GUIDELINES AND CRITERIA FOR ISSUANCE OF STUDENTS’ LOANS AND GRANTS FOR THE 2017/2018 ACADEMIC YEAR
1.0 - IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS TO ALL APPLICANTS
All loan applicants for academic year 2017/18 are strongly reminded to:(i)Read, understand and follow application procedures stated in thes guidelines for academic year 2017/18;
(ii)Use the same details to be submitted with the admision from the respective University/High learning Instutition;
(iii)Ensure that all documents submitted to support your applicantion must be certified by the relevant authorities specified in the guidelines;
(iv)Ensure that all birth/death certificates and other certificates must be certified by Registration, Insolvency and Trustee Agency (RITA) or the designated officer(s) to acretain their validity. However, District Social Welfare Officer (DSWO) will have to ensorse parent’s death report from village or ward authorities;
(v)Ensure that details about parents/ guardian (occupation, employer address, telephone number, postal and physical address ) are complete and correct. Applicants whose parents are leaders listed in Public leadership code of ethics Act 1995 are expected not to apply;
(vi)Applicants whose parents/guardians are business owners, senior managers in established sectors recognized by revenue and registration authorities are expected not to apply;
(vii)Applications must be complete and correct. Once submitted, applicants will not be able to recall/correct their details;
(viii)Succeful apllicants, upon successful completion/termination of their studies, will be required to repay their loans through salary/regular income deductions of not less that 15% monthly;
(ix)All applicants must strictly observe application deadline.
2.0 - OVERVIEW
The Higher Education Students’ Loans Board (HESLB) was established under the Act No. 9 of 2004 and commenced its operations in July, 2005. HESLB is mandated to, among others, issue loans and or grants to needy and eligible students. Application window for academic year 2017/18 opens on 6th August, 2017 through 4th September, 2017.3.0 - ELIGIBILITY
HESLB Act and regulations provide for General Eligibility and Criteria for applicants seeking loans NEEDY and ELIGIBLE applicants may apply loans and/or grants to meet part, or all costs of their education.3.1 - NEEDY
In addition to general eligibility, additional criteria define NEEDY applicant who should not exceed 30 years of age at the time of application, who may:-(i)Be an orphan who has lost parents;
(ii)Have disability to be certified by District Medical Officer (DMO), Regional Medical Officer (RMO) or any entity authorised to certify such cases;
(iii)Have parents with disability District Medical Officer (DMO), Regional Medical Officer (RMO) or any entity authorised to certify such cases;
(iv)Be from lower income household and/or marginalized community whose secondary or diploma education was sponsored by istutitions required to provide written and authenticated evidence of such sposnosrships.
3.2 - GENERAL ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA AS PRONOUNCED BY THE ACT
General Eligibility criteria requires an applicant to meet the following conditions: -(i)Must be a Tanzanian;
(ii)Must have applied for a loan through the Online Loan Application and Management System (OLAMS);
(iii)Must not have have funding from other sources;
(iv)Must be a continuing student with results/progress to continue with studies.
3.3 - OTHER ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
(i)Eligibility for loan shall be granted by order of Neediness and , programs clusters;(ii)Applicants must have graduated their ACSE and/ other equivalents qualifications withing three (3), i.e starting 2015 onwards.
4.0 - PROGRAM CLUSTERS
After establishing aplicants neediness, and meeting requirements under sections3.1 and 3.2 above, the following program clusters will be used to determine the loans to be issued in the priority orders subject to availability of funds.
4.1 - CLUSTER I
Courses under this cluster include: -(i)Education (Science) and Education (Mathematics);
(ii)Health Sciences (Doctor of Medicine, Dental Surgery;
(iii)Veterinary Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing, Midwifery, BSc in Prosthetics and Orthotics, BSc in Physiotherapy, BSc in Health Laboratory Sciences, BSc in Medical Laboratory Sciences and BSc in Radiotherapy Technology) and other Health Sciences;
(iv)Civil and Irrigation Engineering;
(v)Petroleum and Gas Engineering.
4.2 - CLUSTER II
Courses under this cluster include:(i)Engineering Programmes (Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Mining, Mineral and Processing, Textile, Chemical and Processing, Agriculture, Food and Processing, Automobile, Industrial, Electrical and Electronics, Legal and Industrial Metrology, Maritime Transportation, Marine Engineering Technology,Electronics and Telecommunication, Computer, Computer Science Software, Information Systems and Network, Environmental, Municipal and Industrial Services, and Bio-Processing and Post-Harvest);
(ii)Agricultural and Forestry Sciences Programmes (Agriculture, Agronomy, Horticulture, Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness;
(iii)Forestry, Aquaculture, Wildlife Management, Life Sciences, and Food Science and Technology);
(iv)Animal Sciences and Production;
(v)Science Programmes (BSc General, BSc in/with Applied Zoology, Botanical, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Microbiology, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Aquatic Environmental Sciences and Conservation, Geology, Petroleum Geology, Petroleum Chemistry, Mathematics, Mathematics and Statistics, Environmental Science and Management, Environmental Health, Biotechnology and Laboratory, Wildlife and Conservation and Computer);
(vi)Land Sciences Programmes (Architecture, Landscape and Architecture,Interior Design, Building Survey, Building Economics, Urban and Regional Planning, Land Management and Valuation, and Geospatial Sciences).
