NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 17 – Students recently placed in universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions across Kenya have been granted a 30-day window to apply for transfers to their preferred institutions.The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) officially opened the inter-institutional transfer portal on July 17, 2026, with applications set to close on August 14, 2026.The transfer process is available to students from the 2023, 2024 and 2025 KCSE cohorts who wish to change their institution, programme of study, or both.The transfer window follows the recent placement of 293,869 candidates who sat the 2025 KCSE examination into universities, TVET institutions and Teacher Training Colleges for the 2026/27 academic year.Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba, who announced the placement results, said 202,133 of the candidates secured admission to university degree programmes.Recognising that some students may wish to revise their placements, Ogamba announced that the transfer period had been extended from the usual two weeks to one month to give applicants more time to complete the process.As the transfer window opened, KUCCPS warned students, parents and guardians against fraudsters falsely claiming the exercise had begun earlier or offering to facilitate transfers for a fee.The placement agency stressed that it has not authorised any third party to process transfers and urged applicants to rely only on information published through the official KUCCPS website, student portal and verified social media platforms.To qualify for a transfer, applicants must meet the minimum subject requirements and cluster points for their preferred programme. Approval will also depend on the availability of vacancies at the receiving institution.The application process is fully online through the official KUCCPS student portal. Applicants are required to pay a non-refundable processing fee of Sh1,000 via the eCitizen platform before submitting their requests.Once an application is submitted, it undergoes a multi-stage approval process in which both the releasing and receiving institutions must endorse the request before KUCCPS conducts the final review and approval.As universities prepare for the September intake, higher learning institutions say they are ready to receive the new cohort, although concerns remain over funding.Chairperson of the Vice Chancellors Committee of Public Universities, Daniel Mugendi, said institutions are prepared for admissions but uncertainty over funding remains a major concern.“I want to assure the CS that the universities are ready. Of course, there is a bit of anxiety about funding because we are not sure whether we will even be able to pay salaries for July due to the changes in the funding model,” he said.Halima Abdullahi, representing private universities, said the institutions were equally prepared but were also awaiting the disbursement of funds.“The private universities are ready as well, but they are also waiting for the money. We are all in the same space, waiting for funding, but we are ready to receive the students, Insha’Allah,” she said.Students have been advised to monitor their KUCCPS portals regularly to track the progress of their transfer applications through the various approval stages.KUCCPS says the August 14 deadline is intended to ensure all approved transfers are processed in time for the start of the 2026/27 academic year, allowing students to report to their institutions without disruption.