How to Download Your Co-operative University (CUK) Admission Letter: All You Need to Know

Updated 25 October 2026

Students placed at the Co-operative University of Kenya (CUK) in Karen, Nairobi, download their admission letters online from the university’s Student Self-Service portal using their KCSE index number. The same portal gives you the joining instructions and is where you activate registration once you have your admission number. This guide walks through each step as set out in CUK’s own admissions FAQ, plus the fees, documents and contacts you will need.

Before you start

Make sure you have actually been placed at CUK. Government-sponsored students are placed by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS); our guide on how to check KUCCPS placement results explains how to confirm it. On the KUCCPS portal the university appears under its code name COPUK. Self-sponsored applicants apply directly to the university instead.

Have these ready: your KCSE index number and year, a working phone number and email address, your national ID number (or your parent or guardian’s ID if you do not have one yet), and your guardian’s details.

How to download the CUK admission letter

1. Go to the CUK website at cuk.ac.ke and click Admission on the top menu to open the admissions site.
2. Click Admissions Letters Download. This takes you to the Student Self-Service portal.
3. Enter your KCSE index number followed by a slash and your exam year, for example 123456789/2025, then click Check Status.
4. Fill in the form: mobile number, ID number, gender, email address, year of birth, county, ethnicity, accommodation details and guardian details.
5. Click Submit Details.
6. Click Download Admission Letter and save the PDF.
7. Click Download Joining Instructions and save that file too.

Print the letter and check that your name, programme, school and admission number are correct. The letter states the date the programme starts and the registration deadline. Any error should be raised with the Admissions Office before you report.

What to do after downloading the letter

CUK’s FAQ sets out the next steps:

1. Go back to the Student Self-Service portal and open the Registration Activation tab.
2. Enter your admission number in capital letters and click Load to see your details.
3. Attach the required documents and submit. The admissions portal asks for your admission letter, KCSE result slip, national ID or birth certificate, and a student photo. Each file must be under 2MB in PDF, PNG or JPG format, and the photo must be a clear, front-facing image of at least 300 by 300 pixels with no filters, since it is used on your student ID.
4. You are then taken to the students’ portal. Log in with your admission number as both the student number and the first password, then change the password.
5. Pay your fees, then click Finance Registration and Register.
6. Open Unit Registration and click Confirm All to book the semester’s units.
7. If you want a university hostel, open Accommodation, choose a hostel, submit, and print the room booking report to present for your keys and mattress on reporting day.

Finance registration only opens once you have paid at least 50 per cent of the total fees, and hostel booking only opens after finance registration.

Documents to carry on reporting day

A sample CUK admission letter asks students to present the letter together with originals and copies of the KCSE result slip, school leaving certificate, national ID or birth certificate, the new student admission forms and the medical examination form. The acceptance form, medical examination form and other downloads are on the university’s student downloads page.

How to pay CUK fees

The university does not accept cash or personal cheques. According to its FAQ you can pay through:

The university hostel fee is KSh 12,000, and CUK says self-sponsored and government-sponsored students pay the same accommodation fee. To secure a room you must pay at least half of the semester fees plus the full accommodation fee. Fee structures for each programme are published on the CUK admissions site. If you are relying on a government loan or scholarship, our guides to applying for HELB for the first time and the HELB student portal explain the steps and timelines.

Activating your CUK student email

All official communication goes to your university email. After completing admission, open the CUK website, go to Students, then Email Activation, and enter your admission number at ujumbe.cuk.ac.ke. Your account details appear on screen; you then log in through Gmail. Orientation runs the day after the official reporting date and all new students are expected to attend.

Common problems

• The portal says you are many days late. You are trying to register after the deadline. Contact the Admissions Office directly.
• Forgotten portal password. Use the “Forgot your password?” link on the students’ portal, or email ictsupport@cuk.ac.ke with your full name and registration number.
• You want a different course or university. Inter-institution transfers for government-sponsored students go through KUCCPS; see our guide on KUCCPS inter-institution transfers.

CUK admissions contacts

The Admissions Office is on 0797 308 676 and admissions@cuk.ac.ke. Student finance queries go to studentfinance@cuk.ac.ke and ICT queries to ictsupport@cuk.ac.ke. The university’s postal address is P.O. Box 24814-00502, Karen, Nairobi, and its general line is 0724 311 606.

Frequently asked questions

How do I download my CUK admission letter?

Open cuk.ac.ke, click Admission, then Admissions Letters Download. Enter your KCSE index number and year, click Check Status, fill in your details, submit, then click Download Admission Letter.

What is CUK’s code on the KUCCPS portal?

The Co-operative University of Kenya appears as COPUK on the KUCCPS portal.

What is the CUK M-Pesa paybill number?

Fees are paid to Paybill 400222 with the account number 723#admission number.

How much is accommodation at CUK?

CUK lists its hostel fee as KSh 12,000, the same for government and self-sponsored students.

What do I use to log in to the CUK student portal for the first time?

Use your admission number as both the student number and the password, then change the password when asked.