When Will NELFUND Portal Close For Student Loan Application?

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) portal is open for applications 24/7, every day of the year. This means undergraduates can apply at any time by first creating an account at portal.nelf.gov.ng/auth/register.

However, the application follows academic calendar. For instance, application for the 2023/2024 session has closed while the 2024/2025 application session commenced on February 22, 2025.

If you need a guide, we already published a step by step guide to get started in one of our earliest posts.

Unlike admission processes at institutions in Nigeria and around the world, which have specific application periods and closing dates, the NELFUND portal remains open year-round, allowing students to apply at any time.

The reason for this is straightforward: admission schedules for federal and state institutions in Nigeria vary throughout the year. For example, the University of Ibadan might be on break while students at Bayero University are preparing for their first semester exams.

Institutions in Nigeria do not have a unified academic session due internal politics and administration and management even when they are federal-controlled institutions.

This is one of the reasons why the portal for the student loan is open throughout the year to give every Nigerian undergraduate student access to education funds irrespective of their academic calendar.

It is also very important to add that equal opportunities are given to students regardless of their religion, geographical location, and political affiliation.

So, if you’re yet to gain admission and you fear that the portal might close by the time you get an admission, calm down even if you are still in SS class, the portal will be open for you by the time you get into the university.

For the record, NELFUND is now a law, meaning no administration can simply cancel the student loan initiative without undergoing a formal amendment process.

In fact, any government that attempts to stop this initiative is likely to face significant public backlash and risk losing popularity.

The student loan initiative is here to stay in Nigeria, much like similar programs in the United States, the United Kingdom, and other parts of the world where undergraduates have access to educational funding to support their academic pursuits.

If you are yet to receive the N20,000 monthly allowance or your institutional fee is yet to be paid, the management of the fund has promised that there are enough funds to go round provided that your application is successful and verified by NELFUND.

At the time of this update, the management of NELFUND monthly stipend is disbursing the monthly allowance credited into the personal accounts of students.

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