📢 NELFUND Sets New Rule: No Student Loan Disbursement Without School Data Confirmation
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has issued a firm directive to all accredited tertiary institutions: student loan disbursements will not proceed unless schools verify and upload student data to the Student Loan Application System (SLAS).
This announcement was made via NELFUND’s official X (formerly Twitter) handle, following a major upgrade to the SLAS portal designed to improve transparency, speed, and accuracy in the loan approval and payment process.
🏫 What Schools Must Do Immediately
“All accredited institutions must request access to SLAS to verify and upload student data related to loan applications. This is a critical step that ensures the timely processing and disbursement of approved student loans,” NELFUND stated.
Institutions that haven’t yet onboarded the system are urged to take action without delay by sending an access request to:
📧 [email protected]
Once granted access, institutions will be able to:
- ✅ Verify student-submitted data
- ✅ Monitor application status via a real-time dashboard
- ✅ Track each loan request from submission to disbursement
🔒 No disbursement will occur until verification is complete.
👨🎓 Update for Applicants Showing ‘Verified’ Status
NELFUND clarified that students whose application status currently shows “Verified” have only completed the initial review stage. The final “Disbursed” status will only appear after the institution confirms and uploads student records via the SLAS portal.
“Once the process is complete, status will automatically update to ‘Disbursed’, confirming that payment has been made,” the agency noted.
💸 NELFUND’s Growing Reach and Impact
Between May 2024 and May 2025, NELFUND successfully disbursed over ₦56.85 billion to 298,124 students in 198 institutions across Nigeria.
As part of its expansion strategy, NELFUND is also extending its services to vocational and technical institutions, with the pilot phase launching in Enugu State between late June and mid-July 2025.
📚 New Trades to Be Covered Include:
- Fashion Design
- Technical Skills & Craft Trades
Managing Director Akintunde Sawyerr noted that Enugu was selected due to its strong administrative infrastructure and readiness.
🖥️ What’s Next? Integrated Application Portals
Looking ahead, NELFUND plans to integrate the loan application system directly into institutional portals, allowing students to apply via their school websites—removing the need to access the main NELFUND site.
This new directive is a major step toward efficiency and transparency, ensuring that only verified and eligible students benefit from the government-backed loan initiative.