LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-The management of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has announced a 14-day delay in the student loan application process for state institutions.
In a statement from the agency in Abuja, it was explained that the delay was caused by “low data submissions.”
NELFUND attributed the decision to the inability of several state-owned institutions to upload the necessary student data and fee information to its Student Verification System.
“To date, 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 two state polytechnics out of 49.
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“While we acknowledge the efforts of these institutions, the failure to submit data from the remaining state 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,” the statement read.
NELFUND indicated that the extension would allow state institutions more time to meet the data submission requirements, ensuring their students can take advantage of the Federal Government’s student loan program.
For a smooth and accurate application process, the Fund emphasized the necessity for all state institutions to submit comprehensive and correct information.
The required information includes Joint Admissions Matriculation Board numbers, matriculation numbers, admission numbers, full names, academic level, faculties and departments, program duration, fees, and gender of all eligible students.
Incomplete or incorrect data submissions will lead to application delays and possible disqualification for the affected students, the agency stated.
The fund called on all state institutions to speed up their data submission processes and ensure the information provided is accurate.