Study in Kenya. Updated November 2026. 4 min read.
You know what you want your students to learn. We know which clinic, conservancy or startup in Kenya will teach it, and how to get eighteen students there and back with the paperwork your provost will sign. This page is for the professor with an idea and the dean who needs a budget: what a faculty-led program in Kenya looks like, what we handle, what it costs, and how long it takes to plan.
In short: most faculty-led programs in Kenya run 10 to 21 days with 10 to 25 students and one or two faculty, in January term, spring break or between May and July. We design the itinerary around your learning outcomes, arrange Kenyan academic partners and site visits, run the ground transport, lodging and meals, keep staff with the group around the clock, and write the emergency plan. You teach. Plan from twelve months out.
A sample program: public health in Nairobi and Kisumu, 14 days
Every program is built from scratch, but this sample shows the rhythm: city learning first, field learning in the middle, and time to reflect at the end. The same shape works for conservation, swapping Kisumu for Laikipia's conservancies and research stations.
| Day | Where | Learning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nairobi | Arrive at JKIA, transfer, welcome dinner |
| 2 | Nairobi | Orientation, safety briefing, Kiswahili survival class, lecture on Kenya's health system |
| 3 | Nairobi | Urban health: a county health facility and a community health program in an informal settlement, with resident guides |
| 4 | Nairobi | Guest lecture at a Kenyan university, student exchange, Nairobi National Park at dusk |
| 5 | Kisumu | Fly to Kisumu, about an hour; orientation to Lake Victoria and western Kenya |
| 6 to 9 | Kisumu and Siaya | Community health volunteers, malaria prevention, maternal and child health, a lakeside fishing community, evening reflection sessions |
| 10 | Kakamega | Kakamega Forest and the links between environment and health |
| 11 | Nairobi | Fly back, debrief, student presentations |
| 12 to 13 | Maasai Mara | Fly in; One Health in practice: wildlife, livestock and people on a community conservancy |
| 14 | Nairobi | Fly to Nairobi, final reflection, evening departure |
What we handle, and what your university handles
| Area | Kenya Experience | Your university |
|---|---|---|
| Academics | Itinerary built around your learning outcomes; Kenyan partners and guest lecturers; site visits | Syllabus, teaching, assessment and credit |
| Logistics | Ground transport in our own vehicles, lodging vetted for groups, meals and dietary needs, internal flights | International flights, unless you ask us to book them |
| People | 24-hour on-the-ground staff, Kenyan guides, a post-trip report | Faculty leaders, student selection and conduct |
| Safety | Emergency action plan, medical evacuation cover, incident reporting in Kenya | Institutional risk review, insurance requirements, Title IX and conduct processes |
| Paperwork | eTA and $44 insurance guidance, park fee letters, pre-departure orientation | Approvals, waivers, enrollment |
What it costs per student
Faculty-led programs in Kenya commonly run about $3,500 to $6,500 per student for two to four weeks on the ground, excluding international airfare. A 14-day program sits in that range depending on group size, lodging standard and how much flying it includes. Faculty travel is usually built into the student price at one faculty place for every ten students. Our proposals are itemized, line by line, so your budget office can see exactly what each student pays for.
| Budget line | What it covers | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Lodging and meals | Group-vetted hotels, guesthouses and camps, three meals a day | Lodging standard; twin or triple rooms |
| Ground transport | Our own vehicles and drivers for the whole program | Distance; road versus flying |
| Internal flights | Nairobi to Kisumu, Nairobi to the Mara | How many legs; 15 kg bag limits on small planes |
| Park and site fees | Parks, conservancies, museums | Student rates: $50 a day at the Mara with an institution letter |
| Lectures and partner fees | Guest lecturers, host institutions, community fees | Number of partners and sessions |
| Staff | Program coordinator, guides, 24-hour cover | Group size and program length |
| Insurance and contingency | Medical evacuation cover, a contingency line | Your institution's insurance requirements |
Safety and compliance
Study-abroad offices expect a provider to speak their language, and we do. We plan to the Forum on Education Abroad's Standards of Good Practice. Every program has a written emergency action plan, a 24/7 contact in Kenya and a named U.S. contact, and an incident reporting process agreed with your office. We agree conduct rules and Title IX reporting lines with you before departure, and plan accommodations for students with disabilities case by case. We check the U.S. State Department advisory for Kenya when we design the itinerary and again before departure, and we route programs away from the areas it lists. Medical evacuation cover is required; Kenya's new mandatory inbound health insurance does not replace it.
Academic credit
Credit is awarded by your institution, not by us. We provide what your registrar and curriculum committee need: a contact-hours schedule, descriptions of each site visit and lecture, partner details, and support with readings and assignments tied to the places students will see.
The planning timeline
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| 12 months out | Your course idea; our proposal and itemized budget |
| 9 months out | Approval and risk review; recruiting opens |
| 6 months out | Student deposits; group flights; partners confirmed in writing |
| 3 months out | Pre-departure orientation; travel clinic visits and vaccines; eTA and insurance |
| 1 month out | Final briefing; rooming list; emergency plan shared |
Subjects we build programs around
- Public health and nursing: county health systems, community health, malaria, maternal health
- Conservation biology and wildlife ecology: conservancies and research stations in Laikipia and the Mara
- Agriculture: tea, coffee, flowers and smallholder farming
- Business and technology: mobile money and Nairobi's startup scene
- Engineering and water, education, journalism, Kiswahili, and history and architecture on the coast
Send us your course outline
Tell us the subject, your learning outcomes, likely dates and how many students. We reply with a draft itinerary, the partners we would approach, and an itemized per-student budget. Students can pay in full or monthly with no deposit, which helps recruitment.
