HELB Loan Types for Undergraduate, TVET and Postgraduate Students

How HELB structures its loans

The Higher Education Loans Board (HELB ) does not run one loan for every student. It runs separate products for university undergraduates, TVET students and postgraduate students, and each one has its own eligibility rules, funding source and application route. Since the 2023/24 academic year, first-time undergraduate and TVET loans are issued alongside a government scholarship through the Higher Education Financing (HEF) model, applied for on the HEF portal , so your loan amount is now tied to a needs-based funding band rather than a single flat figure for everyone.

Undergraduate loan

This is the largest HELB product by number of borrowers. It funds Kenyan citizens at a public or chartered private university, whether placed through KUCCPS or studying as self-sponsored, parallel or Module II students, for a first degree. First-time applicants apply through the HEF portal and get a funding package made up of a Universities Fund scholarship, a HELB loan and, in some bands, a household contribution. Continuing students who joined before the new model apply for renewal each year through the same portal, but stay on the loan terms tied to their original intake.

TVET loan

Students in certificate and diploma programmes at TVET institutions registered with the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA) apply through the same HEF portal as university undergraduates. The loan and scholarship structure follows the same banded model, so two TVET students on different courses can get different funding packages depending on their assessed financial need. TVET loans generally cover lower amounts than university undergraduate loans, reflecting the shorter course duration and lower average tuition at TVET institutions.

Postgraduate loan

HELB also funds master's and PhD students through a postgraduate loan, which is not part of the HEF funding model. Apply through HELB directly rather than the HEF portal, and check helb.co.ke for the application channel and window for each intake cycle. A key eligibility rule sets this product apart from the undergraduate and TVET loans: if you have taken a HELB loan before, you must already be repaying it or have cleared it in full before you can apply for postgraduate funding. Borrowers in default on an earlier loan are not eligible until they resolve that debt.

Afya Elimu Fund

Alongside its main loan products, HELB administers the Afya Elimu Fund, a loan aimed specifically at needy students in health-related training programmes such as nursing and clinical medicine at public middle-level medical training colleges offering certificates and diplomas. It runs on its own application cycle and funding pool, separate from the general undergraduate and TVET loans, so check the HELB site for the specific window it opens each year.

Choosing the right loan

Apply for the product that matches your current level of study, not the one you previously held. A student who finishes a TVET diploma and later joins university applies afresh for the undergraduate loan, and a graduate moving into a master's programme applies for the postgraduate loan only once existing HELB debt is being repaid or cleared.