Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has announced that the student loan scheme will be open to state-owned tertiary institutions in three (3) weeks.
Gatekeepers News News reports that the NELFUND portal went live on May 24.
NELFUND initially said students of federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges would benefit from the first phase of the scheme.
NELFUND has however added that the scheme’s second phase will extend loans to state-owned institutions.
While speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, Akintunde Sawyerr, the NELFUND managing director, said an overwhelming response has been received since the launching of the scheme, with over 60,000 students registering on the portal.
He said, “This for us has been an overwhelming response and it serves as a testament to the critical need for financial assistance amongst our student population and we remain committed to addressing this urgent demand.”
Sawyerr emphasized that registrations do not necessarily mean the students have completed the applications, adding that of the figure, only 30,000 have successfully applied.
He further said that in line with NELFUND’s commitment to higher education, it will “commence accepting applications from students attending state-owned tertiary institutions in three weeks time”.
When about the exact date, he said the fund aims to start receiving applications on June 25, however, with factors like the upload of data by institutions, the date remains tentative.
He said, “We request all state institutions to submit their students data immediately in order to facilitate a smooth and seamless application process.”
Sawyerr also revealed that over ninety percent of federal institutions have submitted their student data to the fund.
He added “However, we urge the remaining two federal universities and five federal polytechnics to expedite the process to ensure that all eligible students can access financial support so that we can expand to state-owned tertiary institutions.”
