The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) announced a 14-day postponement of the student loan application process for state institutions, citing insufficient data submissions. This decision was conveyed in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday.
The Fund highlighted that several state-owned institutions have not yet uploaded the required student data and fee information to the NELFUND Student Verification System.
“Only a limited number of state-owned institutions have successfully completed the data submission process. These include 20 state universities out of 48, 12 state colleges out of 54, and 2 state polytechnics out of 49,” the statement noted.
While acknowledging the efforts of the compliant institutions, the Fund emphasized that the lack of data from the remaining institutions poses significant challenges to ensuring a seamless and accurate verification process for student loan applicants.
The application window, initially set to open on June 25, 2024, will now commence on July 10, 2024. This extension is intended to provide additional time for state institutions to comply with the data submission requirements, ensuring their students can benefit from the Federal Government student loan scheme.
To facilitate an efficient and error-free application process, it is crucial that all state institutions provide complete and accurate information. This includes JAMB numbers, matriculation numbers, admission numbers, full names, level, faculties, departments, program durations, fees, and gender of all eligible students. Incomplete or incorrect data submissions will result in application delays and potential disqualification for affected students.
The Fund urged all state institutions to expedite their data submission processes and ensure the accuracy of the information provided. Institutions that fail to meet the revised deadline risk disadvantaging their students, who depend on these loans to support their education.
