KINGSTON, Jamaica—A total of 9,557 students comprising 7,033 females, applied to the Students Loan Bureau (SLB) in 2025 to finance their tertiary education.

Of this number, 2,793 applicants including 2,149 females were successful and accessed $1.8 billion in loans.

Additionally, 2,824 students (2,169 females) were approved for Grant-in-Aid amounting to $169.4 million. Of the total approved applicants, 2,420 were university students; 135 attended teachers’ colleges, and 49 attended community colleges.

The numbers are revealed in the 2025 edition of the Economic and Social Survey Jamaica, a publication of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ).

By programme of study, 2,656 applicants were enrolled in bachelor degree programmes; 55 associate degrees; and 50 applicants were enrolled in postgraduate degree programmes.

The SLB, a Government of Jamaica agency under the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, manages a revolving loan fund which facilitates access to tertiary education. Through this fund, a grant-in-aid is a non-repayable monetary provision afforded to eligible students applying for an SLB targeted loan providing students with supplementary assistance for school-related expense.

“The SLB provides financial assistance to eligible Jamaican students, and also offers grants to assist with the cost of books and maintenance to students who qualify for this added benefit,” PIOJ explained.

The planning institute said the education sector continued to benefit from the financial contributions of International Development Partners, private sector entities, and households.

“Households contributed primarily through auxiliary fees at the secondary level, cost-sharing at the tertiary level, and direct spending on education-related inputs across all levels,” it said.

According to PIOJ, Private sector participation was also evident, with organisations such as the National Commercial Bank Foundation making contributions to education financing.

National Commercial Bank continued to support education through the NCB CSEC/CAPE National Bursary Programme, providing $7.8 million, benefiting 1,310 students; the Level Up Grants Programme of $20.0 million, benefiting 972 recipients; and the Scholarships and Grants Programme totaling $35.8 million which benefitted 177 students.

-Lynford Simpson