Do ABUAD students qualify for NELFUND? No. Not yet. As of the 2025/2026 session, the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) covers students in public tertiary institutions only, and Afe Babalola University is a private university, so its students cannot apply right now. The law that created NELFUND limits it to approved public institutions, and the application portal verifies your school against that list before it lets you in. There is a real chance this changes, NELFUND's own management has said private universities may be added within two to three years, but today the honest answer is that the door is closed. This guide explains exactly why, what would have to change, and the funding you can actually use at ABUAD instead.
Last Updated for the 2026/2027 Academic Session. Verified against the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act 2024, NELFUND public statements, and national press reports.
Know an ABUAD student waiting on NELFUND? Share this link before they waste a week trying to apply on a portal that will reject them. Save them the stress and the scam links. {alertInfo}
If you searched "NELFUND for ABUAD students," you have probably seen friends in federal universities get their fees paid and their upkeep allowance land in their account. So you went looking for how to get the same thing at Afe Babalola University. That makes complete sense.
Here is what is actually true. NELFUND is a federal scheme, and right now it is built only for students in government-owned institutions. ABUAD is privately owned, so the portal will not accept your application no matter how many times you try. This is not a glitch on your end, and it is not something a "connect" or an agent can fix for a fee. Anyone telling you otherwise is trying to scam you.
This guide covers the full picture: why private universities are excluded, the exact eligibility rules, whether that exclusion is likely to change, and the real funding options ABUAD students use to cover fees right now, from scholarships to study-abroad loan products. No false hope, no recycled rumours.
Table of Contents
- 1. Do ABUAD Students Qualify for NELFUND?
- 2. Why Private University Students Are Excluded
- 3. NELFUND Eligibility Rules in Full
- 4. Will NELFUND Ever Cover Private Universities?
- 5. What ABUAD Students Should Do Instead
- 6. Scholarships ABUAD Students Can Actually Win
- 7. Education and Study-Abroad Loans That Accept Private Students
- 8. How to Spot a NELFUND Scam
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do ABUAD Students Qualify for NELFUND?
No. Students of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti do not qualify for NELFUND for the 2025/2026 session. The scheme is open only to students of approved public tertiary institutions, which means federal and state-owned universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and recognised vocational and skills centres.
NELFUND launched in phases. Federal institutions came first when the portal opened on 24 May 2024, then state-owned institutions were added from July 2024. Private universities have not been added to any phase so far.
The portal at portal.nelf.gov.ng checks your admission record against its list of participating institutions. ABUAD is not on that list, so the application will not go through. This is the single most important thing to understand before you spend time trying. {alertWarning}
Why Private University Students Are Excluded
The exclusion is written into the law, not decided case by case. The Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act, signed by President Bola Tinubu in April 2024, empowers NELFUND to provide loans for tuition, fees, and upkeep to students in approved public tertiary institutions and public vocational and skills establishments. Private universities are simply not named in that scope.
NELFUND's management has explained the reasoning directly. The Managing Director, Akintunde Sawyerr, said the Fund chose to "address the public sector first," pointing out that many students in public institutions have no alternative and drop out over small amounts of money. The position is that public-sector need is being cleared before any expansion.
There is also a practical layer. Even within eligible public schools, only students whose institution has uploaded their data to the NELFUND Student Verification System can apply. The whole system is built around institutions feeding verified records into the Fund, and private universities were never wired into that pipeline.
This means the block is structural, not a paperwork error you can route around. No amount of correctly uploaded documents will make a private-university application succeed while the law and the verification list stay as they are. {alertError}
NELFUND Eligibility Rules in Full
So you can see exactly where ABUAD falls short, here are the current eligibility requirements as stated by NELFUND:
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Citizenship | Must be a Nigerian citizen residing in Nigeria. |
| Institution type | Approved public tertiary institution. This is where ABUAD students fail, ABUAD is private. |
| Admission route | Admitted through JAMB, with a valid JAMB registration number and admission letter. |
| Identity | Valid National Identification Number (NIN) and Bank Verification Number (BVN). |
| Enrolment | Full-time students are eligible. Part-time students may apply if they have a JAMB number. |
| Institution data | Your school must have uploaded your record to the NELFUND Student Verification System. |
| Disqualifiers | Prior loan default, fraudulent documents, dismissal for exam malpractice, or conviction for fraud, forgery, drugs, or cultism. |
An ABUAD student can meet every single requirement on this list except one, the institution type. That one line is enough to close the door for now.
Will NELFUND Ever Cover Private Universities?
Possibly, but nothing is confirmed, and you should not plan your fees around it. Here is the honest state of the conversation.
In May 2025, NELFUND MD Akintunde Sawyerr said the Fund "may consider extending its student loan scheme to private institutions within the next three years," after the public sector has been properly served. He framed it as a review that would happen "two, three years max" once the impact on public-sector students is clear. That is a signal of intent, not a promise, and not a date.
Private university leaders are pushing hard for it. The Vice Chancellors of Bowen University, Trinity University, and Ajayi Crowther University have all publicly argued that excluding private-university students is unfair, because indigent students exist in private schools too and their parents also pay taxes. That pressure is real and growing.
What this means for you: treat private-university inclusion as a "watch this space," not a plan. If it happens, it is more likely to be a 2027-or-later development than something that helps you this session. Bookmark NELFUND's official channels and check back, but fund your studies as though it will not come through. {alertInfo}
One caveat worth stating plainly: policy can move faster or slower than officials predict. I could not find any confirmed inclusion of private universities as of this writing, and I am not going to claim a date that has not been announced. If you see a "NELFUND now covers private universities" headline, verify it on the official portal at portal.nelf.gov.ng before you trust it.
