2,790 students approved for 2026/27 loan scheme

The government has released the list of 2,790 students who have qualified for the Higher Education Students Financing Scheme loans for the 2026/27 academic year.

The beneficiaries were selected from more than 10,600 applicants who applied for financial support to pursue degree and diploma programmes in accredited higher learning institutions.

Michael Wanyama, the Commissioner for Higher Education Students Financing Scheme at the Ministry of Education, said demand for student loans has continued to rise each year.

“This time round we received a total of 10,615 applications, way above the 7,125 received in the last academic year,” Wanyama said.

The ministry opened applications on May 25, 2026, and initially set the deadline for July 25 before extending it to July 31 to accommodate students affected by delayed admissions from some higher education institutions.

Applicants submitted their requests online through the Integrated Loan Management System.

To qualify, applicants had to be Ugandan citizens, admitted to accredited programmes in chartered higher education institutions and aged 35 years or below.

Wanyama said the ministry used a standard scoring system to assess applicants and eliminate human interference during the selection process.

“All applicants are subjected to a uniform scorecard which considers social economic indicators to arrive at the lending decision,” he said.

He said the assessment considered factors including the applicant’s academic performance, household background, vulnerability indicators such as disability and loss of parents, geographical location and affirmative action considerations.

“The scores were generated automatically by the system, thus removing human interference,” Wanyama said.

The commissioner said the district quota system ensured applicants were selected from across the country, including districts that traditionally recorded low application numbers such as Amudat, Buvuma, Kalangala, Karenga, Kotido and Moroto.

Out of the 10,615 applications received, 8,005 applicants (75.5 per cent) were found eligible, while 2,610 were disqualified. Wanyama said most rejected applications were incomplete.

The ministry approved loans for 2,790 students, representing a success rate of 34.8 per cent.

Of the successful applicants, 1,400 are female and 1,390 are male, marking an increase from the previous academic year when 862 students received loans.

A total of 2,019 beneficiaries will pursue degree programmes, while 771 will undertake diploma courses.

The beneficiaries include 64 students with disabilities, who will receive support to pursue science and humanities programmes.

The largest number of beneficiaries will study Bachelor of Science with Education, while others will pursue engineering, computer science and healthcare management programmes.

The loans will cover tuition fees, functional fees, research costs and assistive devices for students with disabilities. However, beneficiaries will meet their own feeding and accommodation expenses.

The funds will be transferred directly to the respective higher education institutions rather than paid to individual students.

The budget for the 2026/27 cohort stands at Shs10.72 billion.

The ministry said successful applicants will be notified through SMS messages and the ministry website.