Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The Lagos State University has announced the commencement of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund student loan application for the 2026/2027 academic session, urging eligible students to take advantage of the Federal Government intervention and complete their applications before the December 31, 2026 deadline.
The university made the announcement in a statement posted on its official X handle and confirmed on its website, informing all students that the NELFUND 2026/2027 Student Loan Application exercise had officially commenced. According to LASU, the application portal opened on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, and will remain accessible to eligible students until Thursday, December 31, 2026. The official application portal is portal.nelf.gov.ng. "All interested and eligible students are encouraged to take advantage of this Federal Government intervention and complete their applications within the stipulated period," the university said.
LASU outlined specific eligibility requirements for applicants. Students must be duly registered students of the university and must possess a valid Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board registration number, a National Identification Number and a Bank Verification Number. Applicants are also required to ensure that their matriculation number, department and other institutional records are correctly uploaded and updated on the university portal. The university further stressed that students must ensure their JAMB details are correctly verified before proceeding with the loan application.
"Students are strongly advised to verify and update their institutional and JAMB records before proceeding with their applications on the NELFund portal," LASU said. The university explained that the verification was necessary "to prevent disqualification or delays arising from discrepancies or data mismatches." Students who encounter challenges with the verification or updating of their records were advised to visit the Directorate of ICT or Special Interventions for prompt assistance. "All eligible students are encouraged to apply within the stipulated deadline," the university added.
The announcement comes amid the continued expansion of the NELFUND scheme, which has become one of the Federal Government's flagship initiatives aimed at expanding access to higher education by providing interest-free loans to eligible students in public tertiary institutions. The scheme covers tuition and other institutional charges, while also offering an optional upkeep loan to help students with living expenses. Since its launch in May 2024, NELFUND has disbursed hundreds of billions of naira to students across the country, with the Fund reporting cumulative disbursements of more than N242.4 billion to over 1.38 million beneficiaries as of April 2026. The scheme currently covers more than 1.8 million students across 319 public tertiary institutions, ranging from colleges of education to universities. In August 2026, NELFUND announced it had processed more than 1.5 million applications, disbursing over N355.87 billion to students and institutions, of which N192.89 billion was paid as institutional fees and N162.98 billion was released directly to students as upkeep allowances.
The application process for students involves visiting the Nigerian Education Loan Fund portal, clicking "Apply Now," verifying JAMB and NIN details, completing a profile with BVN and school matriculation number, and submitting a request for institutional fees or upkeep loans. The process is designed to be completed online, though students must first ensure that their institutional records are in order before proceeding, a step LASU emphasised in its announcement. The university's decision to stress the importance of record verification reflects a recurring challenge in the NELFUND application process, where data mismatches between institutional records, JAMB databases and NIN details have led to delays and disqualifications for some applicants.
The announcement is significant for LASU's student population, which is estimated at over 35,000 across its Ojo and Epe campuses, including postgraduate and part-time students. For many students at the institution, the NELFUND loan represents a critical source of financial support, particularly given the prevailing economic pressures that have made it increasingly difficult for families to meet tuition and living costs. The university has consistently encouraged its students to take advantage of the Federal Government's intervention, and the latest announcement aligns with that posture. In June 2026, NELFUND and LASU commenced a four-day sensitisation and registration drive aimed at facilitating access to student loans for thousands of students, with a focus on improving financial inclusion and expanding access to tertiary education for underprivileged students. The then-Dean of Student Affairs at LASU, Prof. Tajudeen Olumoko, described the exercise as one of the impactful programmes of the university's current administration, noting that many students had already benefited from the scheme and that the sensitisation drive was intended to reach those who had yet to apply.
The broader policy context of the NELFUND scheme is one of significant investment in education financing by the Tinubu administration. The Fund was established under the Access to Higher Education Act, which President Bola Tinubu signed into law in June 2023, fulfilling a campaign promise to provide interest-free loans to indigent Nigerian students. The scheme has since become a central pillar of the administration's human capital development agenda, with the Federal Government projecting that it will expand access to higher education for millions of young Nigerians who would otherwise be unable to afford tuition. The scheme has also faced operational challenges, including delays in disbursement of upkeep allowances, which led some students to appeal to NELFUND to fast-track payments. The Fund has attributed the delays to a surge in applications and has said it is working to improve its technological infrastructure and administrative processes.
For LASU students, the immediate priority is to complete their applications before the December 31 deadline. The university's emphasis on verifying institutional and JAMB records before applying is intended to reduce the risk of disqualification and ensure that eligible students are not denied access to the loan due to data discrepancies. Students who encounter difficulties with verification or updating their records have been directed to seek assistance from the Directorate of ICT or Special Interventions, a measure designed to provide practical support for applicants navigating the process. As the application window remains open, LASU has urged all eligible students to act within the stipulated period, stressing that the opportunity to access the Federal Government's interest-free loan facility should not be missed. For a university with tens of thousands of students, many of whom depend on financial support to continue their education, the opening of the NELFUND portal represents both an opportunity and a test of the institution's capacity to facilitate access to a scheme that has become increasingly central to the financing of higher education in Nigeria.
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