The Students Loan Trust Fund (SLTF) has announced a major update to its No-Fees-Stress application portal, now allowing students under 18 to apply for loans for the first time.
Until now, students below the age of 18 were unable to apply due to legal limitations preventing them from opening bank accounts—a key requirement for loan disbursements. This excluded many eligible students from accessing financial aid for tertiary education.
With the new update, the SLTF has reconfigured the portal to allow under-18 applicants to bypass the bank account requirement. Applicants in this category can now select “No” when asked if they have a bank account and instead provide their parent or guardian’s details to proceed.
Chief Executive Officer of the SLTF, Dr Saajida Shiraz said the update is part of ongoing efforts to widen access to financial assistance for students.
“We are working to facilitate greater access to financial support for all tertiary students to ensure they can pursue their academic dreams without the burden of fees,” she said.
The SLTF is encouraging all students under 18 who previously could not complete their applications to revisit the No-Fees-Stress portal and benefit from the updated process.