More than 25,000 students will be admitted to the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) in the latest placement round by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS), with nearly 7,000 of them having scored the minimum university entry grade of C+ in the 2024 KCSE.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said Tuesday that KMTC programmes received an overwhelming number of applications, with 52,725 qualified students applying for only 34,048 available slots.

Out of these, KUCCPS successfully placed 25,034 students into various KMTC courses.

“The most competitive programmes were in Nursing, which drew over 27,000 applications for just 2,986 slots,” he said, also listing Clinical Medicine, Medical Emergency Technician, and Community Health as other popular courses.

The KMTC placements are part of a larger national placement exercise that saw 310,502 students admitted into universities and colleges.

Out of this number, KUCCPS placed 194,372 candidates with C+ and above in degree and diploma programmes.

To support medical training, the government has allocated Sh500 million through the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), giving KMTC students access to financial aid for the first time.

In addition, a second KMTC application window has been opened for the September 2025 intake. Ogamba urged qualified applicants to take advantage of the opportunity.

“This expansion supports the government’s efforts toward universal healthcare by building a competent health workforce under the BETA framework,” said the CS.

At the same time, 11,636 students have been placed in Teacher Education Programmes across the country. Out of these, 10,800 students will pursue Diploma in Primary Teacher Education, while 836 have secured slots for Diploma in Secondary Teacher Education. The combined capacity for the two programmes stood at 13,823.

Ogamba attributed the increased numbers to recent reforms by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reform, which revised the entry criteria to teacher training colleges. He said this has boosted enrollment across the 33 primary teacher training colleges in Kenya.

“This marks a milestone in expanding teacher education and strengthening the foundation of basic education,” he said.

The teacher education placements were also part of the 2024 KUCCPS placement outcome. In total, 310,502 students were placed across public universities, KMTC, and technical institutions.

The CS noted that new teacher training colleges have been established in Northern Kenya to improve access and regional equity. He called on more students to explore opportunities in teacher training, technical education, and health-related fields as the September intake approaches.