Daily Nation hints at a new CBE university system, but details remain unconfirmed. Here’s what Kenyan parents need to know and how to prepare.
HELB has opened 2026/27 first-time loan, scholarship and bursary applications via the HEF portal. Who qualifies, the admission-letter requirement, and how to apply early to avoid delays.
How many IGCSE subjects Kenyan students should take, the compulsory core, how to choose optional subjects, and which combinations open which university and career doors.
IGCSE is the foundation. A-Level is the gatekeeper. For Kenyan students aiming at competitive university courses: at home or abroad: stopping at IGCSE quietly closes doors most parents do not realise are closing. Here is the honest pathway picture for 2026.
KUCCPS and HELB get confused constantly. They are not competitors and they are not interchangeable. KUCCPS is the placement service that decides which course you get at which institution. HELB is the loans board that decides how much money you get to study it. Here is the side-by-side that finally makes it click.
Logged into the HELB portal and unsure what your status means? This guide walks through every HELB 2026 status label: Submitted, Under Review, Returned for Correction, Approved with Batch Number, Rejected with Reason: what a batch number actually buys you, the top rejection reasons, and the appeals workflow that resolves most of them.
Should your child switch to IGCSE or stay on CBC/CBE? This honest comparison covers what each curriculum actually is in 2026, realistic costs (KSH 350k–1.2m annual tuition for IGCSE vs 0–150k for CBE), assessment differences, university placement, and which kind of family each route actually fits.
HELB has just confirmed staggered 2026/2027 loan portal opening dates: KMTC students from 1 June, University & TVET first-timers from 15 June, and subsequent loans from 15 July. Here is the full timeline, the documents you should have ready right now, and the 5 mistakes that delay disbursement.
A month-by-month roadmap for the 2025 KCSE class: from January results release to September university reporting. KUCCPS, HELB, acceptance fees, and reporting all in one timeline.