The Open University of Kenya (OUK), which was chartered earlier this month is now ready to receive applications.
The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (Kuccps) announced applications for admission starting August 28.
Kuccps Chief Executive, Mercy Wahome said the portal is now open to allow for applications to join the country’s first fully virtual university, which will start with five pioneer degree programs.
The college will offer a Bachelor of Data Science; a Bachelor of Science in Cyber Security and Digital Forensics; a Bachelor of Technology Education; a Bachelor of Business and Entrepreneurship; and a Bachelor of Economics and Statistics.
According to Kuccps, it will cost Sh105,000 to study an undergraduate degree course at OUK, except for Bachelor of Technology Education, which will cost Sh115,000 per year for full-time study.
The postgraduate programmes, which will include a Postgraduate Diploma in Leadership and Accountability and a Postgraduate Diploma in Learning Design and Technology, will cost Sh110,000 for one academic year.
“The annual cost for studying a degree programme has taken into account a 15 per cent discount that the Government negotiated with universities under the new higher education funding model,” part of the statement read.
“The degree and postgraduate diploma programmes have between 12 and 14 course units per academic year. Learning will take one year for postgraduate programmes while the bachelor’s degree programmes will take four years to complete.”
According to Kuccps, for open and self-paced learning, a student may decide to take a course unit at a time on the alternative flexible mode and may plan to take longer periods.
Dr Wahome said the applications is admissible at the Kuccps portal and will be free of charge and without any deadline.
“This is due to the uniqueness of the Open University’s mode of learning and flexible modular programme design that will allow students to study at their own pace and convenience,” she said.
OUK which was mooted 14 years ago, finally received a charter on August 3, 2023, to begin operations.
President William Ruto granted the charter at the Konza Technopolis where it will be based. The award of the charter made it the first public open university in Kenya.
Dr Ruto announced that the first batch of students will be admitted in September and will study online.
Students at the university will study through open and distance learning.
The curriculum content for the programmes on offer was developed this year by a team of consultants and later approved by the Commission for Higher Education.
