UoN Fees Structure For 2026/2027

This is the official University of Nairobi (UoN) fee structure for 2026 to be paid by each undergraduate, postgraduate, diploma, certificate, degree, bachelor, distance education, international student, short course, and MBA program student, respectively, for the 2026/2027 academic year.

If you want to see the line-by-line figures for most self-sponsored programmes, the University publishes a detailed fee schedule in PDF form. That document is updated when changes are approved, and it is the single most important reference for exact amounts.

Official fee structure document,

University of Nairobi, detailed fee structure PDF

You should always cross-check your personal calculations with that document and with the fee statement in your admission letter, especially for 2026/2027, since programmes and charges can be revised.

How the University of Nairobi’s fee structure works

The UoN fee structure is built around three big ideas,

Administrative or common charges are paid by almost all students
Academic or tuition fees that depend on your specific programme
Miscellaneous or optional charges such as retakes, special exams or certain services

The official fees handbook explains that the University levies three broad categories of fees: administrative fees that are uniform, academic fees that are programme specific and miscellaneous charges for services used only when needed.

On top of that, you now have the new Kenyan Higher Education Funding Model, which applies to many government-sponsored students and determines how much of the total programme cost is paid by.

Government scholarships
Government loans
The student’s household contribution

So, when people talk about “fees at UoN”, they might be referring to either,

The full programme cost in the university fee structure, or
The reduced amount a specific student actually pays after scholarships and loans

For 2026/2027, it is very important to keep this difference in mind.

Government-sponsored undergraduate students at UoN in 2026/2027

Government-sponsored undergraduate students are those placed at the University of Nairobi through KUCCPS and funded through the Higher Education Fund system. They follow the national funding rules but still pay certain standard university charges.

Core annual charges for government-sponsored undergraduates

According to the University of Nairobi finance office, government-sponsored undergraduates currently pay a set of common fees each academic year, including

Tuition, KSh 16,000 per year
Computer laboratory, KSh 3,000
Caution money, KSh 2,000 one-time, usually paid in the first year
Examination, KSh 3,000
Medical, KSh 2,000
Activity fee, KSh 1,000
Registration, KSh 500
Student identity card, KSh 500
Student union contribution, around KSh 1,000

For a typical first year government sponsored student, these add up to about KSh 28,500 before accommodation and meals. Continuing students pay slightly less because caution money and some first-year-only charges do not repeat every year. (University of Nairobi)

On top of this, students who stay in university hostels pay accommodation fees, currently listed at KSh 7,000 per academic year for many on-campus rooms, plus personal spending for meals and other needs.

How the new funding model affects what you actually pay

From 2023 onwards, the government introduced a student-centred funding model, also called the new funding model. Under this system, students are placed into income bands based on their household background and programme cost.

In simple terms,

The total programme cost is calculated for your course, for example, law, engineering or medicine
The government decides how much of that cost will be covered by a scholarship and how much by a loan
Your family then pays the remaining percentage as a household contribution

Public information about the model explains that,

Band one students, the neediest, may pay as little as 5 per cent of the total programme cost
Band two students pay around 10 per cent
Band three, four and five students pay more, but still benefit from a mix of scholarships and loans

For example, earlier estimates showed that a high-cost clinical programme such as Bachelor of Dental Surgery at UoN, which previously cost over KSh 520,000 per year, could drop to a household contribution of about KSh 36,000 per year for the neediest band, with the rest covered through scholarships and loans.

By 2026/2027, the same logic is expected to continue, even if the exact shilling amounts move a bit,

High-cost programmes will still show large “headline fees” in the fee structure
What your family actually pays can be much lower if you are placed in a favourable band

Because of this, if you are a government-sponsored student, you should always check,

The official University fee structure, to see the full programme cost
Your Higher Education Fund award letter shows how much the government is paying and how much your household must contribute

Self-sponsored undergraduate students, Module II programmes

Self-sponsored undergraduates, sometimes called Module II students, do not receive the same government tuition subsidy as government-sponsored students. Instead, they pay the full amount listed in the official Module II fee structure, unless they secure a private scholarship or other financial support.

The detailed Module II fee structure includes hundreds of pages that list fees for each programme by year and semester.

Here is how it generally works for 2026/2027 planning.

What is included in Module II fees

For each programme and each year of study, the document lists items such as,

Tuition fees per semester and yearly total
Medical fees
Computer fees
Examination fees
Registration fees
Activity fees
Student organisation contribution
Identity card
Caution money
Project or studio fees for certain courses
Library or lab charges where relevant

All these items are added together to give a yearly total in Kenyan shillings for that specific year and programme.