What ABUAD Students Should Do Instead
You still have real options. They take more legwork than a single government portal, but students fund ABUAD with them every session. Here is the order I would work through them:
Do the free money first. Exhaust every scholarship and aid route before you take on any loan, because scholarships never have to be repaid and loans always do. {alertSuccess}
Scholarships ABUAD Students Can Actually Win
These are national and corporate scholarships that, in general, accept students regardless of whether their university is public or private. Eligibility rules change every cycle, so treat the details below as a starting point and confirm each scheme's current criteria on its official page before you apply.
| Scholarship | Who it targets | Type |
|---|---|---|
| NNPC/SNEPCo & NNPC scholarships | Undergraduates in various disciplines, often science and engineering | Corporate, annual |
| Agbami Medical & Engineering | Medical and engineering students nationwide | Corporate, annual |
| MTN Foundation Scholarship | Science and technology undergraduates, including students with disabilities | Foundation |
| Seplat / PTDF / NHEF | Varies by scheme; some require specific fields or states of origin | Corporate / govt |
| Fully funded international scholarships | Nigerians applying to study abroad (UK, US, Canada) at undergraduate or masters level | External |
Note on the table above: these are well-known, recurring Nigerian scholarship schemes, listed to point you in the right direction. The specific eligibility, open dates, and award amounts change every year, so I have deliberately not stated figures I cannot verify for the current cycle. Confirm each one on its official page.
If you are open to studying abroad later, the fully funded international scholarship route is worth serious attention. Awards like fully funded masters and undergraduate scholarships for Nigerian students cover tuition and living costs entirely, and they do not care that your first degree was at a private Nigerian university. {alertInfo}
Education and Study-Abroad Loans That Accept Private Students
If scholarships and aid still leave a gap, a private education loan can bridge it. Unlike NELFUND, these are commercial products, so they carry interest and you should read the terms carefully before committing.
The category to search for is "education loan in Nigeria" or "study abroad loan in Nigeria." Several Nigerian banks and lenders run these, and a few points matter more than the brand name:
- Interest rate and total repayment. Work out what you will pay back in total, not just the monthly figure. A loan that looks small monthly can be expensive across the full term.
- Collateral or guarantor requirements. Some education loans need a guarantor with a salaried account. Confirm this before you start the application.
- Whether it is for local fees or study abroad. Some products, including bank study-abroad loans, are designed specifically for students heading overseas and may not fit local ABUAD fees. Match the product to your actual need.
- Moratorium. Check whether repayment starts while you are studying or only after you graduate. This single term changes how affordable the loan really is.
A loan is a tool, not free money. Borrow the smallest amount that closes your real gap after scholarships and aid, and never borrow for fees you could have covered by paying in installments through the bursary. {alertWarning}
How to Spot a NELFUND Scam
The confusion around private-university eligibility is exactly what scammers feed on. Here is how to stay safe:
- The only official portal is portal.nelf.gov.ng. Any other "NELFUND application" site is fake. Type the address yourself, do not click links from WhatsApp.
- NELFUND never charges an application fee. Anyone asking you to pay to apply, or to pay an "agent" to push your application through, is scamming you.
- No one can "connect" a private-university student into NELFUND. If the law excludes ABUAD, no insider can override it for a fee. That offer is always a scam.
- Ignore "NELFUND now open for private schools" messages unless you confirm them on the official portal. Screenshots and broadcast messages are not proof.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can ABUAD students apply for NELFUND in 2026?
No. As of the 2025/2026 session, NELFUND is open only to students in approved public tertiary institutions. Afe Babalola University is a private university, so its students are not eligible to apply.
Why are private university students excluded from NELFUND?
The Student Loans Act 2024 limits NELFUND to approved public institutions, and NELFUND has said it is addressing public-sector students first. Private universities were not included in the federal or state rollout phases.
Will NELFUND ever cover private universities like ABUAD?
Possibly. NELFUND's Managing Director said in 2025 that the scheme may extend to private institutions within two to three years, after the public sector is served. This is a stated intention, not a confirmed date, so private-university students should not plan their fees around it.
What funding can ABUAD students use instead of NELFUND?
ABUAD students can use the university's own scholarships and financial aid, national and corporate scholarships open to all Nigerians such as NNPC and MTN Foundation schemes, bursary installment plans, and private education or study-abroad loans as a last resort.
Is there a fee to apply for NELFUND?
No. NELFUND does not charge an application fee, and there is no legitimate agent who can process an application for a fee. Anyone asking you to pay to apply is running a scam.
What You Should Do Right Now
Stop trying to force a NELFUND application through a portal that will reject ABUAD. Put that energy into funding that can actually work for you. Here is your action plan:
- Read the ABUAD scholarships and financial aid guide and apply to anything you qualify for.
- Shortlist two or three national scholarships from the list above and check their current open dates.
- Ask the ABUAD bursary about an installment plan for your fees this session.
- Only then consider a private education loan, and only for the gap that scholarships and installments cannot cover.
- Bookmark portal.nelf.gov.ng and check back later in the year in case private-university policy changes.
Written by the Everything ABUAD Team
Verified against the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act 2024, NELFUND public statements, and national press reporting. Funding figures are flagged as provisional and should be confirmed on official sources before you rely on them.
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