Kampala International University (KIU) has emerged as the biggest beneficiary in the latest selection for the Higher Education Students Financing Scheme (HESFS), securing 252 slots in the 2026/2027 Academic Year cohort released by the Ministry of Education and Sports.
Out of 2,793 successful applicants across the country, KIU led all participating institutions, followed by Busitema University with 185 beneficiaries. Muni University ranked third with 179 beneficiaries, while Kyambogo University and Makerere University rounded out the top five with 168 and 160 recipients, respectively.
The new cohort reflects a notable increase in coverage, rising from 2,047 beneficiaries in the 2025/2026 academic year. The successful students are spread across 11 public and 22 chartered private universities, as well as various tertiary institutions offering diploma pro-grammes.
While launching the 13th cohort, the Minister of State for Higher Education, Dr John Chrysostom Muyingo, revealed that female students accounted for 50.2 percent (1,400) of the recipients, slightly outnumbering their male counterparts who took 49.8 percent (1,390). He emphasized that the selections heavily prioritized science-based academic disciplines to address critical workforce gaps.
‘Bachelor of Science with Education is taking 581 students. We have a science teacher gap that we are trying to fill up. We have a gap in Engineering, where we have been able to award 498 students, and Computer Science with 313 students,’ Dr Muyingo said. ‘Health Care Management and other health services have been supported with 282 loans. The stu-dents are distributed across chartered universities, and I encourage all higher institutions to acquire charters to benefit from this scheme.’
Dr Muyingo also reminded beneficiaries that the scheme is a loan rather than a grant, urging them to prepare for repayment following a one-year grace period post-graduation. He clarified that the financial obligation remains strictly with the borrower and cannot be transferred to parents or guardians in the event of default or unforeseen circumstances.
Mr Michael Wanyama, the Executive Director of the HESFS, highlighted a sharp rise in demand for the financial support.
‘This time round, we received 10,615 applications, way above the 7,125 received last aca-demic year, signifying a growth of 48.9 percent in application volume,’ Mr Wanyama explained. ‘Following the screening, 8,005 applicants (75.4 percent) were found eligible, while 2,610 (24.6 percent) were disqualified, primarily due to incomplete documentation.’
Under the statutory guidelines, eligibility is largely restricted to science-related courses along with Tourism and Hotel Management. However, Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) remain eligible to apply for any accredited undergraduate degree or diploma programme, including the humanities.
Degree programs dominated the allocations, taking 2,022 slots compared to 771 for diploma courses. Mr Wanyama noted progress in regional equity, pointing out that historically underrepresented districts-including Amudat, Buvuma, Kalangala, Karenga, Kotido, and Moroto-all presented successful candidates in this cycle.
To qualify, beneficiaries must be enrolled in approved programmes with annual tuition fees capped at Shs7.6 million. Allocations consider district quotas, gender balance, socioeco-nomic status, and equity in compliance with the Higher Education Students Financing Act of 2014, as amended in 2024.
Regarding funding, Mr Wanyama disclosed that while the scheme had requested over Shs13 billion to fund this year’s allocations, Shs10.72 billion was ultimately released. Although the original budget catered for 2,400 students, the board stretched the resources to accommodate 2,793 learners due to a lower average unit cost among this year’s applicants.
Established under Act of Parliament No. 2 of 2014, the Higher Education Students Financing Scheme operates under the Ministry of Education and Sports to provide affordable financing to qualified, less-privileged Ugandan citizens pursuing higher education.