- HELB has issued guidance to students who have faced challenges activating their HEF Portal accounts for loan and scholarship applications.
- The board has advised applicants to check spam folders, activate links within three hours, and re-register if links have expired.
- Students have reported delays and errors, and HELB has cautioned against sharing sensitive personal information publicly while offering continued support.
The Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) has issued fresh guidance to students experiencing difficulties activating their Higher Education Fund (HEF) Portal accounts, following an increase in complaints from applicants struggling to complete the registration process.
In a notice issued on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, HELB outlined the steps students should follow to successfully activate their accounts and continue with applications for government loans and scholarships under the Higher Education Fund.
The advisory comes after numerous students raised concerns through the board’s official X account, reporting challenges ranging from delayed activation emails to expired activation links and registration errors.
One applicant said repeated attempts to register had been unsuccessful despite spending several hours on the process.
“After 3 hours it still says index and ID already registered. It doesn’t allow registration afresh,” the student posted.
Responding to the concerns, HELB urged applicants who have not received their activation emails to first check their spam or junk folders before seeking further assistance from the board.
According to HELB, the activation email is generated automatically immediately after a student completes registration using a personal email address.
“Still waiting on that HEF Portal activation email? Before you panic, check your Spam or Junk folder; it might already be there!” the board said.
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The loans board further advised students to activate their accounts as soon as they receive the email, noting that activation links remain valid for only three hours.
Applicants who fail to activate their accounts within the stipulated period have been instructed to repeat the registration process on the HEF Portal to generate a new activation link.
“Remember, your activation link is only valid for 3 hours. If it expires, simply register afresh on the HEF Portal,” HELB added.
Throughout the day, the board continued responding to students facing account activation difficulties. Some applicants reported waiting several days without receiving activation emails, while others indicated they had mistakenly used incorrect email addresses or no longer had access to the email accounts used during registration.
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HELB also cautioned students against sharing sensitive personal information, including national identity card numbers, email addresses and telephone numbers, on public social media platforms while seeking assistance.
The latest advisory comes as students continue submitting applications for loans and scholarships through the Higher Education Fund, with many relying on HELB’s customer support channels to resolve registration, account activation and application-related challenges ahead of the 2026/2027 academic year.
By Bernard Magada
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