All other courses not listed in either of the clusters, will fall under cluster III.
5.0 - LOAN ITEMS, MEANS TESTING AND AMOUNTS TO BE ALLOCATED
HESLB may provide loans to cover all or either of the following;(i)Meals and Accomodation (M&A)
(ii)Tuition Fee (TU)
(iii)Books and Stationery (B&S)
(iv)Special Faculty Requirements (SFR)
(v)Research
(vi)Field Practical Training
5.1 - Means Test System
Means Testing (MT) will be used to determine applicants’ neediness for financial assistance. School Fees paid in CSE, ACSE and equivalent qualifications including diplomas is one of the factors considered to establish ability to contribute to the costs of higher education.Therefore, the neediness shall be measured as a difference between total annual costs to pursue individual program at respective HLI and established applicant’s ability.
5.2 - DISTRIBUTION OF LOANABLE ITEMS
Loans allocation to succesful applicants will be distributed starting with Meals and Accomodation (MA); Tuition Fee (TU) then Books and Stationery (BS), followed by Special Faculty Requirement (SFR) then Research (RS) and finally Field Practical Training (FPT) based on the remaining amount from the preceding loan item.5.3 - Approved Tuition Fee Rates
Applicable tuition fees for all successful applicants shall be pegged to the equivalent tuition fees rates approved for/paid in Public Higher Education Institutions.5.4 - Continuing students who are loan beneficiaries
All continuing loans beneficiaries (both Local undergraduate and Overseas) shall continue to receive their loans as per their previous Means Test Grades upon submission of examination results/progress. All continuing loan beneficiaries ARE NOT REQUIRED TO APPLY .5.5 - Meals and Accommodation, Books and Stationery, Tuition Fees, Field Practical Training expenses and Special Faculty Requirements
Payments for Meals and Accomodation, Books and Stationery, Field Practical Training and Research expenses shall be paid directly to the student while tuition Fees and Special Faculty Requirements shall be paid to the respective Higher Education Lnstitutions (HEIs.6.0 - OTHER CONDITIONS ON ISSUANCE OF LOANS
6.1 - Liability of Guarantors, Parents, and Commissioners for Oath
Parents/Guarantors are responsbile to confirm the correctness of information submitted in the pplication before signing . The guarantors are expected to ensure that the loans are repaid and must be aware of the borrowers’ whereabouts until the loans are fully repaid. In case of default, guarantor shall be responsble to pay the due loan.
6.2 - Loan Repayment
After completion of the Higher Education, a loan beneficiary shall be required to repay his/ her loan through monthly deductions of not less than 15% of salary/income.6.2.1 - Loan Repayment Requirements
6.2.1.1 - Value Retention Fee
For the purpose making the loan scheme sustainable, a Value Retention Fee equal to 6% (six percent) per annum from the date of receiving loan items is charged.6.2.1.2 - Loan Administration Fee
All students’ loans shall be subjected to 1% Loan Administration fee6.2.1.3 - Penalty Fee
If a beneficiary fails to repay his/her loan after expiration of grace period of 24 months after completion of studies, shall be charged a 10% penalty.7.0 - INTER-UNIVERSITY AND INTERNAL TRANSFERS
HESLB shall not raise a duplicate loan payment to such students who voluntarily move to others HEIs. Upon recieving confirmation from relevant authorities, a loan transfer will be effected. No loans’ transfers will be made 90 days after first admission. Transfers will be done based on previous amounts allocatedList of Candidates admitted to Higher Education Institutions.
HESLB will consider loan application from students whose admissions have been approved and submitted by relevant authorities.
8.0 Mode of Application
All loan applications will be done through Online Loan Application and Management System (OLAMS). Applicants are REMINDED to use the same form four index numbers used while applying for admissions.Upon completion of online application process, applicants shall be required to print out the application forms and Loan Agreements, obtain appropriate authentifications, sign the forms, attach necessary documents and submit the same through EMS to:
The Executive Director,
Higher Education Students’ Loans Board,
Plot No.8 Block 46, Off Sam Nujoma Road, Mwenge, P.O. Box 76068,
DAR ES SALAAM.
Applicants are REMINDED tokeep full set of the applications, attachments submitted and EMS receipts used for mailing their applications to HESLB tracking where neccesary.
