The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) states that the application portal for the 2024/2025 academic session will close on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, to conclude the scheme’s second full cycle and enable the agency to finalise processing pending applications and make necessary payments.
Managing Director Akintunde Sawyerr announced the timelines at a media briefing in Abuja on Monday, adding that the portal will reopen in the second week of October 2025 for 2025/2026 applications and remain open until January 2026.
Verification Deadline for Schools: October 8
NELFUND directed all tertiary institutions to update their students’ records on the Student Verification System (SVS) without delay. Any 2024/2025 applications not verified by institutions on or before October 8, 2025, will be automatically cancelled. Affected students will need to reapply under the 2025/2026 cycle.
To promote transparency, the Fund said it will publish the names of non-compliant institutions that fail to complete verification by the deadline. Many outstanding approvals and unpaid applications, it noted, are the result of schools not finalising this mandatory verification.
Upkeep Payments Continue Through November
Students already in the 2024/2025 cycle will continue to receive upkeep disbursements through November 2025. However, anyone wishing to access support in the 2025/2026 session must submit a fresh application when the portal reopens next month.
“Clarity and Continuity”
Sawyerr said the schedule is designed to give applicants and institutions a clear transition into the new academic cycle. Closing the current portal now, he explained, is necessary housekeeping before the next round begins.
He reaffirmed NELFUND’s commitment to removing financial barriers to tertiary education and urged institutions to promptly update student records on the SVS so that no eligible student is left behind.
What Students Should Do Now
Students are advised to stay in close contact with their school management, ensure their details are correctly uploaded and verified on the SVS, complete any outstanding steps on their applications before September 30, and be ready to reapply in October for the 2025/2026 session where required.