Parents’ college expenses will be refunded to first-year students.
Parents who have paid their children’s university enrollment fees now have the option of receiving refunds from their individual universities. Vice Chancellors have said unequivocally that no parent or student was forced to pay fees; those who did so did so voluntarily.
Prof. Daniel Mugendi, Chairperson of the Vice Chancellors Committee, emphasized that any payments were made voluntarily and without duress. He further stated that if the category changed, resulting in no payment need, the colleges would be entitled to give refunds.
Some university vice chancellors are refusing to collect tuition before admitting first-year students, despite a government requirement. Some colleges have been found to require students to pay up to 7% of their tuition fees before enrolling them, regardless of their classification.
Ezekiel Machogu, Cabinet Secretary for Education, ordered that no student be denied entrance to a university because of tuition. Prof. Mugendi defended his colleagues, claiming that no institution demanded tuition payments from parents.
Students, on the other hand, complained that some universities denied entry to individuals who had not paid the equivalent of 7% of their tuition. Prof. Mugendi highlighted that under the new funding model, new first-year students admitted to public universities are excused from paying tuition fees until the Higher Education Fund (which includes the Universities Fund and HELB) finalizes their categorization.
Kenyatta University has admitted 7,752 of the 7,979 candidates placed by KUCCPS, according to the Vice Chancellors’ Committee. Kisii University accepted 7,160 of 8,670 candidates, while Moi University accepted 4,103 of 5,480 applicants.
Prof. Mugendi noted that students who require additional services such as housing could pay for them. He also suggested that guardians consider providing students with temporary housing and meals while the categorization process is completed.
According to University Funding data, around 109,100 university students applied for government scholarships, loans, or both, while 31,007 students had yet to apply. Furthermore, 53,736 students enrolled in TVET institutions asked for government financing.
In related news, Education Cabinet Secretary Machogu has extended the deadline for scholarship and finance applications till October 7.
