She had a strong preference for the Nutrition program at Kiambu Institute, so you are automatically directed there.”
She added that the KUCCPS prioritizes students’ initial selections. If the first option is not selected, the system proceeds to the second and then the fourth options.
“If you have selected Diploma but are eligible for a degree and you miss all four choices, the system defaults to your diploma selection,” she continued.
Therefore, Wahome advised the student to utilize the third revision to select the course of her choosing. The portal will reopen within one week.
According to the KUCCPS, 285,167 students submitted placement applications to 69 universities, 210 TVET institutions, and three Secondary Teacher Training Colleges.
Unbelievably, 23,125 individuals who qualified for degree programs did not apply, while 136,592 individuals who qualified for diploma courses did not apply. There are 483 457 open positions in colleges and TVETs.
KUCCPS Explains Why A- Pangani Student Landed Diploma Course
