The Higher Education Loans Board has revealed how applicants who applied for student loans as minors can add their national identification numbers in the application portal.
In a notice on Monday, July 21, the board released a step-by-step process that students who used their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination index number in place of their ID number can finally add the ID after receiving it.
"Just got your ID after applying for the HELB Loan using your KCSE index number? Now’s the time to update your ID number! Follow these easy steps to keep your account information current," the notice read.
First, the applicants will need to log into their Higher Education Financing (HEF) portal accounts they already created using their KCSE index numbers.
After logging in, they will be prompted to update their ID. As such, they will need to capture their ID numbers and first name as they appear on the National ID card before clicking validate.
The applicants will then get a pop-up that their ID has been updated, after which they will need to click on the register tab to complete the process.
"Do not create a new account. Simply update the one you opened using your index number with your National ID details," HELB warned.
2025/2026 Academic Year Loans
This comes just a few weeks after HELB opened the application portal for the 2025/2026 academic year loans and scholarships for undergraduate and TVET students, targeting candidates who sat their KCSE in 2024.
First-time loan applicants are required to apply through the Higher Education Financing (HEF) portal, while continuing students are advised to use the HELB mobile app or dial *642# to submit their subsequent applications.
''We have now opened the portal. The 2025-2026 First Time and Subsequent Applications for Undergraduate & TVET Loans & Scholarships are now open. Apply via www.hef.co.ke for first-time applicants or dial *642# or HELB-App for continuing students,'' read part of the statement by HELB.
The portal was opened just a day after the Kenya University and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) announced the results for its 2025 placements.
Out of the 244,563 candidates who qualified for degree programs, 201,695 of them applied for placement at various levels. At the time, 310,502 students had been placed in various programmes in both universities and colleges.
