In a big win for thousands of Kenyan families, the government announced sweeping reductions in public university tuition fees under the student-focused funding model. The move is set to lighten the cost burden on learners while encouraging fair access to university education across the country.
The Principal Secretary for Higher Education, Dr. Beatrice Muganda Inyangala, made the announcement on Wednesday and confirmed that the new fees will be applicable from September 1, 2025. The returning and new students in the public universities will be catered for under the new expenses.
The announcement follows months of intensive consultations with students, parents, education experts, and other key stakeholders. Raised tuition fees had created anxiety across the country, and the government acted quickly to step in.
“The Government of Kenya is pleased to announce a landmark rationalisation of public university fees based on the Student-Centred Funding Model,” Dr. Inyangala stated in a letter to university management teams.
Dr. Inyangala pointed out that the lowering of the fees directly responds to the issue of costs that were raised by the parents and students. She described the move as part of an overall national strategy to make higher education affordable and inclusive.
As part of the rollout, all public universities have been directed to immediately upgrade their finance and admissions systems to include the new fee structure in readiness for the September intake.
So that no student will be disadvantaged, the government clarified that the total cost of university studies will continue to be funded through a combination of tuition fees, scholarships, and student loans. The assistance will be given based on the financial situation of each student.
“We count on your full cooperation to implement these financing reforms efficiently, equitably, and in the best interest of Kenyan students and families,” Dr. Inyangala noted in her directive to universities.
She also pointed out the government’s vision of establishing higher education as a cornerstone of Kenya’s long-term development goals, terming the fee reduction as a “landmark reform” in education.
What Students Will Pay Under the New Fee Structure
The revised fees vary depending on the academic programme, offering families a more affordable and transparent guide to higher education costs.
The following is a list of the new per-semester fees for some common disciplines:
- Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine, and Pharmacy: Between Ksh12,343 – Ksh75,000
- Architecture: Ksh12,960 – Ksh57,888
- Engineering and Surveying: Ksh14,256 – Ksh57,024
- Built Environment and Design (including Construction, Real Estate, Urban Planning, Landscape Architecture, Design, Computing): Ksh12,960 – Ksh51,840
- Health Sciences (Nursing, Clinical Medicine, Medical Laboratory Science): Ksh14,400 – Ksh57,600
- Allied Health Fields (Animal Science, Radiography, Sports Science, Public Health, Physical Therapy, Community Health): Ksh13,082 – Ksh52,326
- Food Science and Nutrition: Ksh11,401 – Ksh45,603
- Agriculture and Natural Resource Management: Ksh9,729 – Ksh38,880
Science and Technology Education
- Applied Sciences & Education (Science and Tech), including Biochemistry, Biotech, Biomedical Science, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Actuarial Science, and Environmental Science: Ksh11,628 – Ksh46,512
- Basic Sciences (Math, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geography B.Sc.): Ksh10,659 – Ksh42,636
Applied Arts, Social Sciences, and Law
- Applied Social Sciences and the Arts, including Media, Fashion Design, Music (B.Mus.), Aviation and Maritime Management, Theatre, Hospitality, Law, Agribusiness, and IT: Ksh9,690 – Ksh38,760
- Business, Education (Arts), and Economics: Ksh7,525 – Ksh30,101
Humanities and Social Sciences
- Applied Humanities covering Public Administration, Psychology, International Relations, Languages, Peace Studies, Social Work, and B.A. Education programmes: Ksh6,982 – Ksh27,927
- Basic Humanities including History, Philosophy, Sociology, Religion, Political Science, Literature, and Linguistics: Ksh5,814 – Ksh23,256
