The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has directed all accredited tertiary institutions to verify and upload student data on the Student Loan Application System (SLAS).
It warned that disbursement of approved student loans will not proceed without this critical step.
This disclosure was contained in a statement posted on NELFUND’s official X (formerly Twitter) account on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.
The directive follows the recent upgrade of the SLAS portal, which has now been fully digitised to enhance the speed and transparency of loan processing for both institutions and applicants.
“The Student Loan Application System (SLAS) has now been fully digitised to streamline and accelerate the student loan processing experience for institutions and applicants.
“With this upgrade, all accredited institutions are now required to request access to SLAS to verify and upload student data related to loan applications. This is a critical step that ensures the timely processing and disbursement of approved student loans,” the statement read in part.
According to NELFUND, institutions that have not yet been onboarded onto the platform are to send an access request to registration@nelf.gov.ng without delay.
Once access is granted, schools will have the ability to verify submitted student data, monitor applications through a real-time dashboard, and track the progress of each loan request. The statement emphasised that verification and data upload by institutions are essential steps that must be completed before any loan can receive final approval and be disbursed. It further urged all institutions to act swiftly in the best interest of their students.
The notice also addressed student applicants whose loan status currently shows “Verified.” NELFUND clarified that while this indicates that initial checks have been completed, final disbursement is contingent on institutions confirming and uploading the student data to the SLAS.
For further inquiries, the agency advised stakeholders to contact them via email at info@nelf.gov.ng or through their social media platforms, including X (@nelfund), Instagram (@nelfund), and Facebook/LinkedIn (Nigerian Education Loan Fund – NELFUND).
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) disbursed N56.85 billion in student loans to 298,124 students across 198 institutions between the launch of its loan portal on May 24, 2024, and May 2025.
As part of efforts to broaden access, NELFUND is set to extend the scheme to vocational and skills acquisition centres nationwide, with rollout expected to begin in Enugu State between late June and mid-July 2025.
To streamline access, NELFUND also plans to integrate its application process into institutional portals, allowing students to apply directly through their schools rather than the Fund’s website.