HELB Upload Requirements and Compressor

Updated 17 October 2026

First-time HELB applicants upload their documents while completing their profile on the HEF Student Portal, before they can even open the loan application. A blurry ID, a photo saved in the wrong format or a file that is too heavy will hold you up at that step. The tool above fixes all three on your own device: make a clean square passport photo, combine both sides of your ID into one PDF, or shrink a PDF that is too large. No file is uploaded to our server.

HELB Upload Requirements

The Higher Education Financing portal lists these documents for first-time undergraduate and TVET applications:

• Passport-size photo in JPEG, JPG or PNG.
• National ID or Maisha Card, both sides, in PDF.
• Birth certificate in PDF, if you are applying as a minor.
• Parent’s death certificate in PDF, if a parent is deceased.
• Sponsorship letter in PDF, if you were sponsored in secondary school.

You will also need details that are typed rather than uploaded: a valid email and phone number registered in your name, your KCPE and KCSE index numbers and years, your parents’ ID numbers and phone numbers, two guarantors’ ID and phone numbers, your institution admission number, and bank or M-Pesa details registered under your own ID.

What File Size Does HELB Accept?

HELB’s official pages name the file formats but, as far as we could find, not the size limits. Guides report different numbers. One widely shared list gives 1 MB for the passport photo and 1 MB for a death certificate PDF, while others mention 2 MB or 5 MB for documents. Because the reports conflict, the tool aims under the smallest figure: 500 KB for the photo and 1,000 KB for PDFs. Files that size pass every limit reported so far. If the portal shows a different number on screen, enter it in the “Maximum size” box.

HELB does not publish pixel dimensions for the photo either. The tool defaults to a 600 x 600 pixel square with a white background, which is sharp enough to look clean and light enough to upload quickly. You can type other dimensions if the portal asks for them.

How to Prepare Your HELB Uploads

Your photo

1. Take a photo against a plain white or light wall in daylight, looking straight at the camera.
2. Choose “Passport photo” in the tool and load the picture.
3. Use the zoom and position sliders so your head and shoulders fill the square.
4. Tap “Fix my file” and download the JPG.

Both sides of your ID in one PDF

1. Photograph the front and back of your ID or Maisha Card on a dark surface, with no flash.
2. Choose “Images to PDF” and select both photos together.
3. Download the PDF. Each side sits on its own page in a single file, which is what the portal asks for.

Certificates and letters

If you already have the document as a PDF that is too large, choose “Compress PDF”. If you only have a photo of it, use “Images to PDF”.

Common HELB Upload Problems

Photo will not upload

Usually it is too heavy or saved as HEIC. The tool outputs a light JPG, which is one of the accepted formats.

ID uploaded as two files or as a photo

The portal asks for both sides of the ID in PDF. Uploading only the front, or a JPG instead of a PDF, can stall your profile. Merge both sides into one PDF with the tool.

Account details do not match

Upload problems are sometimes really account problems. HELB asks applicants to use a phone number registered under their own name and ID, and not to create a second account if they first registered with a KCSE index number. Update the existing profile instead.

Applied but nothing has happened

See our guides on checking your HELB loan status and what to do when HELB is allocated but not disbursed.

Related HELB Guides

Read how to apply for HELB for the first time for the full application walkthrough, the HELB application FAQ for common questions, and the HELB Loan Repayment Calculator to see what you will owe after graduation. KMTC students can also check our HELB loan FAQ for KMTC.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does HELB charge to apply?

No. HELB states that it does not charge any fee to access the loan application and asks applicants to report anyone demanding money. This tool is free too.

Do I need to print the application?

No. HELB describes the first-time application as paperless and emails a PDF copy for your records.

Where do second-time applicants upload documents?

Continuing students apply through the HELB mobile app or USSD code *642#, which do not involve the same document uploads.

Are my ID and photo safe here?

Yes. Your files never leave your device. The tool runs in your browser and stores nothing.