Universities Admission: Confusion reign for 'freshiers' in new university funding

First year students seek admissions at Kisii University on 20/6/2026. The university is expecting over 9000 students this year. (Sammy Omingo,Standard)

Thousands of first-year students have reported to public universities across the country to begin their long-awaited academic journeys.

However, instead of the excitement that normally accompanies campus life, many are entering lecture halls carrying a major unanswered question: Who will pay for their education?

The confusion has gripped both students, parents and universities, with the Government yet to provide definitive guidance on the fee structure and funding arrangements that will apply to the 2026/27 cohort.

Kelvin Masitsa, an incoming Bachelor of Information Technology student at the University of Nairobi, said he had applied through the Higher Education Financing portal but had largely depended on media reports to understand the new model.

“I've heard about it, but just from the news when the President was announcing. The bit I know is just about getting 100 per cent funding if you qualify. But as for orientation or communication on how the transition works, there is nothing,” he said.

Masitsa said his application for HELB support and government scholarships was still unverified, leaving him uncertain about his financial position for the semester.

Another first-year student, Grace Mwaura, said the lack of official communication had forced her to apply under the old system.

“So far, we haven't had communication about the university funding model that was announced,” she said.

“We are told that since the announcement, the court process has been ongoing. We expect to transition to the new model eventually, but so far there is no official communication on when it starts. I ended up applying under the old system and am still waiting for a response.”

Other public universities, students have reported similar challenges as institutions admit learners while awaiting official direction on the new financing arrangements.

At the University of Nairobi, first-year Bachelor of Arts student Chris Odhiambo said the uncertainty began with his admission letter, which did not indicate the fees he would be expected to pay.

“We have not received any communication about the fee structure. We were told that the fee structure will come from the Government,” Odhiambo said.

He said students placed through the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) were waiting for information on how much they would pay and what portion would be covered through scholarships or Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) loans.

“Up to now, we have not been told any fee structure that we will be paying,” he said.

Yet upon reporting to the university, Odhiambo said he was asked to pay Sh10,000 for various admission-related requirements, including medical services, student identification and library-related services.

Other students, he said, were asked to pay different amounts, with some paying Sh5,000 and others Sh2,000.

The varying payments have added another layer of uncertainty for freshers who cannot tell whether such charges are part of their eventual university fees or simply admission-related costs.

While President William Ruto’s administration has promised a learner-centred funding system designed to ensure students receive financial support according to their needs, the proposed Variable Scholarship and Loan Funding (VSLF) model is still undergoing the legislative process.

As a result, universities have admitted students before the new funding framework has been fully operationalised, leaving institutions to navigate a difficult transition while parents struggle to establish how much they will be required to pay.

The confusion stems partly from the legal battle surrounding the Government’s proposed funding model.

The High Court previously declared the model unconstitutional, citing, among other issues, inadequate public participation and concerns over the banding criteria used to determine student support.

The Court of Appeal subsequently issued a stay order, allowing the Government to temporarily proceed as the legal process continues.

The proposed system seeks to move away from the traditional approach of financing students largely through a standard loan arrangement. Under the learner-centred model, students are categorised according to their financial needs through a Means Testing Instrument (MTI).

Depending on their level of need, students can receive a combination of government scholarships, HELB loans and household contributions, with the most vulnerable expected to receive the highest level of government support.

The Government has argued that the model puts the student, rather than the parent, at the centre of financing.

“The new model is funding the learner and what the student will become, not the parent. We have moved the parent from this matrix so that all students are equal,” Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has said.

But the transition has created a mismatch between policy intentions and what students and universities are experiencing on the ground.

State Department for Higher Education Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala acknowledged that the country is currently in a transition period as Parliament considers the proposed framework.

She said the proposal had been published and was before Parliament while universities had already admitted students.

“It has been declared that there is a transition process whereby that proposal to have all students funded is now published and is now available in Parliament,” Inyangala said.

She added that universities would receive direction once the legislative process was completed.

“And so, during this transition period, the universities have admitted the students. And when this process is finalised, we shall guide them appropriately,” she said.

Despite the uncertainty, the Government says the majority of students have reported to their institutions.

Inyangala said about 195,000 students had reported out of an expected 202,000, although some placed in universities could opt for technical and vocational institutions or study abroad.

“The response has been very good. The message has sunk, and the parents that we have talked to have understood that the students will go to school, the students will learn, and further guidance will be provided,” she said.

She also sought to reassure first-year students over upkeep funds, saying the money had been processed.

“It has been processed, and they will receive their money by next week,” she said.

However, universities themselves are facing another financial headache with parents believing that the Government’s learner-centred financing system will cover the bulk of the cost for needy students, some are sending their children to university without paying fees. At the same time, institutions are yet to receive adequate funding from the Government, creating pressure on their ability to provide services.

National Parents Association chairman Silas Obuhatsa said they are therefore caught between the expectation that education will be heavily subsidised and the immediate demands made by universities.

“We are urging the government to release funds to universities because we have already admitted learners to institutions without paying anything,” parent Daudi Bartoi said.

At Machakos University, the situation reflects the strong demand for higher education despite the funding uncertainty. Vice Chancellor Joyce Agala said the institution expected about 4,000 first-year students, with more than 3,500 already having reported.

Leon Wakaba, a student at the university, said the application process had been relatively smooth, but broader questions around financing remained.

Other students are calling for clearer intervention. Macren Auma urged the Government to consider full scholarships for needy students.

“I will urge the government to either give full scholarship for needy students,” she said.

For some students, the funding uncertainty is affecting academic decisions as well. Odhiambo, who wants to transfer from Bachelor of Arts to Bachelor of Education, said he could not establish the financial implications of changing courses.

“I have done it, but it has refused. So, I'm still waiting for it,” he said.

The Chairman of the Vice Chancellors’ Forum for public universities, Professor Daniel Mugendi, said universities had continued admitting students despite the uncertainty.

“What we have told them is that those students who will need support from the Government, either in the form of scholarships, like we know it now, and loans, should still go and apply,” Mugendi said.

He added that students who could afford to pay privately could do so as the process continued, while universities had mechanisms to assist learners facing extreme financial difficulties.

“Universities have mechanisms of identifying these and supporting them in the meantime,” he said.