The University of Calabar (UniCal) has announced a special concession for beneficiaries of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) for the 2023/2024 academic session who were unable to access the funds. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, Professor Tony Eyang, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, assuring affected students that measures have been put in place to address the issue in the new session.

Professor Eyang explained that beneficiaries who are yet to graduate will be allowed to register for the 2024/2025 academic session, with their 2023/2024 loan disbursement allocated towards the payment of their upcoming tuition fees. He further clarified that any beneficiaries due to graduate in 2024/2025 will be refunded the loan for that session after completing their bursary clearance.

For those who had already paid full tuition fees for both the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 sessions, a refund of the 2023/2024 fees will be processed once the 2024/2025 loan is released. Similarly, graduates from the 2023/2024 session will receive their refund after bursary clearance. The deputy vice-chancellor encouraged students to register for the 2024/2025 loan as the verification process for applicants is currently ongoing.

Professor Eyang highlighted the role of the university’s ICT Centre as the primary hub for NELFUND registration, noting that beneficiaries’ dashboards on the university fee portal would be updated to reflect disbursement details. He urged students to seize this opportunity to access the financial assistance provided under the Federal Government’s NELFUND initiative, which aims to support students in tertiary institutions across Nigeria.