KUCCPS Inter-Institution Transfer: How to Apply, Fees and Requirements

Updated 20 October 2026

Quick answer: A KUCCPS inter-institution transfer lets a student who was placed by KUCCPS move to a different university or college, or to a programme in another institution. You apply online through the KUCCPS student portal during the transfer window, pay a non-refundable processing fee of KSh 1,000 by M-Pesa when the portal prompts you, and wait up to 14 working days for a decision. You can transfer only once.

This guide uses the KUCCPS official FAQ page and the transfer guidelines KUCCPS issued for the 2025/2026 placement cycle. Last verified October 2026.

In this guide

1. What an Inter-Institution Transfer Is
2. Who Qualifies
3. Transfer Fee and Processing Time
4. When the Transfer Window Opens
5. How to Apply, Step by Step
6. Common Reasons a Transfer Fails
7. Practical Tips Before You Apply
8. KUCCPS Contacts for Transfer Queries
9. Frequently Asked Questions

What an Inter-Institution Transfer Is

KUCCPS (the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service) places KCSE candidates in government-sponsored programmes at universities, TVET colleges, KMTC and teacher training colleges. After the placement results come out, some students find they would rather study elsewhere, perhaps closer to home, at a campus that offers better facilities for their course, or in a programme they missed on the first round.

The inter-institution transfer (KUCCPS calls it IIT) is the official way to make that move while keeping your government sponsorship and HELB eligibility. It is different from simply applying to another institution as a self-sponsored student, which does not involve KUCCPS at all.

Inter-institution vs intra-institution transfer

Type	What changes	Who handles it	KUCCPS fee
Inter-institution transfer	You move to a different university or college	KUCCPS portal, with both institutions endorsing	KSh 1,000
Intra-institution (inter-faculty) transfer	You change course but stay in the same institution	Your institution only, without KUCCPS	None charged by KUCCPS; the institution sets its own rules

KUCCPS says intra-faculty transfers are done inside the institution without its involvement, but institutions must still apply the programme cut-off points. If you only want a different course at the same university, go to your faculty or admissions office, not the KUCCPS portal.

Who Qualifies

KUCCPS sets four main conditions. You must meet all of them:

1. You were placed by KUCCPS in the programme you want to leave. Self-sponsored students who joined directly cannot use the KUCCPS transfer.
2. You meet the minimum subject requirements for the programme you want to move to. A student without the required grade in Biology or Chemistry, for example, cannot transfer into a nursing or clinical medicine course.
3. You meet the cut-off points for that programme at that specific institution, using the cut-off from your placement year. Compare your weighted cluster points with the published KUCCPS cut-off points, or the course pages such as nursing cut-off points and medicine cut-off points.
4. The heads of both institutions endorse the transfer. The receiving institution must accept you and the releasing institution must let you go.

The programme you choose must also have been offered in your placement year, and you can apply for only one programme in a transfer application.

Transfer Fee and Processing Time

Item	Official KUCCPS position
Processing fee	KSh 1,000, non-refundable
How to pay	M-Pesa, only when the portal prompts you at the submission stage
Processing time	Up to 14 working days
Number of transfers allowed	One, for the whole duration of your course
Programmes per application	One
Main application fee (for comparison)	KSh 1,500, a separate fee for the first placement application

Keep your M-Pesa transaction code. KUCCPS advises applicants not to send money unless the portal asks for it, and to pay only during the official transfer window.

When the Transfer Window Opens

KUCCPS opens the transfer portal for a fixed period after it releases the year’s placement results. For the 2025/2026 cycle, a circular dated 11 July 2025 from the KUCCPS chief executive opened the window from 14 July to 24 August 2025, after the placement report came out on 1 July 2025.

The dates change each year, so watch the KUCCPS website and its official social media accounts. The student portal also shows a “Transfer deadline in” countdown when the window is open. If the countdown is blank, the window is closed and any payment you make will not be processed as a transfer.

How to Apply, Step by Step

1. Find your target programme. Use the “Programmes” or “Institutions” tab on the KUCCPS student portal to confirm the course is offered at your chosen institution and to note its 7-character programme code.
2. Check you qualify. Compare your subject grades with the minimum requirements and your cluster points with that institution’s cut-off for your placement year.
3. Log in to the KUCCPS student portal with your KCSE index number, KCSE year and password. The initial password is your birth certificate number or KCPE index number as used in KCSE registration.
4. Open “Transfer Applications” and enter the programme code of the course you want.
5. Pay KSh 1,000 by M-Pesa when prompted, and keep the transaction code.
6. Submit the application. It goes to the receiving institution first.
7. Track the status on your portal dashboard.

What happens after you submit

The KUCCPS transfer guidelines describe a chain of approvals:

1. The receiving institution reviews your application and, if it accepts you, endorses it on its own portal.
2. The releasing institution (where you were first placed) releases you on its portal.
3. KUCCPS reviews the fully endorsed application and approves it.
4. KUCCPS generates a transfer letter, which you download from your portal.
5. You present the letter to your new institution to get admission and joining instructions.

If either institution declines, the transfer fails. The fee is not refunded.

Common Reasons a Transfer Fails

• Cut-off not met. Popular courses at big universities often have cut-offs well above the minimum, and institutions must apply them strictly.
• Missing subject requirement. A good overall grade does not make up for a missing cluster subject.
• No space. The receiving institution may have filled the programme’s capacity.
• Applying outside the window, or paying before the portal prompts you.
• A second transfer. If you transferred before, the system will not allow another.

Practical Tips Before You Apply

• Talk to the admissions office of the institution you want to join before you apply. They can tell you whether the course still has space.
• Do not report to the new institution until you have the KUCCPS transfer letter.
• Keep attending or keep your place at your current institution until the transfer is approved, so you do not lose both.
• Check how the move affects your HELB loan and scholarship banding. Your funding follows your placement, so confirm with HELB once the transfer is approved.
• Read our explainer on how KUCCPS placement works to understand cluster points and how competition for places works.

Once you settle into your course, internship and graduate openings are listed on JobinKenya.

KUCCPS Contacts for Transfer Queries

KUCCPS lists its phone lines as 020 5137400 and 0723 954 927, and its email as info@kuccps.ac.ke. Its offices are at ACK Garden House, 1st Ngong Avenue, Nairobi. If you have not yet confirmed where you were placed, first check your KUCCPS placement results.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is the KUCCPS transfer fee?

KSh 1,000, paid by M-Pesa when the portal prompts you. It is not refundable, even if the transfer is declined.

How many times can I transfer through KUCCPS?

Only once for the whole duration of your course.

How long does a KUCCPS transfer take?

KUCCPS says processing takes up to 14 working days once you submit.

Can I change my course within the same university through KUCCPS?

No. That is an intra-institution (inter-faculty) transfer, handled by the university itself without KUCCPS. You still need to meet the course’s subject requirements and cut-off points.

When does the KUCCPS transfer window open?

After the year’s placement results are released. In 2025 it ran from 14 July to 24 August. Check the KUCCPS website for the current dates.

Can a self-sponsored student apply for a KUCCPS transfer?

No. Only students placed by KUCCPS in the programme they want to leave are eligible.