Typical ranges for self-sponsored undergraduate fees in 2026/2027

Based on current fee structures, and keeping in mind that the University can revise these amounts, the following approximate yearly ranges are common,

Humanities, social sciences and education programmes, often around KSh 120,000 to 250,000 per year
Business and commerce programmes, roughly KSh 150,000 to 300,000 per year, depending on level and college
Science, technology and computing programmes, frequently in the KSh 180,000 to 320,000 per year range
Engineering and architecture, often KSh 250,000 to 350,000 per year for local students, higher for international students
Clinical and health sciences programmes such as medicine, dentistry or pharmacy, commonly above KSh 400,000 per year for self-sponsored students

Your exact figure will depend on your programme, college and year of study, so the official fee structure PDF and your admission letter always win over general estimates.

How to estimate your personal UoN costs for 2026/2027

Because of the new funding model and the variety of programmes, the smartest way to approach the University of Nairobi fee structure is to build your own estimate step by step.

You can think of it like this.

Step one: Identify your student category

Ask yourself,

Are you government-sponsored through KUCCPS
Are you self-sponsored or Module II
Are you a postgraduate student
Are you a local or international student

Your category determines whether the new funding model applies directly to you and whether you are expected to pay the full amount in the fee structure, or just a portion of it.

Step two: find your programme in the fee structure

Use the official fee structure PDF and your school website to locate your,

College, for example, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Health Sciences
School or faculty
Programme name and year, for example, Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, year one

You should see a table for each year showing the fees per semester and the yearly total.

Step three: add administrative, accommodation and living costs

Take the yearly total and then add,

Accommodation fees if you plan to stay in a UoN hostel
A realistic estimate for food, transport, personal expenses and books
Any one-off charges, for example, caution money or project fees, that appear in year one or in specific semesters

This gives you a much more realistic total cost of attendance for 2026/2027, not just tuition.

Step four: Apply for funding, scholarships and loans

If you are a government-sponsored student, use your Higher Education Fund placement band and award letter to see,

How much of your total fee is covered by a scholarship
How much is covered by a loan
How much is left as a household contribution

If you are self-sponsored or postgraduate, subtract any,

External scholarship grants
Employer sponsorship
Savings and family support

The remaining amount is what you still need to cover, either through personal savings, work income or a private loan.

Official University of Nairobi banking details, how to pay your fees

Paying fees to the correct account is just as important as knowing the amount. The University of Nairobi has clear instructions for fee payment and does not accept personal cheques or cash directly at university offices. You must pay through designated bank accounts or mobile money channels, then confirm that the payment reflects in your student portal.

As you plan for 2026/2027, the main official banking details, as provided by the university, include the following

For payments in Kenyan shillings at ABSA Bank branches

Government-sponsored students, Module I
- Account name, UON Module I Collection
- Bank, ABSA Bank Kenya
- Branch, ABSA Plaza Branch
- Account number, 2032770838
Self-sponsored students, Module II, paying in Kenya shillings
- Account name, UON Module II Collection
- Bank, ABSA Bank Kenya
- Branch, ABSA Plaza Branch
- Account number, 2032771362

For international students or any payments in United States dollars

Account name, UON Module II USD Account
Bank, ABSA Bank Kenya
Branch, ABSA Plaza Branch
Account number, 2032770625
Bank code, 03
Branch code, 20
Swift code, BARCKENX

The university emphasises that all cash deposits made to these accounts typically reflect on the student fee statement within about forty-eight hours. Students can then confirm the updated balance on the student portal. If a payment takes longer to appear, they should email a scanned copy of the deposit slip or mobile money message to the addresses provided by the finance office for follow-up.

Always quote your correct student registration number if you are already admitted, or the admission or reference number indicated in your offer letter if you are a new student. This ensures that your payment is allocated correctly.

Paying via mobile money, M Pesa Pay Bill

For convenience, UoN also allows fee payment using M Pesa. The official Pay Bill details are

Business number, 300059
Account number, your student registration number for continuing students or your admission reference number for new students
Amount, the exact figure you wish to pay as indicated in your fee statement or admission letter

After completing the transaction, you will receive an M-Pesa confirmation message. The payment is then processed and posted to your student account, usually within a short period. As with bank deposits, you should keep the message safely in case you need to share it with the finance office.

How international students pay fees at the University of Nairobi

International students joining UoN in 2026/2027 follow the same general fee structure as Kenyan students in their category, but their payments are often made in foreign currency.

Key points for international students

Many fee schedules state that international students pay the same programme tuition as Kenyan students, with the possibility of at least a fixed percentage increase in some self-sponsored structures, so always check the notes on your specific programme.
Payments from outside Kenya can be sent using electronic transfers or telegraphic transfers to the UON Module II USD account at ABSA Bank, using the SWIFT and branch codes listed earlier
When sending money from abroad, ensure that any bank charges are covered on your side so that the full fee amount reaches the university account
Once you arrive in Nairobi, you can also use M Pesa or local bank deposits to pay subsequent instalments, as long as your student account remains up to date

International students should plan for higher living costs, including travel, visa, medical insurance, and settling into a new country, in addition to academic fees.

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