HELB postgraduate scholarships and loans (Masters and PhD)
Higher Education Loans Board · sources read 30 Sep 2026
HELB gives partial scholarships to Master's (KSh 200,000) and PhD (KSh 450,000) students: apply on hef.co.ke and pay a KSh 3,000 fee on eCitizen when the call is open. If you're employed, you can instead apply for the Jielimishe loan.
- Fee
- KSh 3,000Postgraduate scholarship application fee (non-refundable, via eCitizen)
- Closed
- 31 Aug 2026 The 2026/2027 scholarship window closed on 31 August 2026. Watch HELB for the next call.
- Where
- Online on the HELB Higher Education Funding portal (hef.co.ke)
What you need
- Admission letter to a full-time or part-time program at a CUE-recognised university in Kenya
Steps
- Register on www.hef.co.ke and fill in the Postgraduate Scholarship application.
- When you click the payment tab, pay the KSh 3,000 application fee through eCitizen. It isn't refunded.
- Submit the completed form online.
- If you're employed, you can apply for the Jielimishe loan on the HEF portal. It's awarded per year and paid straight to your university.
Watch out
- If you had a HELB loan before, you must be repaying it or have cleared it.
- Don't pay anyone to process your application for you.
- Civil servants can also get KSh 30,000 to 500,000 for Master's or PhD at 4% a year, repaid by check-off over up to 6 years.
Who can apply
- Kenyan students in a Master's or PhD program at a CUE-recognised public or private university in Kenya.
- At least a Second Class Upper degree.
- Award: KSh 200,000 for Master's (for 2 years) and KSh 450,000 for PhD (for 3 years).
- Science, technology, engineering, agriculture and maths students get priority.
- Employed? The Jielimishe loan covers Postgraduate Diploma, Master's and PhD studies in Kenya.
Official sources (4)
- Post Graduate Scholarship: Call for applications for partial postgraduate scholarships, FY 2026-2027 helb.co.ke · read 30 Sep 2026
- Jielimishe Loan (For Salaried Students) helb.co.ke · read 30 Sep 2026
- Civil Servants Training Revolving Fund helb.co.ke · read 30 Sep 2026
- Higher Education Financing portal hef.co.ke · read 30 Sep 2026