49 Best Public Universities in Kenya

Of the 49 Public universities in Kenya, University of Nairobi ranks highest on research impact (958,420 citations). Next come Moi University (#2 in Kenya) and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (#3 in Kenya). The universities on this list offer 255 matching courses between them.

Subject

Level

University type

Reset

Universities 49 Programs 255 Scholarships 5

49 universities · ranked best first

how we rank

1Best overall

#1 in Kenya Kenya

University of Nairobi

Public University · 6 courses

All 6 courses →

—Tuition (indicative)

—Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#1 in Kenya · by research impact

958,420 citations · h-index 277

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2Top pick

#2 in Kenya Kenya

Moi University

Public University · 68 courses

All 68 courses →

—Tuition (indicative)

—Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#2 in Kenya · by research impact

247,328 citations · h-index 166

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3Top pick

#3 in Kenya Kenya

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology

Public University · 0 courses

No course listed yet for this search — see the university's full profile.

—Tuition (indicative)

—Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#3 in Kenya · by research impact

214,301 citations · h-index 136

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4Ranked

#4 in Kenya Kenya

Kenyatta University

Public University · 0 courses

No course listed yet for this search — see the university's full profile.

—Tuition (indicative)

—Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#4 in Kenya · by research impact

193,044 citations · h-index 141

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5Ranked

#5 in Kenya Kenya

Egerton University

Public University · 0 courses

No course listed yet for this search — see the university's full profile.

—Tuition (indicative)

1939Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#5 in Kenya · by research impact

140,782 citations · h-index 135

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6Ranked

#6 in Kenya Kenya

Maseno University

Public University · 0 courses

No course listed yet for this search — see the university's full profile.

—Tuition (indicative)

—Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#6 in Kenya · by research impact

69,004 citations · h-index 99

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7Ranked

#7 in Kenya Kenya

University of Eldoret

Public University · 0 courses

No course listed yet for this search — see the university's full profile.

—Tuition (indicative)

—Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#7 in Kenya · by research impact

36,093 citations · h-index 70

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8Ranked

#8 in Kenya Kenya

Pwani University

Public University · 0 courses

No course listed yet for this search — see the university's full profile.

—Tuition (indicative)

2013Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#8 in Kenya · by research impact

32,593 citations · h-index 69

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9Ranked

#9 in Kenya Kenya

Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology

Public University · 0 courses

No course listed yet for this search — see the university's full profile.

—Tuition (indicative)

—Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#9 in Kenya · by research impact

28,070 citations · h-index 65

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10Ranked

#10 in Kenya Kenya

Technical University of Kenya

Public University · 0 courses

No course listed yet for this search — see the university's full profile.

—Tuition (indicative)

—Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#10 in Kenya · by research impact

27,752 citations · h-index 66

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11Ranked

#11 in Kenya Kenya

Strathmore University

Public University · 0 courses

No course listed yet for this search — see the university's full profile.

—Tuition (indicative)

—Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#11 in Kenya · by research impact

26,460 citations · h-index 71

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12Ranked

#12 in Kenya Kenya

Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology

Public University · 0 courses

No course listed yet for this search — see the university's full profile.

—Tuition (indicative)

—Founded

20,000Students

—International

Admissions open

#12 in Kenya · by research impact

25,875 citations · h-index 60

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13Ranked

#13 in Kenya Kenya

Technical University of Mombasa

Public University · 25 courses

All 25 courses →

—Tuition (indicative)

2013Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#13 in Kenya · by research impact

24,052 citations · h-index 68

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14Ranked

#14 in Kenya Kenya

Great Lakes University of Kisumu

Public University · 0 courses

No course listed yet for this search — see the university's full profile.

—Tuition (indicative)

—Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#14 in Kenya · by research impact

21,682 citations · h-index 67

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15Ranked

#15 in Kenya Kenya

Mount Kenya University

Public University · 0 courses

No course listed yet for this search — see the university's full profile.

—Tuition (indicative)

2015Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#15 in Kenya · by research impact

20,101 citations · h-index 52

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16Ranked

#16 in Kenya Kenya

South Eastern Kenya University

Public University · 0 courses

No course listed yet for this search — see the university's full profile.

