Students finally get varsity fee details as appeal window opens

Parents of thousands of students who excelled in last year’s KCSE exams can finally know how much they will pay towards fees.

This comes as a relief following heightened anxiety after universities initially released letters with the costs of the courses as fees.

Education CS Migos Ogamba said all universities are already issuing revised letters to the first batch of 125,893 students who applied for loans and scholarships under the new student-centred model.

Ogamba said the ministry had instructed universities to ensure that all first-year students receive their letters by Monday, August 19.

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The new fee structures are aligned with the principles of the new funding model referred to as student-centred, which awards scholarships and loans based on a student's level of need and financial circumstances. 

Ogamba, however, said parents who are unhappy with the bands they have been placed in are free to appeal.

According to the categories, students from homes earning less than Sh5,995 will get the highest amount of government funding.

The government will pay up to 95 per cent of their university tuition fees through a mix of scholarships and student loans, and families will only be required to pay five per cent.

Students from households earning between Sh5,995 and Sh23,670 will be classified in band two and will get the second highest amount in government funding of up to 90 per cent.

Households making between Sh23,571 and Sh70,000 are classified in band three.

Students classified in band four will be those from households with a monthly income of between 70,001 and 119,999.

And students who will get the least government funding will be from homes earning above Sh120,000.

Ogamba said that aggrieved students can appeal placement in any of the five funding categories.

A message from the university funding board to the beneficiaries of scholarships indicates that students can appeal through the Higher Education Fund website.

“The appeal process for government scholarship awards under the new higher education funding model is on. Apply for review of your scholarship award: www.hef.co.ke,” the message reads.

The revised letters outline the breakdown of how the fees will be paid, including the exact amount students are expected to pay, the scholarship they will receive, and the amount to be covered by study loans.

Additionally, these letters indicate the upkeep loan to be given to the student, which are separate from tuition fees and are also covered under the loan scheme.

The categorisation has come under scrutiny as calls to contribute money for students going to university and from poor backgrounds continue.

The National Assembly Education Committee members also questioned instances of contribution calls.

In one instance, a student from a single-parent home, and whose parent lacks a stable job, reported to have been placed in band five.

This means that the student is listed as able to afford up to 40 per cent of their tuition fees, being the highest household contribution.

But the Higher Education PS Beatrice Inyangala affirmed the government’s commitment to providing quality and affordable education, with a total of Sh25.3 billion allocated for scholarships and loans for the 2024/25 students.

Said Ogamba: “The Ministry remains dedicated to ensuring that student funding is allocated fairly and equitably.”

"The evaluation criteria considers a student's family economic background, affirmative action, socio-demographic factors and family education expenditures," said Ogamba.

In July, the Ministry of Education acknowledged an issue with initial admission letters containing inaccurate fee figures.

Additionally, the CS indicated that the application portal will remain open, allowing eligible students who have not yet applied to do so.

In July, PS Inyangala asked parents and guardians to disregard prior communications.

"Any fee information previously communicated by universities in admission letters is now null and void," she said in a statement.

This would allow the universities to indicate the fees expected at the household level and that which would be paid under financial aid.

Inyangala further assured students that their placements in specific academic programmes remained secure. This means that their university admissions and course placements are unaffected by fee changes.

The letters' recall was to give room for amendment of amounts displayed to ensure fees were allocated based on the set classifications.

The Ministry of Education was required to complete the assessment of each student’s financial need to determine the financial assistance.

The students are the second cohort under the new university funding model, which has been the subject of questions and interrogation by stakeholders since its inception.

In June, legislators called for its nullification, questioning the criteria used to place students in different bands for the issuance of scholarships and loans.

“Did we as a country rush into this new model? Many students of peasant farmers are claiming that the Differentiated Unit Cost model is working better than the new model,” said Marakwet MP Timothy Kipchumba.

The new model now prioritises a student's financial needs and separates placement from funding. The cost of the course is taken into consideration and this has resulted in universities issuing admission letters with the entire cost of the course.