69,078 students yet to apply for university funding

Higher Education and Research PS Dr Beatrice Muganda Inyangala before the National Education Committee at Continental House, Nairobi on June 4, 2024. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

A total of 69,078 students set to join the university in September are yet to apply for government funding.

This was even as the government announced that it had waived the Identification Card (ID) requirement when applying for scholarships and loans.

Higher Education Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala said, that only 83,922 students had so far applied for loans and scholarships.

In May, the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) announced some 153,000 students had been placed in private and public universities.

This means 69,078 students are yet to apply for student funding with only eight days to the close of the application window.

At the same time, Inyangala said that the ID requirement would be replaced with the student's former index number.

Students who are under 18 years old will also need a birth certificate attached to their application while those over the age of 18 will need proof of ID application.

Inyangala further said that the government will only support learners who will have applied for funding.

She said this while announcing that the ministry has extended the application deadline for 2023 KCSE students joining the university in the 2024-25 academic year by 10 days to August 15, 2024.

“The Ministry of Education opened the application portal for scholarships and loans for the 2023 KCSE cohort on June 18, 2024. Since then, the process of applying for scholarships and loans has been ongoing,” she said.

The government had indicated last month that by August 5, 2024, the respective universities would communicate the new fee structure.

“Under the New Funding Model, government funding will be allocated based on individual student needs," she said.

The PS also revealed that parents and guardians will be informed about the university fees/household contribution towards the cost of university programmes starting from August 19.

The Ministry of Education opened the application portal for scholarships and loans for the 2023 KCSE cohort on June 18, 2024, and the process has been ongoing.