Over One Million Nigerian Students Have Collected NELFUND Money Have You?

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund says it has disbursed more than ₦206 billion to over 1.1 million students across tertiary institutions in Nigeria since the programme began.

Despite the scale of the disbursement, many eligible students are yet to apply.

Students in public universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and approved vocational institutions can still apply for the loan through the official NELFUND portal.

What the loan covers:

NELFUND pays approved institutional charges directly to schools, while successful applicants also receive a monthly upkeep allowance of ₦20,000 in their personal bank accounts.

The scheme does not require collateral or guarantors, and beneficiaries are not charged interest on the loan.

What is happening with disbursement:

Disbursements are being processed in batches across institutions. Several schools have already confirmed payments for verified students under the programme.

After approval, payment is usually processed once the applicant’s institution confirms enrollment and uploads the required records to the verification system.

Why some students are still delayed:

A major challenge affecting many applicants is institutional verification. In several cases, students complete registration but remain stuck because their school has not uploaded or validated their records on the NELFUND platform.

Students facing delays are advised to contact their bursary department or student affairs office to confirm their details have been properly submitted.

The programme has also expanded significantly. While the early phase focused mainly on federal institutions, students in many state-owned tertiary institutions are now included under the scheme.

Eligible students can begin the application process through the official nelf.gov.ng⁠