NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 21 – A total of 159,551 university students have completed their funding applications through the Higher Education Financing (HEF) Portal, with more than 150,000 applications including a Universities Fund scholarship, as the institution moves to strengthen the administration of higher education financing.Data from the Universities Fund shows that 150,403 of the completed applications included a scholarship component. Of these, 149,761 were scholarship-and-loan combination applications, while 642 were scholarship-only applications.A further 9,148 students submitted loan-only applications, while 5,732 applications remained ongoing or incomplete as of August 20, 2026.The applicants are drawn from 202,133 students placed in public universities by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) for the 2026/2027 academic year.Universities Fund Chief Executive Officer Dr Edwin Wanyonyi said the growing demand for higher education financing underscored the need for efficient, transparent and reliable systems to process applications and disburse funds.The latest figures were released as the Universities Fund received ISO 9001:2015 recertification from the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), reaffirming its commitment to quality management, accountability and continuous improvement.“For us, ISO certification is fundamentally about trust. It is about assuring students that their applications and funding are handled through transparent and reliable systems. It is about assuring universities that funding processes are governed by clear procedures and accountability mechanisms,” Wanyonyi said.He added that the certification also provides assurance to the Government and taxpayers that public resources are being managed prudently.The Universities Fund has significantly expanded its scholarship coverage under the Student-Centred Funding Model amid rising demand for university education.The number of public university students supported through scholarships increased from 118,153 in the 2023/2024 financial year to 253,042 in 2024/2025 and 408,879 in 2025/2026.The Fund projects that approximately 608,879 students will benefit from Government scholarships in the 2026/2027 financial year.Government, through the Universities Fund, disbursed approximately KSh47.9 billion in scholarships to students in public universities between 2023/2024 and 2025/2026.A further KSh30.1 billion has been allocated for Government scholarships in the 2026/2027 financial year, bringing the cumulative allocation to approximately KSh78 billion.The Fund also disbursed its first allocation of KSh2.5 billion to universities at the beginning of August 2026.For private universities, the Fund has disbursed approximately KSh19.96 billion under the Differentiated Unit Cost framework between the 2016/2017 and 2025/2026 financial years. A further KSh974 million has been disbursed in the 2026/2027 financial year.Wanyonyi said the Fund was also leveraging digital transformation to improve the efficiency and transparency of its operations.In October 2025, the institution launched its Institutional Portal and Online Donation Portal. The Institutional Portal provides a centralised platform for data exchange between universities and the Fund, enabling real-time tracking of disbursements and allocations while speeding up student data verification and processing.The Universities Fund has urged students whose applications are still incomplete to finalise the process by August 31, 2026.“We, therefore, wish to encourage the affected students to complete the application process by 31st August 2026,” Wanyonyi said.Speaking during the ISO recertification ceremony, Universities Fund Board Chairperson Prof Karuti Kanyinga said the achievement demonstrated the institution’s commitment to strengthening its governance, systems and institutional capacity.Kanyinga said maintaining quality standards was particularly important at a time when demand for higher education financing continues to increase while the Government faces tighter fiscal space.“The true test of this recertification will be whether we strengthen public confidence in the Fund at a time when fiscal space is reducing,” Kanyinga said.He said the Board would continue providing leadership, policy direction and oversight to sustain a culture of excellence within the Fund.ISO 9001:2015 provides an internationally recognised framework for quality management, with emphasis on consistent processes, customer focus, risk management, evidence-based decision-making and continuous improvement.For the Universities Fund, the certification is intended to strengthen institutional systems, improve service delivery and enhance accountability in the management of higher education financing.The Universities Fund was established under Section 53 of the Universities Act, Cap 210, with a mandate to provide sustainable financing for universities in Kenya.Under the Student-Centred Funding Model, the Fund provides Government scholarships to eligible students placed in public universities, based on assessed financial need.