Revealed! The Top Universities & Courses That Most Students Scramble For

By Kibet Tobias
Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed recently released the placement data that contains details of the popular courses and universities/colleges that the 2017 KCSE candidates secured following their application for placement to degree, diploma and certificate programmes.
According to the data University of Nairobi, Moi University, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology, Kenyatta, Riara, Daystar and Mount Kenya Universities were the most preferred by the applicants countrywide.
Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) further indicated the most competitive degree courses selected by candidates.
Are you still wondering about the best course to pursue?  This article is a compilation of the top 5 most competitive degree courses in Kenya emanating from what a majority want to pursue.

Top 5 Competitive Degree Courses In Kenya

1. Bachelor of Science in Electronic and Electrical Engineering
Statistics showed that most applicants wanted to pursue this course at Jomo Kenyatta University(2, 384), University of Nairobi (1,649) and Kenyatta University (1,805).
Due to limited capacity, only 59 students were placed at JKUAT, 70 at UON and 31 to study at KU.
Almost every industry requires engineers for their operations. This is why electrical and civil engineering courses are among the most competitive courses in Kenya.
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2. Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering
Civil engineering is still considered one of the best courses to study.
KUCCPS report indicates that 3,788 students applied for this programme. 66 applicants were selected to study the course in University of Nairobi while 31 others were placed at Kenyatta University.
Research suggests that graduates in this field get engineering jobs faster and earn more than their counterpart degree holders.
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3. Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery
Medicine and surgery is considered by a majority as one of the hardest courses you can pursueyet remains among the most competitive.
This is evident in the recent statistics where 318 applied for this course at University of Nairobi but only 131 were selected.
Kenyatta University selected 50 students against 321 applications. Moi University also picked 55 from the 272 applicants.
4. Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
New technologies are emerging every now and then.
As a result, institutions and companies will require computer science professionals to help integrate information technology in their business operations.
This year, 1,107 candidates applied for this programme but only 40 were selected to study this major at University of Nairobi.
5. Bachelor of Architecture
With the real estate industry growing at a high rate, the demand for architects continues to rise. With this in mind, so many students are interested in studying Architecture.
Recently, KUCCPS revealed that 1,527 students applied to pursue this course. And because of the limited capacity, only 30 were placed at University of Nairobi.
But Who Do Employers Prefer To Hire?
According to a 2016 graduate employability study done by British Council in four African countries, most students opted for public universities due to their reputation,  long history of training and performance of past students in the job market.
The most preferred universities by employers included University of Nairobi, Kenyatta and Moi.
However, a few elite private universities made it to the list of the most preffered.
Never the less, in as much as the most competitive degree courses are in the sciences, the study also showed that employers prefer hiring students from business and social sciences compared to those from the natural sciences. 
KUCCPS data further shows the technical institutes like Bondo Technical Institute, Coast Institute of Technology, East African School of Aviation, Eldoret Polytechnic, Kenya Institute of Mass Communication, Kenya Institute of highway  & Building Technology among others were also among the most preffered institutions of higher lerning.
In conclusion
These are just but a few marketable and competitive courses in Kenya.  There are many other fulfilling careers that have not been mentioned.
So if you feel that you want to pursue a career in other areas of study, follow your heart! You can excel in any field so long as you are committed to your career.
Do you have any related query? Comment on the section below.