HELB Reveals 12 Documents Every Student Must Have Before Loan Applications Open.
The Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) has outlined the documentation requirements for students who sat the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination ahead of the opening of the student loan application portal in July 2026.
In a notice issued on Wednesday, HELB advised prospective applicants awaiting placement to universities and colleges to prepare the required documents and information in advance to facilitate the application process once the portal becomes operational.
According to HELB, applicants will be required to have a valid email address and registered mobile phone number. In addition, students will be required to provide their Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) index numbers together with the respective examination years.
Applicants will also be required to upload a passport-size photograph in JPEG, JPG, or PNG format. A copy of a National Identity Card or Maisha Card will be mandatory for applicants who have attained the age required for registration. Applicants who are minors will be required to provide a birth certificate in PDF format.
HELB further stated that applicants who benefited from sponsorship programmes during their secondary education should prepare copies of their sponsorship letters for submission during the application process.
As part of the application requirements, applicants will be required to provide their parents’ National Identity Card numbers and registered mobile phone numbers.
For applicants whose parents are deceased, copies of death certificates in PDF format will be required.
The board also directed applicants to prepare details of two guarantors. The required information will include the guarantors’ National Identity Card numbers and registered mobile phone numbers. HELB noted that parents may also serve as guarantors.
The requirements listed by HELB include:
- Valid email address.
- Registered mobile phone number.
- KCPE index number and examination year.
- KCSE index number and examination year.
- Passport-size photograph in JPEG, JPG, or PNG format.
- National Identity Card or Maisha Card.
- Birth certificate in PDF format for applicants who are minors.
- Sponsorship letter for applicants who benefited from sponsorship programmes.
- Parents’ National Identity Card numbers.
- Parents’ registered mobile phone numbers.
- Death certificate in PDF format for applicants whose parents are deceased.
- Details of two guarantors, including National Identity Card numbers and registered mobile phone numbers.
The notice was issued following remarks by HELB Chief Executive Officer Geoffrey Monari, who indicated that applications for student loans are expected to open during the second week of July, subject to the completion of placement activities by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS).
Speaking during an interview on the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) programme Sema na Spox, Monari stated that the board was awaiting the conclusion of the placement exercise before activating the online application process.
“I want to assure all students, parents and stakeholders that they should be able to apply for their loans online when we open. We are just waiting for KUCCPS to complete their placement so that we can open, most probably by the second week of July,” Monari said.
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Once the application portal is opened, first-time applicants will be required to register through the HELB student portal before submitting their personal, academic, and financial information.
The student loan application process will be undertaken as the board continues implementation of the government’s higher education funding framework. In the 2026/27 financial year, the National Treasury allocated Ksh56.7 billion to HELB to support higher education financing.
HELB Reveals 12 Documents Every Student Must Have Before Loan Applications Open.
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