The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has paid N7,786,400 to cover the fees of 26 students of the State University of Medical and Applied Sciences (SUMAS), Igbo-Eno, Enugu State, under the Federal Government’s Student Loan Programme.

This was contained in a letter dated July 6, 2026, signed by the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. James Ogbonna, and addressed to the Managing Director of NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr.

In the letter, titled “Acknowledgement of payment for 26 Students from State University of Medical and Applied Sciences, Igbo-Eno, Enugu State,” the university acknowledged receipt of the payment totalling N7,786,400.

The Vice-Chancellor said the institution had commenced the process of refunding students who had already paid their fees for the 2025/2026 academic session.

“We have already started refund to the students that have already paid their fees for 2025/2026 academic session,” Ogbonna stated.

Meanwhile, checks on the agency’s dashboard revealed that as of September 3, 2026, the Fund had processed 1,659,853 student loan applications and disbursed a total of N355.87 billion to beneficiaries in 319 institutions, comprising N192.89 billion in institutional fees and N162.98 billion in upkeep allowances.

The figures, contained in the Fund’s Student Loan Disbursement Status Report, showed that institutional fees accounted for more than half of the total amount disbursed, while the upkeep component represented funds paid directly to students to support their educational needs.

The report, which covered the period from the launch of the NELFUND Student Loan Portal on May 24, 2024, also indicated that the Fund had expanded its financial support to students across hundreds of institutions.

According to the dashboard, the disbursements were made as part of the Federal Government’s student loan programme, designed to improve access to higher education by providing financial support for institutional fees and students’ upkeep.