First-year students report for admission at Egerton University in Nakuru County on August 18, 2025.

📋 Breaking It Down

University student enrolment rose by 78,719 to 707,150 in 2025, crossing the 700,000 mark as staffing growth lagged behind demand, according to the Commission for University Education’s 2025 University Statistics Report.

The increase represents a 12.5 per cent rise from 628,431 students in 2024 and a 26.4 per cent increase over three years. In contrast, academic staff numbers grew by only 6.4 per cent, from 15,383 to 16,434.

The report warns that continued expansion without corresponding growth in staffing and facilities could affect teaching and learning quality, particularly in large public universities.

📌 What You Need to Know

“The expansion of enrolment has not been matched by a proportional increase in resources and staffing,” the report says, noting increasing reliance on adjunct staff and worsening student-staff ratios in public universities.

Non-teaching staff also declined by 7.5 per cent, placing additional pressure on administrative and student-support services.

Public chartered universities continued to absorb the largest share of students, with enrolment rising from 469,688 in 2024 to 534,942 in 2025 — an increase of 65,254 students, or 13.9 per cent.

Their share of total university enrolment increased from 74.7 per cent to 75.6 per cent.

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Male enrolment rose from 269,910 to 297,722, while female enrolment increased from 199,778 to 237,220. Women consequently accounted for 44.3 per cent of students, up from 42.5 per cent. Private chartered universities recorded slower growth, with enrolment increasing by 9,092 students, or 6.3 per cent, from 144,007 to 153,099.

📰 Source: Nation Africa