Editor's Review

Once you're done with the online application, you'll download the documents, sign and drop them at anniversary towers Nairobi or a Huduma centre near you. 

The Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) is a state-owned corporation that was established in 1995.

The primary function of this body is to offer loans and scholarships for students seeking to pursue higher education at recognized institutions in Kenya.

HELB partners with County Governments and Constituencies to manage their bursary schemes and set up a revolving fund.

The board also partners with local and international organizations to help promising students in Kenya reach the tertiary level of education.

These are the necessary documents one needs to have as you begin the application: 

  1. National ID card
  2. Bank Account 
  3. A Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) PIN 
  4. Parents Details (Photocopy of Your Identification Card)
  5. Email address
  6. Three guarantors and you should have a copy of their IDs. 
One can apply for a HELB loan through their website in the following steps:-

  1. Create your HELB account. This step will require your name, ID number, email, and a password you will use for future logins
  2. HELB will send an activation link to the email provided to complete the creation of your account.
  3. Log in to the HELB Portal using your created credentials.
  4. Choose the type of loan you want to apply for, in this case, First Time Undergraduate.
  5. Without skipping any step, fill in the form as prompted.
  6. Print out two copies of the filled-in form.
  7. Collect the required signatures and lastly add your own signature.
  8. Attach all requested documents.
  9. Drop your application at the HELB offices; Anniversary Towers or a Huduma Centre near you.
  10. Click here to visit the registration portal on the HELB website.
HELB should respond to your application a month after you send it, however, if some documents or details are missing it may take longer.

How to Repay HELB via M-Pesa

Contrary to popular belief, one can start repaying their HELB loan before they complete their studies, this reduces your loan balance.

The Board, however, requires you to start repaying the Undergraduate Loan within one year of completion of studies or within such a period as it decides to recall the loan whichever is earlier.

Thanks to technology, HELB payments can be made straight from your M-Pesa.

On your Safaricom App or Safaricom toolkit, launch M-pesa.
Select the “Lipa na M-pesa” option and proceed to “Pay Bill”
On the “Enter Business No.” prompt, type in 200800
On the “Enter Account Number” prompt key in your national ID number
Enter the amount you want to pay
Enter your M-pesa PIN and press OK
Wait for the confirmation of your successful transaction from M-Pesa.

In case of an overpayment, fill out this FORM to instruct HELB to initiate a refund.

HELB advises every beneficiary to acquire a clearance certificate after successfully completing the repayment of the loan.