The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has announced the official opening of its student loan application portal for the 2025/2026 academic session, following the closure of the 2024/2025 academic session in September.
The application window will run from Thursday, October 23, 2025, to Saturday, January 31, 2026, according to a statement signed by Mrs. Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, Director of Strategic Communications at NELFUND.
According to the Fund, the portal will be open to returning and newly admitted students of accredited tertiary institutions across Nigeria.
“Fresh students may apply using either their Admission Number or JAMB Registration Number (in place of Matric Number),” they stated.
The Fund noted that eligible students are required to complete their applications through the official loan portal within the specified timeframe to benefit from the scheme.
NELFUND commended tertiary institutions for their cooperation in previous application cycles and requested continued collaboration to facilitate a seamless process.
The statement read that all institutions must update and upload verified records of both returning and newly admitted students on the NELFUND Student Verification Portal, as this is essential for student applications to be approved.
“Institutions are encouraged to show understanding in enforcing registration and fee payment deadlines for students awaiting loan disbursement
“Institutions that have not yet commenced their 2025/2026 academic session should formally write to NELFUND with their approved academic calendar for scheduling flexibility.”
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) was established under the Students Loan (Access to Higher Education) Act to provide interest-free loans to students enrolled in public tertiary institutions to reduce financial exclusion in higher education.
As of October 3, 2025, it reported that it has had a total of 846,462 applications, while 581,878 students have benefited from the scheme since its rollout.
Loan disbursements as of September 26, include payments to 231 institutions, covering N61.33 billion in institutional fees and N46.35 billion in upkeep allowances. In total, N107.69 billion has been disbursed to support students under the scheme.