NELFUND extends student loan application for 2025/2026 academic session

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has extended the deadline for its student loan application portal for the 2025/2026 academic session.

The extension, announced in a statement by Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, the fund’s director of strategic communications is intended to allow institutions that requested additional time to complete the application process.

According to the statement, the extension applies only to institutions that formally sought more time, giving eligible students in those schools another opportunity to submit their applications.

Speaking on the development, Akintunde Sawyerr, the managing director and chief executive officer of NELFUND reaffirmed the fund’s commitment to ensuring that students across participating institutions benefit from the programme.

“NELFUND remains committed to ensuring that eligible students across participating institutions have the opportunity to access the student loan programme,” he said.

The Fund urged students in affected institutions to take advantage of the extension and complete their applications through the official portal.

NELFUND said the loan scheme has so far disbursed over N206 billion to support students in tertiary institutions across Nigeria, benefiting more than 1.16 million students.

The student loan programme was established after Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed the law creating the scheme in April 2024, with the aim of providing interest-free loans to students in public tertiary institutions to cover tuition and living expenses.

Beneficiaries are expected to repay the loans after completing their education and securing employment.