Education and Sports State Minister for Higher Education, Dr. John Chrysestom Muyingo, on Thursday, 10 September, officially released the list of 2,790 students approved for funding under the Higher Education Students’ Financing Scheme (HESFS) for the 2026/2027 academic year.
“Every part of the Country has had a fair share of representation, with emphasis on District quota.” Dr. John Chrysesto
The list was released at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala, marking the enrolment of the 13th cohort of beneficiaries under the government-backed student loan scheme.
The approved beneficiaries were selected from 10,615 applications, representing a significant increase from the 7,125 applications received in the 2025/2026 academic year.
“The demand for student loans has been increasing year by year.” Dr. John Chrysestom
According to the Ministry, 8,005 applicants were found eligible after screening, while 2,610 were deemed ineligible, largely because of incomplete applications.
Of the 2,790 successful applicants, 1,400 (50.2%) are female and 1,390 (49.8%) are male.
A total of 2,019 beneficiaries will pursue undergraduate degree programmes, while 771 will undertake diploma programmes.
The scheme also extended support to 64 students with disabilities, comprising 46 males and 18 females, who will pursue both science and humanities programmes.
“The selection was guided by the principles of merit and financial need, geographical equity, inclusion of women and Persons with Disabilities.” Dr. Muyingo
Bachelor of Science with Education attracted the largest number of beneficiaries at 581, followed by Engineering with 498, Computer Science with 313 and Health Care Management with 284.
The selection was conducted through a three-tier model incorporating district quota, geographical representation and socio-economic vulnerability.
“Every part of the Country has had a fair share of representation, with emphasis on District quota.” Dr. John Chrysesto
Under the model, 30 percent of beneficiaries were selected through district quota, another 30 percent allocated proportionately according to eligible applicants from districts and cities, while 40 percent were selected based on socio-economic vulnerability.
The scheme has allocated Shs10.720 billion for the new cohort, initially intended to support 2,400 students but expanded to cover the 2,790 successful applicants.
The loans will cover tuition, functional and research fees payable to participating institutions, while support for aids and appliances will cater for students with disabilities.
Funds will be disbursed directly to the respective institutions rather than to individual beneficiaries.
Loan Scheme Beneficiaries-AY2026-2027.pdf
