New University funding model allocated KSh19.6B by the Government

The University Fund has made loans and scholarships available to 130,485 students enrolled in public universities, while 9,662 of the 140,107 students admitted to universities will receive loans.
The government has made KSh 19.6 billion available for the financing institution in the new funding model for the new cohort of students enrolling in Universities and Technical and vocational education and training (Tvet) institutions.
Geoffrey Monari, the chief executive officer of University Fund, drew attention to the fact that, for the current fiscal year, the budget estimate is higher than the number of students enrolled in the KUCCPS‘s centralized system.
“There is no student who will miss funding. You can see the number of students we estimated is higher than those who were placed. All students will be funded regardless of their status,” said Monari.
A budget of KSh 34.1 billion will now be allocated to supporting universities using the differentiated unit cost (DUC) model, which distributes payments to institutions depending on the number of undergraduate students enrolled in the regular program.
Applications for university scholarships and loans from 2022 KCSE students have already started. The Ministry of Education has now established new standards, and the application date is 27 August, 2023.
Only KCSE 2022 applicants, who must submit their applications through the Higher Education Financing (HEF) portal, are subject to the funding model.
“We shall not close until the 140,107 students get in, but we cannot force everyone to apply because I could have been placed and I am able to pay, it does not mean that the applications will be 100%,” he stated.
“Even from past records we have seen that some students opt not to apply but the position is we would want to accommodate every student because the funds are available,” Monari said.
KUCCPS CEO Mercy Wahome stated that degree program cost influenced the university application by students.
“The current status for applications is 6,155 and we are seeing an average of about 2000 and it’s growing every day. The new funding model will address the gap of underfunding in universities. The cost actually affected the behaviour of students in the way they applied for these courses,” Wahome said.
Scholarships, loans, and bursaries will be given to students based on a Means Testing Instrument (MTI) technique that aims to ascertain their level of need.
According to the new funding model, cash will be distributed in a ratio that includes 61% government scholarships, 36% government loans, and 7% household spending.
“The public is not aware of the funding component paid by the Ministry of Education on behalf of the Government, while the new status is that the actual programme cost will be disclosed to the student upon receiving an admission letter from the respective university. Students are also allowed to apply centrally for Government loans, scholarships and bursaries,” Monari said.
A valid email address, a working phone number that is linked to the applicant’s name, the KCPE and KCSE index numbers and the year of the examination, a letter of acceptance to a college or university, and a copy of the sponsorship letter for students who were sponsored in secondary school are all requirements.
A birth certificate, a passport photo, a death certificate (if parents are deceased), and the registered numbers of the applicant’s parents or guardians are additional requirements.
Additionally, persons applying for loans must have the names, addresses, and phone numbers of two guarantors.
One must first register or log in to the platform, complete their profile and upload any necessary documents, check the option to apply for a loan or scholarship, and then submit their application.
The applicant will then have to wait 30 days for the award, before receiving an SMS payment notification.