In this Inbound Insight series article, we look at the mobility of students from Kenya and explore the priorities of this student cohort when searching for student accommodation based on data gathered through the GSL Index.
Outbound destinations
According to UNESCO figures, 15,526 Kenyan students studied abroad in 2023. Australia, the United States (US) and the United Kingdom were the top three destinations for Kenyan students in 2023. More recent destination-level data suggests that the number of outbound Kenyan students continues to grow:
- Australia was the most popular destination for students from Kenya. Australia hosted 8,307 Kenyan students in 2023, growing to 9,522 in 2024 – an increase of 15%.
- United States – Open Doors data highlights that in 2023/24, there were 4,705 Kenyan students in the US, an 11% increase on the previous year.
- United Kingdom – HESA data highlights that there were 3,670 Kenyan students studying in the UK in 2023/24.
Enroly’s September 2024 intake data ranked Kenya 12th globally for CAS issuance, with a 43% year-on-year increase in enrolments. For January 2025, deposits rose by 130% compared to the previous year, signalling strong potential for the country to become a major East African recruitment hub.
Other analysis by the Enroly team notes the potential for the Kenyan market in the UK:
While Kenya remains a secondary market for UK higher education recruitment, its sustained growth has outpaced traditional sources, presenting valuable diversification opportunities. In fact, Kenya’s 130% year-on-year increase in deposits for the January 2025 intake underscores its continued strength and potential to become a major player among East African recruitment markets.
What’s contributing to this growth?
Like Nigeria, Kenya has a significant “youth bulge” – 25% of the population is aged 18–34, and 43% is under 15. Kenya is Africa’s seventh most populous country, with over 57 million people. High youth unemployment and a mismatch between graduate skills and labour market needs are prompting many young Kenyans to seek education overseas
Accommodation search priorities
GSL Index data shows that Kenyan students have similar priorities to other international students when it comes to finding somewhere to live, but with some notable differences:
- Budget is more important (60% vs 55% of all international students).
- Flexible contracts matter more (46% vs 33%)
- Ability to choose own room (42% vs 31%).
Accommodation type
Students from Kenya are less likely to be in private halls than other international students (79% vs 84%) and more likely to be in university halls (21% vs 16%).
Search resources
The top five resources used by Kenyan students when searching for somewhere to live are the same as those used by the broader international student cohort:
- university websites (59%)
- general web searching (27%)
- social media (23%)
- personal recommendations from friends and family (21%) and
- online reviews (17%).
However, students from Kenya are less likely (6%) than other international students (12%) to use an educational agent to assist them in their search.
Booking
Most Kenyan students book through their university housing or accommodation office (45% vs 34% of all international students) or via an online student accommodation listing site (20% vs 19% of all international students).
Students from Kenya are more likely to have booked a private rental directly with a landlord than other international students (14% vs 6%) and less likely to have booked via a consultant or agent than international students in general (6% vs 10%).
Struggles
GSL Index 2024 Q4 data highlights that for the overall international student cohort, meeting new people, stress/anxiety, finding part-time work, keeping up with the workload and making the most of their time at university are the top five struggles reported by students.
The types of struggles reported by Kenyan students are similar, although budgeting features in the top five instead of stress/anxiety, and the extent to which Kenyan students struggle in each area is more significant than for the overall international cohort.
It is also worth noting that Kenyan students are more likely to report they struggle with homesickness (33% vs 22%) and loneliness (22% vs 17%) than the broader international student cohort. Previous GSL and CUBO research has highlighted that when there is more of a ‘critical mass’ of international student cohorts, students appear to fare better as they have ready-made social networks of students from their home country to draw on. It is possible that Kenyan students’ higher rates of homesickness and loneliness are at least partly linked to smaller cohort numbers.
