Bridging Courses for Nursing in Kenya [2025 Intake]

Last updated on February 23rd, 2025 at 09:54 am

Are you looking for bridging courses for nursing in Kenya? If so, then you’ll in the right place.

Do you wish to improve your KCSE grades and increase your chances of being accepted into your preferred nursing program?

If this is the case, a bridging course may be exactly what you need.

In this article, we will look at bridging courses for nursing in Kenya to help you fulfill your desire to study nursing.

Let’s dive in…

Bridging courses for nursing in Kenya (nursing bridging courses)

Just so you know, a bridging course is a short course that you take in order to retake a subject that you had failed in your KCSE exams.

The ultimate goal is to assist you in improving your grade and meeting the minimum college entry requirement for your desired course, e.g. Nursing at KMTC.

Needless to say, bridging courses provide students with a second opportunity to relearn subjects, retake exams, and ultimately gain admission to higher education institutions.

Now, you will not be happy at all to hear this but it is the truth: Unfortunately, there are no official bridging courses for nursing in Kenya  (at KMTC) for those who have not met the minimum requirements for a nursing course.

Remember that, for you to pursue a certificate in nursing, you must have a KCSE mean grade of C- (minus), a C- (minus) in Biology, English/Kiswahili, and a D+ (plus) in Chemistry/Physics.

So what we advise is you bridge the units you scored below the requirements at Colleges offering Bridging courses in Kenya such as Bridge College- it will only take you 9 months, and you can resit your KNEC exam with other KCSE candidates in Nov/Dec.

Speaking of your overall grade, NO..it won’t change even if you score a straight A in the subjects you resit (Bridge allows you to resit upto THREE subjects-at the same time- which are the 3 sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics) and Mathematics

Note that you’ll be asked for the following when registering:

1. Copy of your KCSE results
2. Copy of your KCPE Certificate
3. Copy of your Birth Certificate
4. 4 coloured (full color) passport photos

Your other option is to choose to repeat Form 4 and retake KCSE in order to improve your grades including the overall grade and get a KCSE Certificate that will receive universal recognition-it will only take one year, and you can study as a private student.

Alternatively, you can take KNEC bridging courses for the specific subjects that failed, though there are no guarantees that you will be accepted by all institutions offering nursing courses in Kenya.

KNEC, however, will issue you a new result slip for the subject/subjects that were reassessed.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the KNEC bridging courses in Kenya.

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Now proceed reading below..

KNEC bridging courses

There is no minimum grade requirement to bridge a subject even students with E scores can also bridge- just your KCSE certificate.

A bridging course normally takes six months and can be completed full-time, part-time, or on weekends.

Another thing is that bridging courses can only be taken within three years of sitting for final secondary examinations (KCSE), and registration is usually done once a year (time it in early January), within two months of the KCSE results being released.

So, here are the KNEC bridging courses in Kenya:

1. Certificate in Bridging Biology

Biology is one of the most important cluster subjects required for nursing students in Kenya.

To pursue any medical certificate program, you typically need a C- (minus) in biology, a C (plain) in nursing diploma, and a C+ (plus) in the degree program.

2. Certificate in Bridging Mathematics

This program is designed specifically to improve your mathematical skills and knowledge.

3. Certificate in Bridging Physics

Physics is a subject that has given rise to many current medical practices and technologies.

Thus, you must have it on your KCSE certificate in order to apply for a nursing course at any institution.

4. Certificate in Bridging Chemistry

A poor chemistry grade may prevent you from enrolling in a nursing program in Kenya.

So, bridging in Chemistry will increase your chances.

Bridging courses in KMTC

KMTC does not provide bridging courses to improve grades for subjects that do not meet the required threshold on any of its campuses.

However, KMTC accepts KNEC-issued KCSE bridging certificates (that are part of your formal KCSE results) and not any other bridging course.

Where can i do bridging course for nursing in Kenya?

You may try with a private MTC (here is a list of private medical colleges in Kenya- and some offer nursing) …but be warned: Competition for nursing course in Kenya is crazy nowadays so nothing is guaranteed.

Besides- and most importantly- the nursing council does not always give practising licenses to people who joined with bridging.

So its better to either do a certificate course in nursing- and if you are also not qualified for that- just repeat your KCSE!

Bridging courses for nursing in Kenya – final word

Bridging courses are an excellent way for students to improve your grades while also increasing your chances of being accepted into a higher learning institution such as KMTC (for a course like nursing).

So, if you want to study nursing but don’t meet the entry requirements in the cluster subjects, you can take a bridging course in the failed subject or repeat Form 4 to improve your grades.

Go to Bridge College – before three years are over, from the time you sat your KCSE- and apply to take a bridging course (in Chemistry, Biology, Math, and Physics) or choose to repeat the entire KCSE if you’re looking to upgrade your overall KCSE grade,

Good luck!

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KNEC bridging courses: All you need to know