Akintunde Sawyerr, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, has announced an extension of the Student Loan Application Portal for institutions that formally requested additional time for the 2025/2026 academic session.
Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, Director of Strategic Communications at NELFUND, disclosed this in a statement released on Thursday, explaining that the extension applies only to institutions that submitted official requests.
"The Nigerian Education Loan Fund has approved an extension of its Student Loan Application Portal for institutions that have formally requested additional time for the 2025/2026 academic session," the statement read.
Sawyerr reiterated the Fund's commitment to ensuring that eligible students at participating institutions can access the student loan programme.
"NELFUND remains committed to ensuring that eligible students across participating institutions have the opportunity to access the student loan programme," Sawyerr stated.
The Fund urged students in affected institutions to take advantage of the extension and submit their applications through the official portal, emphasising its dedication to transparency, accountability, and providing sustainable financing solutions to remove financial barriers to higher education in Nigeria.
NELFUND reported that it has disbursed ₦206 billion in loans to 1,164,222 students in tertiary institutions across the country since the programme's inception, with the total disbursement reaching ₦206.29 billion.
The portal was originally closed on 27th February 2026, but the Fund extended it earlier this month following a surge in nationwide interest.
Established to administer the Nigeria Student Loan Scheme, NELFUND was enacted into law by President Bola Tinubu in April 2024, providing interest free loans to students in public tertiary institutions to cover tuition and living expenses.
Beneficiaries are required to repay the loans after completing their education and securing employment, with the initiative aimed at increasing access to higher education for students from low income backgrounds.
