The Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) was instated in July 1995 by an Act of Parliament, Higher Education Loans Board Act Cap 213A, as a statutory body under the Ministry of Education to provide affordable loans and bursaries to needy students who pursue their education in various institutions of higher learning.
HELB loan application is usually online by registering in its students’ portal and filling in the required information, including the submission of parents’ and guarantors’ copies of National IDs and outlining the reason(s) for your application.
Disbursement of the loans is before the beginning of a new academic year, and this process is done on merit upon utmost scrutiny of your application forms by HELB officials. How can you check HELB loan status? and know if you have qualified for a loan? Here is a simple guide on how to register for HELB loan and checking your HELB loan status after applying for a HELB loan.
How to register for HELB mobile services
In March 2021, HELB, through a press release, announced its partnership with Safaricom PLC, which led to the launch of the HELB USSD mobile service that allowed its users to access HELB services through their mobile phones without having to access their online portal.
Through the HELB USSD mobile service, one can access their HEL account, view loan allocations, check balances and make payments. How can you register for HELB loan mobile services?
1. Dial *642# on your phone
2. Choose option 1 ‘Register’
3. You will be directed to the registration page. Fill in your details such as first and last name, date of birth, and ID number
4. Confirm the details and send
5. Enter your desired and unique four-digit PIN
6. Confirm registration to receive an SMS from HELB indicating a successful process.
How to check your HELB loan disbursement status online
To check on HELB loan disbursement status, you must have registered on HELB and successfully applied for a loan, and you are waiting for HELB loan allocations. Here are simple steps on how you can check your HELB loan disbursement status online:
1. Visit https://www.helb.co.ke/
2. Log in to your student portal https://www.helb.co.ke/student-portal/ by filling in your email and password
3. Click on the ‘Loan Status’ icon
5. Select the ‘Disbursement Status’ tab
6. You can now check your HELB loan disbursement status, date and loan awarded
How to check your outstanding HELB loan balance via SMS
Checking your HELB loan balance has now been made easy through the rollout of an SMS service that permits HELB beneficiaries to review their balances for the purpose of repayment or just knowing it directly through their mobile phones.
To use the HELB SMS service for checking balances, you first need to register by sending the word REGISTER# followed by your ID number (For example, REGISTER#12345678) to 5122, and your details will be integrated into HELB database.
After registration, follow these key steps to receive your HELB loan balance via SMS.
1. Go to your SMS app and enter ‘compose new message’
2. Enter the recipient’s number as 5122
3. In the text box, type a new word – your name – without space e.g. JANEDOE
4. Type the hash (#) sign immediately after your name e.g. JANEDOE#
5. Enter your ID number after the hash sign e.g. JANEDOE#12345678
6. Send
You will receive your HELB loan balance in your SMS inbox.
