Govt launches 2025/26 student loan, grant application guidelines
DODOMA: THE Government has officially launched the Guidelines for Student Loan and Grant Applications for the 2025/2026 academic year, with the online loan application window set to open from June 15 to August 31, 2025. Speaking on behalf of the Minister for Education, Science and Technology during the launch held in Dodoma on Friday, the …
DODOMA: THE Government has officially launched the Guidelines for Student Loan and Grant Applications for the 2025/2026 academic year, with the online loan application window set to open from June 15 to August 31, 2025.
Speaking on behalf of the Minister for Education, Science and Technology during the launch held in Dodoma on Friday, the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Professor Carolyne Nombo, said the guidelines available in both English and Kiswahili will be accessible on the Ministry’s website and that of the Higher Education Students’ Loans Board (HESLB) following the official launch.
“I urge and strongly advise students, parents and guardians to read and carefully follow the instructions provided in the respective guidelines,” said Prof Nombo.
She added that she had personally read all the Loan Application Guidelines, which cover diploma to postgraduate levels, and confirmed that they provide comprehensive information on qualifications, criteria, and procedures for accurate application and how applicants can track their loan or grant applications.
Unlike past years, applicants will not be required to submit hard copy forms to HESLB, thanks to significant improvements made to the online application system through the Higher Education for Economic Transformation (HEET) project, in which the Loans Board is one of the implementing institutions.
“I urge students, parents, and guardians to utilise this period of around ten days to thoroughly study the guidelines before beginning the application process,” Prof Nombo emphasised.
She added that the application window for the Samia Scholarship will be announced after the release of Form Six national examination results by NECTA.
Prof Nombo further revealed that, to simplify the application and loan allocation process, the HESLB has integrated its systems with key stakeholders including the Registration, Insolvency and Trusteeship Agency (RITA), Tanzania Social Action Fund (TASAF), National Examinations Council of Tanzania (NECTA),Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU), Zanzibar Higher Education Students’ Loans Board (ZHESLB).
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Others are National Identification Authority (NIDA); Zanzibar Civil Status Registration Agency (ZCSRA), and the Prime Minister’s Office (Labour, Youth, Employment and Persons with Disabilities).
For the 2025/2026 academic year beginning in October 2025, a total of 252,773 students are expected to benefit from education loans.
This includes 88,320 first-year students, comprising new entrants pursuing Diploma, undergraduate, postgraduate, Practical Legal Training, and Samia Scholarship programmes. Continuing students are expected to total 164,453.
She noted that the approved budget for the 2025/26 academic year stands at 916.7bn/-, which has contributed to a continued rise in the number of loan beneficiaries—from 145,000 in 2020/21 to 245,799 currently.
Out of the beneficiaries, 18,000 students are expected to be allocated loans for Diploma programmes, amounting to 64bn/-.
The loans will be issued to students in six priority areas: Health and Allied Sciences, Education, Minerals and Earth Sciences, Transport and Logistics, Energy Engineering, and Agriculture and Livestock.
Prof Nombo further urged prospective applicants to open their Student’s Individual Permanent Account (SIPA), a personal account used for loan applications and for tracking the status and updates of the application.
She stressed the importance of safeguarding the account password, as it is essential for future access and updates.
Additionally, the guidelines instruct every applicant to have a personal bank account of their choice to ensure timely disbursement of funds upon admission.
Applicants are also required to have an active, registered mobile phone number to receive loan-related communications from HESLB.
Prof Nombo reiterated the call for all applicants to read the 2025/26 Guidelines carefully and adhere to all requirements and instructions.
“We do not want to see a deserving and eligible student missing out on the loan simply because of an incomplete or incorrect application,” she stressed.