Abstract:
The main purpose of the study was to examine the contribution of the student loan scheme towards access to higher education at Makerere University with a view to improve efficiency of the loan scheme and benefit more students who are nationals. To achieve this, the researcher adopted a cross-sectional research design. From a study population of the 246 respondents who the researcher targeted, a sample of 157 respondents was selected, including students of Makerere University, officials from Higher Education Students Financing Board management, Ministry of Education-Uganda Through Self- administered questionnaires and interviews, quantitative and qualitative data was collected and analysed. The findings revealed that there are positive relationships between, Student Loan Coverage, Loan Repayment, Loan Targeting and the Access to Higher Education. The conclusion was that elements of student loan coverage such as eligibility and objectives of the scheme are upheld to increase number of students accessing the loans. It was also concluded that the elimination of loan scheme award loans to students pursuing post-graduate studies affects access higher education; and that in Uganda, the loan scheme is quite novel and therefore the repayment by students need to be clearly observed. The study recommended that the loan granting body namely the Higher Education Student Financing Board should step up measures to ensure that the students acquire and maintain a positive attitude towards the repayment of the student loan; that fairness should be promoted in the selection of students who are granted the loan scheme; and that the loan scheme should cover all the academic and non-academic expenses required by the student such as accommodation, books, stationery and feeding.