—Tuition (indicative)

2008Founded

8,000Students

—International

Admissions open

#16 in Kenya · by research impact

16,508 citations · h-index 60

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17Ranked

#17 in Kenya Kenya

Dedan Kimathi University of Technology

Public University · 0 courses

No course listed yet for this search — see the university's full profile.

—Tuition (indicative)

—Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#17 in Kenya · by research impact

14,516 citations · h-index 48

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18Ranked

#18 in Kenya Kenya

Meru University of Science and Technology

Public University · 0 courses

No course listed yet for this search — see the university's full profile.

—Tuition (indicative)

2013Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#18 in Kenya · by research impact

12,005 citations · h-index 50

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19Ranked

#19 in Kenya Kenya

United States International University

Public University · 0 courses

No course listed yet for this search — see the university's full profile.

—Tuition (indicative)

—Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#19 in Kenya · by research impact

11,927 citations · h-index 47

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20Ranked

#20 in Kenya Kenya

Kenya Medical Training College

Public University · 0 courses

No course listed yet for this search — see the university's full profile.

—Tuition (indicative)

1927Founded

80,000Students

—International

Admissions open

#20 in Kenya · by research impact

11,384 citations · h-index 45

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21Ranked

#21 in Kenya Kenya

Karatina University

Public University · 0 courses

No course listed yet for this search — see the university's full profile.

—Tuition (indicative)

—Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#21 in Kenya · by research impact

11,359 citations · h-index 49

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22Ranked

#22 in Kenya Kenya

Kisii University

Public University · 0 courses

No course listed yet for this search — see the university's full profile.

—Tuition (indicative)

—Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#22 in Kenya · by research impact

11,115 citations · h-index 39

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23Ranked

#23 in Kenya Kenya

Chuka University

Public University · 34 courses

All 34 courses →

—Tuition (indicative)

2007Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#23 in Kenya · by research impact

10,971 citations · h-index 44

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24Ranked

#24 in Kenya Kenya

Maasai Mara University

Public University · 22 courses

All 22 courses →

—Tuition (indicative)

—Founded

—Students

—International

Admissions open

#24 in Kenya · by research impact

10,808 citations · h-index 55

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Browse by subject

Business & Management Social Sciences & Psychology Media & Communication

Popular collections

Public Bachelor's Universities Bachelor's Universities Bachelor's Social Sciences & Psychology Universities Public Social Sciences & Psychology Universities Bachelor's Business & Management Universities Public Business & Management Universities Public Media & Communication Universities Public Master's Universities

How these universities are ranked

Below them, universities follow their research output: University of Nairobi is cited most (958,420 citations). 3 universities have neither a QS position nor a research record yet and appear at the end, marked "Not yet ranked".

Public, private and where they are

49 are public and 0 private (100% public). The oldest is St. Pauls University, founded in 1903. Kenya Medical Training College is the largest, with 80,000 students.

Inside the course list

By level: 149 bachelor's, 49 diploma, 22 master's and 13 foundation. The most common subjects are Business & Management (64), Social Sciences & Psychology (38), Education (27) and Computer Science & IT (22). The usual length is 4 years and 2 years. 83% are full-time. Start dates lean to Fall (100% of courses with a stated intake) and Spring (94% of courses with a stated intake). Moi University offers the widest choice, with 68 of these courses.

Frequently asked questions

What are the top universities for Public in Kenya?

University of Nairobi (#1 in Kenya), Moi University (#2 in Kenya) and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (#3 in Kenya) lead this list. QS World positions come first; the rest are ranked by research impact.

How many public universities offer Public in Kenya?

49 public and 0 private universities are on this list.

How long does a Public course take in Kenya?

Most listed courses run 4 years, with 2 years the next most common.

When do Public courses start in Kenya?

Fall is the main intake — 100% of courses with a stated start date begin then, and Spring is the second.

Which university has the most Public courses in Kenya?

Moi University, with 68, ahead of Scott Christian University (55).

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