First-time university and TVET students who missed the government funding deadline have been given another chance to apply, with the Ministry of Education extending the application window to September 21, 2026.
The initial application period closed on August 31 after 789,422 applications were received for tertiary education funding.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba said the extension was approved after the ministry noted that some eligible students and trainees had been unable to submit their applications within the initial period.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Ogamba said the Universities Fund and the Higher Education Loans Board had been directed to reopen the application window for eligible first-time applicants.
“The Universities Fund and the Higher Education Loans Board have been directed to extend the application window for all eligible applicants, to September 21, 2026,” Ogamba said in a statement.
The CS urged students joining universities and TVET institutions for the first time to take advantage of the additional period and submit their funding applications before the new deadline.
“All eligible first time applicants in universities and TVETs are invited to promptly apply for funding within this extended window,” the CS said.
The ministry said funding applications from first-time students will continue to be handled under the current Student-Centred Funding Model.
The clarification comes as first-year students continue reporting to universities and TVET institutions, with the rollout of the proposed new higher education funding framework still pending.
Ogamba said the proposed transition to the Universal Access and Funding Framework will only take effect after Parliament passes the Tertiary Education Placement and Funding Bill, 2025.
“For the avoidance of doubt, it is notified for the general information of the public that applications for funding for first time applicants will be considered and processed in accordance with the current Student-Centred Funding Model,” he said.
The government has already released Sh22.12 billion to support continuing university students and TVET trainees during the first semester or term, according to the ministry.
The extension is expected to give eligible students who did not apply during the first window an opportunity to seek government assistance as they begin their studies.