Kenya

Altogether, there are about 100 universities in East Africa, both public and private, with Kenya hosting the highest number, 40.

With local Kenyan universities not being able to offer enough places for students, more students are looking into opportunities to study overseas as they also wish to improve their career prospects in the labour market after graduation.

According to University World News, 57% of 1,044 Kenyan students polled in the recent survey said that they would prefer to study in a foreign university than a local one. The number of Kenyans issued with student visas has been on the rise in recent years according to government statistics.

An increase in Kenyan schools offering A-Levels and International Baccalaureate naturally increased the number of students willing to study abroad. Those ones who obtained the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) can still apply to foreign universities but most of such students choose to go for Access Courses abroad.

Tanzania

In the past decade Tanzania’s public universities have witnessed rapid growth in enrollment. There are nearly 30 public and private universities in Tanzania. Demand for higher education is large with an estimated student population of 15,000.

According to a recent report from the Tanzania Education Sector Analysis, emphasis has been put on higher education, to adequately meet the growing demand from secondary school leavers and produce skills relevant to current and future economic growth. University enrollment has grown at an average annual rate of 30% over 2005-09.