Education

NUC Reviews Upward Application Fees For Establishment Of Private Varsities

Published

4 months ago

February 11, 2025

Mariam Sanni

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has reviewed upward application fees for the establishment of private universities in the country.

The Commission made this known in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja by its Executive Secretary, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu.

Ribadu said the fee for purchase of application forms for the establishment of a private university is now reviewed from N1,000,000.00 to N5,000,000.00.

Also, he said the processing fee for application for the establishment of a private university is reviewed fromvN5,000,000.00 to N25,000,000.00

Ribadu said this decision was necessary to ensure that newly established private universities were positioned to meet the challenges of the 21 Century.

He added that it was also aimed at repositioning Private Universities to better meet the needs of the citizenry and for better co-ordination of the development of the Private University Education sub-sector of the Nigerian University System (NUS).

“Pursuant to the above and in line with the directive of the Honourable Minister of Education, the NUC hereby informs Promoters of proposed Private Universities in particular and the general public as follows:

“The Commission hereby suspends further processing of all inactive applications including those of private open universities.

” That is those that have not made progress on their applications or made submissions to the Commission for upwards of two years.

“And also those applications at the stage of submission of Letters of Intent only.

“The NUC will convey the reviewed processing fee of 25,000,000.00 to applicants that have purchased application forms only.

“They are also expected to effect payments within a period of thirty (30) working days or risk forfeiture of their pending applications,” he added.

The executive secretary added that the Commission had imposed a Moratorium for a period of one year with effect from Monday, Feb. 10, 2025 on inactive applications for the establishment of new private universities.

He explained that this was to enable the Commission to conduct a comprehensive review of such pending applications with a view to determining their viability.

Accordingly, he said a Moratorium had also been imposed on applications on Step 1 of the 14-Step Procedure (i.e. those that have submitted Letters of Intent only.

He added that this also included
acceptance of fresh applications for the establishment of private universities, including private open universities.

He said the Commission is in the process of reviewing other aspects of the guidelines for the establishment of private universities to ensure that the proposed Universities, when licensed, are positioned to meet the challenges of the 21 Century.

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Education

NELFUND assures students of smart system to improve loan access

Published

1 month ago

May 7, 2025

The Gleamer

Mariam Abeeb

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has assured students it was working assiduously towards building a technology driven system that would improve easy access to its loans.

This was as the FUND disclosed that no fewer than 320,000 students have thus far been paid with many more currently undergoing verification process to enable their payments.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer NELFUND, Mr. Akintunde Sawyerr gave the assurances in Abuja, while addressing Polytechnics , Monotechnics and Institutes at a Stakeholders Engagement Session/ Technical Workshop on NELFUND System Automation and Loan Application Processes.

Sawyerr noted that the FUND was targeting a platform where students could access loan with confidence and without stress in a manner that was transparent and accountable.

He said: “At NELFUND our mission goes beyond giving loans. It’s about opening doors, it’s about making sure every young Nigerian who is willing to learn and grow has a real shot regardless of their background, location, or chosen path of study.

“For too long, many students, especially in technical institutions, have faced steep financial barriers; some drop out, others have never even applied. This is the gap we at NELFUND are here to close. But we know we can’t do it alone.

“This is a shared mission. It belongs to all of us, government institutions and the private sector alike. This technical workshop marks a major step forward.

“We’re not only providing financing, we’re building a technology-driven system that makes it easier for students to apply, for institutions to verify, and for funds to be disbursed with speed, fairness, and accountability.

“We’re aiming for access without stress, a platform students can use with confidence; transparency and trust so that no one is left wondering where their application stands; partnership with purpose because your feedback, your data, and your cooperation are critical to making this work. We rely on you as our institutional partners to help us bring this vision to life.”

Sawyerr who commended the institutions for providing technical expertise, practical hands-on training that fuels industries and empowers communities over the years, said besides teaching skills, they have built careers, created employers and strengthened economies.

“You know your students, you understand their struggles, your insights will help us tailor this system to reflect the realities on ground, not just assumptions on paper.

“To NBTE, we value your steady leadership in shaping and regulating technical education. Your collaboration is key as we move forward fully.”

The NELFUND boss urged the institutions to partner with the FUND to deliver a system that was not just functional or sustainable, but one that was transformative

“As we move forward fully, integrating NELFUND processes with institutional systems and standards, let us remember at the heart of all of this is a student, a young Nigerian with dreams, with ambition, and the courage to pursue them. Everything we do must serve that student.

“The only way to make it happen is by working together, listening to one another, and staying grounded in real-world challenges. I encourage you all to engage fully today share what’s working and what is not, and together let’s build something that lasts.”

NELFUND ‘s Executive Director, Operations, Mr. Iyal Mustapha, disclosed that apart from the 320,000 students who have so far been paid, more verifications are currently ongoing.

Mustapha, who explained that the failure of not having the number of registered students tally with the number of students whose application process was deemed successful was from the part of students and not NELFUND, said there was an urgent need to bridge the gap.

He also disclosed that the FUND was considering connecting directly to institution’s portal to get the data they need, and how student could apply to their institutions portal without necessarily reaching out to NELFUND.

“One other thing that we’re trying to do going forward is to send some of our IT to all the institutions so that we can see how possible it is we connect directly to your portal instead of saying please send us data. How can we connect using an API which makes it easier to get the data of any student coming to us directly from your portal and not from our portal. So we don’t need to be collecting any data again.

“At the same time, we’re thinking of seeing how is it possible that a student can apply to your portal without coming to us. So it makes it so easy for the student when they’re doing registration, when they’re doing payments, they can select either to apply for NELFUND loans and the process will go through your portal. So you have all the data without ever reaching to NELFUND. All we need is for you to give assurance these are your students and if we have that, we pay you directly. It makes it simpler and faster for all the students.”

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