By Favour Okpale
Copyright businessday
…sets Oct. 8 deadline for institutions to verify student records
…says upkeep payments continue till November
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has announced that the application portal for the 2024/2025 academic session will officially close on Tuesday, September 30, 2025.
Akintunde Sawyerr, managing director of NELFUND, speaking at a Media Conference on Monday in Abuja, said that the closure marks the conclusion of the second full cycle of the scheme and will allow it to finalise the processing of pending applications and upkeep payments.
He disclosed that the portal will reopen in the second week of October 2025 for fresh applications into the 2025/2026 academic session. The new cycle will remain open until January 2026.
As part of the new timelines, institutions have been directed to update their students’ records on the Student Verification System (SVS) to enable eligible students to apply.
Sawyerr further warned that all applications for the 2024/2025 session that remain unverified by institutions after October 8, 2025, will be automatically cancelled. Students in this category will be required to reapply under the 2025/2026 cycle.
“The 2024/2025 portal will close on September 30, 2025. No further student applications will be accepted after this date. The portal will reopen in the second week of October 2025 for fresh applications into the 2025/2026 academic session. This cycle will remain open until January 2026,”
Read also: How NELFUND bridges access to tertiary education for Nigerian students
The Fund stressed that several pending approvals and unpaid applications are due to institutions failing to complete the mandatory verification of student lists. To promote transparency, NELFUND said it would publish the names of non-compliant institutions that fail to meet the October 8 deadline.
“All applications for the 2024/2025 academic session that remain unverified by institutions after October 8, 2025, will be automatically cancelled. Students in this category are strongly encouraged to prompt their school management to complete the verification process before the deadline. Affected students will be required to submit fresh applications for the 2025/2026 academic year,”
Meanwhile, upkeep payments for students under the 2024/2025 cycle will continue to be disbursed until November 2025. However, students must reapply for the 2025/2026 academic session to continue accessing the loan scheme.
Sawyerr explained that the timelines are intended to provide clarity and smooth the transition into the new cycle.
Announcing the closure of the current application portal is a necessary step to prepare for the next cycle. NELFUND remains committed to removing financial barriers for students and to working with institutions to ensure that no eligible student is left behind. We also urge all institutions to update their students’ records promptly on the SVS, as this step is critical to enabling students to access the Fund,” Sawyerr stated.
The Fund urged students to liaise closely with their school managements, ensure the timely completion of their applications, and promptly reapply for the new session to avoid missing out on the benefits of the scheme.
