The Higher Education Loans and Scholarships Board have awarded loans to 1,022 eligible first year students at Chalimbana and Mukuba Universities for the 2022/2023 academic year.
A total of 5- hundred and 17 have been awarded at Chalimbana University, while 505 have been awarded at Mukuba University.
HELSB Senior Corporate Communications Officer Chiselwa Kawanda said the Scholarship board received a total of 1, 335 applications for sponsorship at Chalimbana University, out of which 1,045 applicants were eligible and 289 were ineligible for sponsorship.
She said the Board received 2 applications from students living with disabilities for sponsorship at Chalimbana University while three applications were received for sponsorship at Mukuba University.
Ms Kawanda also said 733 applications were received for sponsorship at Mukuba University out of which 658 were eligible and 75 were ineligible for sponsorship.
She said the ineligible applications are as a result of applicants completing Grade 12 before 2018, non-attachment of required documents to the student loan applications and applicants being older than 24 years of age.