The Government of Kenya has officially slashed tuition fees across all public universities and constituent colleges, marking a historic shift in the country’s higher education financing. The revised fee structure, effective September 1, 2025, comes under the Student-Centred Funding Model, designed to make university education more affordable, accessible, and sustainable.
In a circular dated July 30, 2025, Principal Secretary for Higher Education Dr. Beatrice Muganda Inyangala directed all vice-chancellors and principals to implement the new fee schedule and update their admissions and finance portals. The directive follows months of stakeholder consultations involving students, families, and education experts.
“The Government has lowered fees payable by students across all academic programmes,” said Dr. Inyangala. “This bold step reaffirms our commitment to ensuring affordable, accessible, and quality university education while safeguarding institutional sustainability.”
Under the revised structure, significant reductions have been introduced across 14 academic clusters. For instance:
Medicine (Clinical) now ranges from KSh 22,371 to KSh 75,000 per semester — down from annual highs of over KSh 600,000.
Nursing and Clinical Medicine fees fall between KSh 14,400 and KSh 57,600.
Engineering and Architecture, once costing up to KSh 396,000 annually, now range from KSh 14,256 to KSh 57,888 per semester.
Even the most affordable programs such as Basic Humanities and Social Sciences are now set between KSh 5,814 and KSh 23,256.
This reduction applies to both new and continuing students, offering immediate financial relief to thousands of families grappling with the rising cost of living.
The financing model maintains a hybrid structure, combining tuition payments with government scholarships and student loans, tailored to each student’s financial capacity. This approach, according to the Ministry, ensures no qualified student is left behind due to financial hardship.
The reform also comes in the wake of a budgetary shortfall at the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), which left over 100,000 students without funding in the 2024/25 academic year. The government hopes that the fee cuts, combined with an inclusive funding model, will reverse declining university enrolments—a trend that saw over 650,000 KCSE candidates fail to take up university placements despite existing capacity.
As public universities prepare for the September intake, the Ministry of Education anticipates improvements in access, retention, and graduation rates, particularly among students from low-income backgrounds. A reform that align with Kenya’s Vision 2030 agenda to make higher education a key driver of national development and human capital advancement.
“We count on your full cooperation to implement these reforms efficiently, equitably, and in the best interest of Kenyan students and families,” Dr. Inyangala urged university leadership.
