- More than 149,000 students have applied for both scholarships and loans under the higher education financing system.
- Another 5,732 applications remain incomplete as the August 31 deadline approaches.
- The figures emerge as universities receive first-year students for the 2026/27 academic year.
The Universities Fund has received 159,551 completed funding applications from first-year university students for the 2026/27 academic year, offering a clearer picture of the number of learners seeking government financial support as universities receive new students.
The figures provide important insight into the uptake of government funding under Kenya’s Student-Centred Funding Model, which links government financial assistance to the assessed financial needs of individual students.
The announcement comes as thousands of first-year students begin reporting to their respective institutions for the new academic year, with many families relying on government scholarships and Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) loans to meet the rising cost of university education.
The Universities Fund had opened applications for first-time students joining public universities in the 2026/27 academic year, allowing eligible learners to seek financial support through the higher education financing system. The application process is designed to combine scholarship support from the Universities Fund with loans administered by HELB.
Over 159,000 applications completed
As of August 20, 2026, 159,551 students had successfully completed their applications out of 202,133 students placed in public universities for the 2026/27 academic year.
Of the completed applications, 149,761 students applied for a combination of scholarships and loans, 642 sought scholarships only, while 9,148 applied for loans only.
A further 5,732 applications were incomplete or ongoing, with the Universities Fund urging the affected students to complete the process by August 31, 2026.
The latest development is expected to be closely watched by students, parents and university administrators because the number of applications demonstrates the level of demand for government-supported university education.
The data also provides an indication of how many students are depending on public funding to begin their university journeys at a time when households continue to grapple with the cost of tuition, accommodation, food, transport and other expenses associated with higher education.
The Universities Fund has increasingly placed emphasis on ensuring that financial assistance reaches students according to their levels of need. Under the Student-Centred Funding Model, applicants are assessed using the Means Testing Instrument, which determines the degree of financial support they qualify for.
Scholarship awards are differentiated according to students’ assessed financial circumstances, with the Universities Fund previously indicating that scholarships can cover between 30 and 70 per cent of tuition fees. The remaining cost can be met through household contributions and eligible HELB financing.
The new application figures also shed light on the transition of the latest cohort into the reformed higher education financing system.
For first-time applicants, eligibility for Universities Fund scholarships is tied to several requirements, including Kenyan citizenship and placement by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) into a public university. Students in private universities and self-sponsored students in public universities do not qualify for the Universities Fund scholarship under the stated framework.
Fund receives ISO recertification
The scholarship disclosure coincided with another milestone for the Universities Fund — the receipt of ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System recertification from the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), confirming that the institution’s systems and processes supporting service delivery have met the required standards.
The certification is significant because the Fund has been undertaking reforms aimed at strengthening its institutional systems, digitising operations and improving the management and delivery of higher education financing. The Fund has previously highlighted ISO certification among its institutional achievements.
HELB Chief Executive Officer Geoffrey Monari was speaking during a media sensitisation workshop in Naivasha on August 20, where the developments surrounding higher education financing and the role of the institutions supporting students were highlighted.
The closer coordination between HELB and the Universities Fund is particularly important under the current financing architecture, where scholarships and loans form complementary components of government support for university students.
Funding demand comes into focus
For thousands of first-year learners, however, the significance of the latest development goes beyond statistics and institutional milestones. The application data reveals how many students have taken the opportunity to seek government assistance and provides an early indication of the financial pressure facing families supporting university education.
The disclosure therefore comes at a critical moment as universities settle new students and the government continues to refine the Student-Centred Funding Model.
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With the first-year cohort now beginning its university journey, attention will turn to what the Universities Fund figures reveal about the growing demand for scholarships, the reach of the new financing model and the government’s capacity to support students through higher education.
By Hillary Muhalya
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