University of Nairobi graduands during the 75th graduation ceremony on September 18, 2026. /UoN
Kenya's universities are attracting foreign students but have yet to build a broad international student population, raising questions about the country's ambitions to position itself as a higher education hub.
The Commission for University Education (CUE) University Statistics Report 2025 shows that Kenyan nationals accounted for 98.39 per cent of students captured in the nationality data.
Foreign students make up a small proportion of the university population mainly from neighbouring countries.
Out of 701,135 students captured in the national survey through the Universities Education Management Information System (UEMIS), 689,857 were Kenyan.
Uganda provided the largest group of foreign students, with 1,116, followed closely by South Sudan with 1,109.
Rwanda accounted for 850 students, Tanzania 737 and the Democratic Republic of Congo 566.
Other significant groups included students from Somalia, Nigeria, Sudan, Burundi and Malawi, while countries outside Africa from regions like Asia, Europe and the Americas contributed relatively small numbers.
The target population comprised all 83 universities and university colleges operating under CUE but only 79 submitted data.
"The limited representation from outside Africa reveals a gap in global engagement and untapped potential for broader internationalization," the report said.
The report says a predominantly domestic student population limits opportunities for exchange of global perspectives and may limit opportunities for local students to develop intercultural competencies that are increasingly important in a globalised workforce.
"Expanding international enrollment would help enrich teaching and learning experiences by promoting diversity and broadening academic discourse. In addition, universities with higher proportions of international students tend to benefit from greater global visibility and improved rankings," CUE said.
The concentration of foreign students from neighbouring countries is attributed in the report to factors including geographical proximity, cultural affinity, cost competitiveness and relative political stability.
CUE recommended stronger international recruitment strategies to attract a more geographically diverse student population.
This can be through diversification of programmes by promoting uptake in STEM, engineering, agriculture and advanced technology.
The commission said the relatively low number of international students may point to broader challenges such as restrictive visa processes, limited international marketing and insufficient student support services.
"Addressing these barriers will be essential for scaling up international participation," the report notes.
Scaling up foreign students' presence in Kenya comes with financial gain as a pool of international students could also provide an avenue for universities to diversify their revenue sources.
The report says expanding international enrolment could reduce universities' heavy reliance on domestic funding while improving their financial sustainability.
Beyond revenue, the report notes that universities with higher proportions of international students also tend to benefit from greater global visibility and improved rankings.
To attract students from a wider geographical spread, CUE proposes targeted scholarship programmes, expansion of transnational education and stronger international collaborations as ways of widening Kenya's international student base.
The report also points to the need to balance Kenya's established regional appeal with broader global outreach.
While students from East and Central Africa continue to make up the largest foreign cohorts, the limited presence of students from Asia, Europe and the Americas suggests that Kenya's universities have yet to translate their regional position into a more globally diverse student market.
The findings come as Kenya's university sector continues to expand, hitting a record 707,150 students in 2025, a 12.5 per cent increase from 2024.
CUE says internationalisation should form part of the sector's broader effort to improve competitiveness and ensure that continued expansion is matched by greater global engagement.
