HELB: Gov’t Announces Increase For 2025/2026 Academic Year, Sets Release Dates
The first payout of HELB loans to first-year students will begin on August 15, coinciding with the opening of universities.
According to Education CS Julius Ogamba, the money would be released in installments to provide a smooth transition for incoming pupils.
The Ministry also announced a significant increase in funding for the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), which will benefit students seeking loans to further their education.
CS Ogamba also announced on Thursday that the HELB allocation will increase from Ksh36 billion to Ksh41 billion.
According to the Ministry, a portion of this financing will go toward student tuition and expenses. The remainder will be used for scholarships.
In terms of figures, the Ministry announced that Ksh13 billion will go toward student tuition.
The remaining Ksh16.9 billion will be directed to the Universities Fund to finance scholarships for qualified students.
According to Ogamba, the funding boost is part of the government’s continued efforts to guarantee that students don’t face financial impediments to higher education.
As far as the Universities Fund is concerned, disbursement has officially begun, with the first quarter of scholarship monies for the 2025/2026 financial year being given to public universities.
The Government has facilitated HELB and Universities Fund to start disbursing first year loans and scholarships from 15th August 2025, in line with universities opening dates. For more information, please see poster below. pic.twitter.com/9eR3nayYDx
— OFFICIAL HELB PAGE (@HELBpage) July 31, 2025
According to the funding model, the Ministry plans to support around 201,695 first-year university students and over 237,000 TVET trainees for the forthcoming academic year.
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In addition, 257,523 continuing students will benefit from the funds.
The government forecasts that 64% of projected university applicants and 51% of TVET trainees for the September intake have already applied.
Scholarship applications are presently being accepted for students who completed the 2024 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) and were placed by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS).
Interestingly, the government’s recent declaration came just weeks after HELB said it did not have the cash to provide new student loans this year.
HELB: Gov’t Announces Increase For 2025/2026 Academic Year, Sets Release Dates
