HELB awards loans to 130K first-time applicants
By Lutta Njomo, August 17, 2025The Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) on Saturday, August 16, 2025, confirmed the disbursement of loans to 136,634 eligible university first-time applicants.
The statement shared by HELB and signed by Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba indicated the beneficiaries are those who submitted their loan applications under the Student-Centred Funding Model for the 2025/2026 academic year.
The board asked applicants to confirm the loan’s status from the students’ portal.
“All students who have submitted their loan applications are advised to confirm their upkeep loan award status from their HELB student portal in the Higher Education Financing website and liaise with their respective university administration offices for fee payment schedules. The universities are required to access the student tuition loan allocation via the HELB institutional portal,” the statement read in part.
Fees structure
Ogamba further explained that university students will be required to pay between Ksh5,814 and Ksh75,000 per semester, depending on their level.
“Further, following the Government’s directive to lower the cost of university programs, the university fees payable by students per semester will range from a minimum student contribution per semester of Ksh 5,814 to a maximum of Ksh 75,000. The variation is dependent on the student’s level of need and the cost of the university programme enrolled in,” Ogamba stated.
“This progress reaffirms the Government’s commitment to quality and equitable access to higher education, ensuring that no qualified student is left behind in their pursuit of university studies due to financial constraints. The Ministry assures all stakeholders that the Government remains steadfast in its commitment to supporting higher education as a driver of national development,” the CS added.
This comes barely days after the ministry announced the reduction of fees payable for programmes in all Kenyan universities.
In a memo issued by Higher Education Principal Secretary Dr. Beatrice Inyangala, the government said the decision followed extensive consultations with students, the public, and other stakeholders in the education sector.
“In direct response to concerns raised by students and their families, the Government has lowered fees payable by students across all academic programmes,” the memo read in part.