The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) has made some changes in regard to which private universities qualify for HELB funding.
The news broke just as the portal for placement in 2026 opened in the evening. As stated by KUCCPS, 31 private universities are eligible for HELB loans. This is an indication that the students who get admission to any of the universities listed qualify for financial assistance towards paying for tuition and study expenses.
However, it is good to note that scholarships will only be available to students enrolled in public universities since they are the only ones under the government’s scholarship program. The exercise is set to begin on April 7th and end on May 6th.
More support for students
KUCCPS also confirmed that 275 public colleges offering Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) courses are eligible for both government scholarships and HELB loans. Other public colleges, like the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC), will only offer HELB loans.
The public universities, including the Open University of Kenya, will continue to get both government scholarships and HELB loans.
Private universities on the list
Some of the private universities now eligible for HELB loans include Daystar University, Mount Kenya University, KCA University, Zetech University, Africa Nazarene University, and several others across the country.
How many students can join
This year, KUCCPS says universities have 322,396 degree programme slots approved by the Commission for University Education (CUE). From last year’s KCSE results, 980,444 candidates were eligible for placement, with 268,700 scoring a C+ or higher, making them eligible for degree courses in both public and private universities.
KUCCPS said it will also send officers to universities and TVET institutions in all counties to help students with their applications.
The update is part of the government’s continued push to make higher education more accessible while helping students manage the cost of studying under President William Ruto’s administration.
