How Credit Transfer Between Kenyan Universities Works
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 07, 2026 • Africa Admissions & Exams
Kenyan universities can accept transferred credit from another certificate, diploma, or degree programme, but a Commission for University Education regulation caps how much of your new programme can come from that transfer at 49% of total credits.
📩 Apply to the receiving university's registrar or academic affairs office with your transcript and course outlines
🎓 A university's senate or a transfer committee reviews content overlap before approving any transfer
⏱️ The 49% cap applies to certificate, diploma, and degree level study; postgraduate transfer follows separate rules
Compliance among universities has been inconsistent, so confirm the receiving university's own policy before you apply
Who Regulates Credit Transfer
The Commission for University Education (CUE) sets the national rules for moving between Kenyan universities mid-study, through its Credit Accumulation and Transfer System (CATS). CUE built this system so that units you already completed at one institution do not automatically go to waste if you move to another, according to its published standards and guidelines.
The 49% Cap
CUE regulation limits how much of your destination programme can be built from transferred credit: a university cannot accept more than 49% of a programme's total credits from a prior certificate, diploma, or degree. This keeps the bulk of your qualification tied to work you complete at the receiving university, rather than letting a transfer substitute for most of a degree.
The rule applies to certificate, diploma, and degree level programmes. Postgraduate credit transfer runs under a separate and tighter set of conditions, so check with the receiving university's graduate school directly if you are transferring at that level.
How the Process Works
Apply to the receiving university's admissions or academic registrar's office, stating you want a credit transfer, not a fresh application.
Submit an official transcript and detailed course outlines or syllabi from your current or previous institution.
The university's academic department, and ultimately its senate or a designated transfer committee, reviews how closely your completed units match its own curriculum.
Approved units are credited toward your new programme, up to the 49% ceiling, and the university confirms which year or semester you join.
You complete the remaining credits at the receiving university to graduate.
Why You Should Confirm Directly With the University
A CUE compliance audit found inconsistent adherence to the credit transfer rules across universities, with some institutions granting transfers above the 49% ceiling the regulation allows. This means the cap is the legal limit, not necessarily what every university applies in practice, so ask the receiving institution for its own written transfer policy rather than assuming the national rule alone determines your outcome.
Universities also set their own additional conditions on top of the CUE cap, such as a minimum grade in the units you want transferred or a limit on how long ago you completed them. Confirm these details with the registrar before you submit transcripts, since requirements differ between institutions and between programmes.