The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has named 203 tertiary institutions that failed to submit their students’ data for the 2024/2025 student loan application, a lapse that could bar their students from benefitting from the ongoing loan cycle.
In a statement released on Friday, the Fund’s Director of Strategic Communications, Mr. Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, said the affected institutions had yet to upload their students’ information onto the Student Loan Application System (SLAS), the digital platform used for loan processing and verification.
To remedy the situation, NELFUND announced a final 48-hour window for data submission — reopening the portal from 12:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 12, to 12:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 14, 2025. The Fund emphasised that this will be the last opportunity for non-compliant schools to meet the requirement.
Oluwatuyi noted that the extension was designed to ensure that no eligible student is denied access to the government-backed financial aid due to administrative lapses from their institutions.
> “Institutions are strongly advised to make full use of this final opportunity. Failure to complete the verification process within the stipulated period will result in the affected institutions forfeiting participation in the current loan cycle. This will, regrettably, disadvantage their students who are the ultimate beneficiaries of the scheme,” the statement read in part.
Among the institutions listed are several prominent universities and polytechnics, including the University of Ibadan, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ahmadu Bello University, Bayero University Kano, University of Ilorin, and Lagos State University, among others.
Others on the list include Federal Polytechnic, Offa; Moshood Abiola Polytechnic; The Polytechnic, Ibadan; Tai Solarin University of Education; and Abia State Polytechnic.
The NELFUND initiative — established to bridge the financial gap for Nigerian students pursuing higher education — relies heavily on institutional collaboration for accurate data verification. Each institution is required to upload verified student data, which enables applicants to process their loan requests seamlessly through the Fund’s system.
Analysts believe the latest development underscores the need for improved coordination between NELFUND and tertiary institutions, particularly in the digital management of students’ records.
The Fund reiterated its commitment to ensuring that no eligible Nigerian student is denied access to tertiary education due to financial constraints, while urging all defaulting institutions to act swiftly within the given timeframe.
