How to Get a Foreign Degree Recognized in Kenya Through the Commission for University Education

Why You Need Recognition and Equation

A degree earned outside Kenya, whether on campus or online, does not automatically count as equivalent to a Kenyan qualification for jobs, further study or professional registration. The Commission for University Education (CUE) is the body legally mandated, under Section 5(1)(g) of the Universities Act No. 42 of 2012, to recognize and equate qualifications awarded by foreign universities and institutions.

Recognition confirms your foreign qualification is genuine and accredited. Equation states which Kenyan qualification level it matches.

What CUE Checks

CUE recognizes and equates diplomas, bachelor's degrees, postgraduate diplomas and postgraduate certificates from foreign universities and institutions. Two conditions apply.

• Your qualification must be accredited and recognized, meaning it comes from a university or institution that is itself accredited and recognized in its home country.

• You must have met the minimum entry requirements for an equivalent qualification in Kenya at the time you enrolled, not only at graduation.

This applies to online and distance qualifications the same way it applies to on-campus ones. CUE checks the accreditation status of the institution and program, not how the teaching was delivered, so an online degree from an accredited, recognized university is treated the same as an on-campus degree from the same institution.

Documents You Need

Prepare certified copies of your certificates and academic transcripts before you start. CUE only accepts certification from specific sources.

• Kenyan citizens: certification by an Advocate and Commissioner for Oaths.

• Foreign citizens: certification by an Advocate and Notary Public.

• Alternative for either group: certification directly by the institution that issued the qualification.

Uncertified photocopies are not accepted, so get this step right before you submit your application.

How to Apply

1. Register on CUE's online recognition portal .

2. Fill in your personal details and details of the foreign institution and qualification you want recognized.

3. Upload certified copies of your certificate and transcript, following the certification rules above.

4. Pay the recognition and equation fee CUE charges under the Universities Act, following the current fee schedule published on the CUE website.

5. Submit your application and track its status through the portal while CUE verifies your institution and qualification.

Processing involves CUE confirming your institution's accreditation status, sometimes directly with the awarding institution or its home regulator, so build in time before you need the recognition certificate for a job application, further study or professional registration.

Who Needs This Process

You need CUE recognition and equation if you plan to use a foreign qualification, including one earned online, for a government job application, admission to further study at a Kenyan institution, or registration with a Kenyan professional body that requires a recognised qualification. Employers and institutions that only need to confirm your qualification informally, without a legal or regulatory requirement, do not always ask for a CUE certificate, but having one ready removes doubt and speeds up any process that does ask for it.

How CUE Verifies Your Foreign Institution

Beyond checking your documents, CUE confirms your foreign institution's accreditation status against its home country's regulator or recognised international databases before issuing a recognition certificate. This step protects you as much as it protects employers, since it prevents a genuine degree from an accredited institution being confused with a certificate from an unaccredited provider or a degree mill. If your institution is well known and its accreditation status is easy to confirm, this step moves faster than for a small or newly established provider.

Recognition for Online and Distance Qualifications Specifically

CUE has published revised standards that address how it evaluates qualifications obtained through distance and online study modes, alongside its general recognition and equation guidelines. In practice this means CUE looks at the same core questions for an online qualification as for a campus one: is the awarding institution and program accredited, and did you meet the entry requirements for an equivalent Kenyan qualification.

If your online qualification came from an institution CUE does not recognise as accredited, equation will not proceed regardless of your performance in the program.

Common Reasons Applications Get Delayed

• Certificates or transcripts certified by the wrong authority, for example a photocopy stamped by someone other than an Advocate, Notary or the issuing institution.

• Missing transcripts showing individual course grades, when only the final certificate is submitted.

• Foreign institutions that are slow to respond to CUE's verification requests, which is outside your control but still affects your timeline.

• Incomplete portal applications, where required fields or documents are left blank at submission.

Start the process well before you need the recognition certificate for a job application, admission deadline or professional registration, and follow up through the portal rather than assuming silence means rejection.

After You Get Your Certificate

Once CUE issues your recognition and equation certificate, it states the Kenyan qualification level your foreign degree matches. Keep the original safe and attach certified copies to job applications, university admission applications or professional body registrations that ask for it, alongside your original foreign certificate and transcript.