The Higher Education Loans Board (Helb) recently announced that it has finalised processing loans for first-year students in universities and TVETs.
The loans are being disbursed under the new funding model-Higher Education Funding (HEF) unveiled by President William Ruto in May.
Under this model, learners are grouped into four categories—vulnerable, extremely needy, needy or less needy.
The vulnerable in universities receive 100 per cent scholarships with the government scholarship paying 82 per cent while the loan takes 18 per cent.
The extremely needy students will receive 70 per cent of government scholarships while the loans will contribute to 30 per cent of the tuition fee.
The needy and less needy receive 93 per cent of government scholarships with seven per cent being household contributions in meeting the fee requirement.
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu said, Sunday that Sh3.9 billion has already been disbursed to first-year students in public universities.
A total of 115,892 first-year students successfully applied for scholarships by November 29, 2023.
The release of the scholarship amount brings to Sh9.2 billion the amount of money the government has so far released to first-year students.
Early this month, the government disbursed Sh5.3 million.
How it works
To check if you have been allocated the funding, a student should log in to their HEF portal through the Helb App, USSD or the web.
When funds are disbursed to the account, Helb sends an SMS alert through SurePay.
SurePay is an SMS notification to applicants who opt in for mobile payment or Mpesa wallet and is received once the funds have been disbursed.
It is a mobile wallet payment solution for students in universities and TVETs launched in April to help them access and utilise their Helb upkeep loans.
Here, you can then download the Mpesa App or simply dial *642# to access the funds.
The wallet which is accessible through the Safaricom Mpesa mini App and Helb USSD *642# allows beneficiaries to apply for subsequent loans, access Helb upkeep funds and withdraw funds.
Here, you can also view loan status, access loan statements and repay loans from all feature phones, Android and iPhone apps.
Once you register and opt for mobile payment, accessing your upkeep funds on Mpesa is as easy as dialling *642# after receiving the SurePay message.