NELFUND loan portal reopens for 48 hours to allow tertiary institutions complete student verification for the 2024/2025 academic session

NELFUND loan portal has officially reopened for students and tertiary institutions, following a brief closure at the end of September.

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The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) announced on Friday that it will grant a final 48-hour window to allow universities and polytechnics that are yet to complete their student verification exercise to do so.

According to Mrs Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, Director of Strategic Communications at NELFUND, the portal will be accessible from 12:00 a.m. on Sunday, 12 October 2025, to 12:00 a.m. on Tuesday, 14 October 2025.

The extension, she explained, is designed to ensure that all eligible students are duly captured and verified by their institutions as part of the 2024/2025 NELFUND loan application process.

NELFUND had previously closed the portal on 30 September 2025, marking the end of the second full cycle of the student loan scheme. The temporary suspension allowed the agency to finalise the processing of pending applications and strengthen administrative efficiency.

Mrs Oluwatuyi urged the 203 affected government-owned tertiary institutions to take advantage of this final opportunity.

She warned that failure to complete the verification process within the stipulated period would result in forfeiture of participation in the ongoing loan cycle—an outcome that could disadvantage thousands of students depending on the financial aid.

She reaffirmed the Fund’s commitment to promoting equitable access to higher education through the transparent and inclusive management of the Nigerian Education Loan Scheme, which continues to provide tuition support and optional monthly stipends to eligible students across the country.

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The NELFUND loan portal remains a key lifeline for students seeking financial assistance, reflecting the government’s wider push to ensure that economic constraints do not hinder academic progress.