NELFUND opens student loan portal for 2025/2026
By Uji A. Iliyasu, Abuja
Good news for Nigeria’s ever-hopeful students — the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, has officially flung open the gates to its 2025/2026 student loan application portal. The digital doors will stay wide open from Thursday, October 23, 2025, until Saturday, January 31, 2026, giving everyone enough time to chase their academic dreams (and maybe stop calling home for “urgent ₦2k”).
Managing Director of NELFUND, Mr Akintunde Sawyerr, who made the announcement in Abuja on Tuesday, expressed appreciation to tertiary institutions for their cooperation so far. He urged them to keep the spirit alive — and their databases updated — to ensure a smooth, transparent, and inclusive loan process for both returning and newly admitted students.
Sawyerr reminded institutions that the ball is in their court: updating and uploading verified student records on the Student Verification Portal is crucial. Without accurate data, he warned, students might find themselves locked out of the loan party.
“To support a seamless rollout,” he said, “institutions should note the key dates — portal opens October 23 and closes January 31. Timely updates will ensure students aren’t left out.” In other words, procrastination is not a strategy.
The NELFUND boss explained that eligible students include both the newly admitted and those returning to accredited tertiary institutions. First-year students, he added, can use their JAMB or admission numbers if matriculation numbers are not yet available — no need to panic.
He appealed to institutions to show mercy by being flexible with registration and fee deadlines, especially for students awaiting loan disbursement. “Education should not be suspended simply because a student’s wallet is on sabbatical,” he quipped.
Sawyerr also urged institutions yet to begin their 2025/2026 academic session to forward their academic calendars to NELFUND for planning and disbursement purposes. This, he noted, will help ensure funds arrive before hunger does.
In a final appeal that would make any student grin, he encouraged institutions to allow temporary registration for those with pending applications, so no qualified learner is denied education due to financial hiccups.
For any institution still scratching its head over technical issues, help is just an email away: [email protected].
So, students — polish those JAMB numbers, double-check your details, and get ready to log in. The loan portal is open, and for once, debt might just be your ticket to destiny.