Kenya’s Higher Education Loans Board has announced that student loan applications for the next academic intake are expected to open in July, offering relief to thousands of students and parents anxious about university funding.
Speaking during the “Sema na Spox” programme on KBC on Wednesday, HELB Chief Executive Geoffrey Monari said the board was waiting for the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service, known as KUCCPS, to complete placement exercises before activating the online application portal.
“I want to assure all students, parents and stakeholders that they should be able to apply for their loans online when we open,” Mr Monari said. “We are just waiting for KUCCPS to complete their placement so that we can open, most probably by the second week of July.”
The announcement comes at a crucial moment for thousands of students seeking admission to universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions under Kenya’s higher education funding system.
KUCCPS is still processing applications after extending its placement windows. The university application portal is expected to remain open until June 1, while the TVET application process closes on June 8 ahead of the September intake.
For many families already strained by the rising cost of living, the timing of HELB support often determines whether students can report to campus.
Mr Monari sought to reassure learners worried about access to funding under the government’s revised university financing model.
“In the old funding model, not all students used to get loans,” he said. “Now all the students are getting loans. I want to give the commitment that this shall continue.”
Once applications open, first-time applicants will be required to register through the official HELB online portal.
Students will need to provide personal and academic details, including their KCPE and KCSE index numbers, national identification documents, passport photographs, telephone contacts and guarantor information. Those who benefited from sponsorship programmes in secondary school will also be expected to submit supporting documents.
Returning applicants will be able to apply through the student portal, HELB mobile app or a USSD service.
The government has allocated Ksh56.7 billion to HELB in the proposed 2026/27 budget, underlining the growing pressure on the state to finance higher education as enrolment numbers continue to rise.
Mr Monari said the agency was also exploring additional funding sources beyond Treasury allocations and loan repayments to sustain the programme in the long term.
The question of student funding has become increasingly sensitive in Kenya following debates around the new university funding formula, which classifies students according to levels of financial need.
While the government says the system is designed to support vulnerable students more fairly, critics have argued that some learners still struggle to meet accommodation and upkeep costs even after receiving loans and scholarships.
Mr Monari also clarified that HELB loan repayment obligations apply to all graduates in employment, not only those working in government jobs.
He said unemployed graduates and those earning low incomes could apply for penalty waivers after verification of their employment status.
For now, students across the country are waiting for the placement process to conclude, hoping the promised opening of the HELB portal will help clear one of the biggest barriers to joining higher education.