NELFUND Upkeep Update: What Students Should Know About August and September 2026 Payments
Students benefiting from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) Student Loan Scheme are currently seeking clarification regarding the payment of their August and September 2026 upkeep allowances, following the recent disbursement of outstanding June and July payments.
June and July Upkeep Payments Were Disbursed
NELFUND commenced the payment of outstanding June and July 2026 upkeep allowances to eligible beneficiaries in July.
Reports confirmed that eligible students began receiving ₦40,000, representing the two-month backlog at the approved monthly upkeep rate of ₦20,000. The payments were processed in batches, meaning beneficiaries did not necessarily receive the funds at the same time.
Has NELFUND Suspended Upkeep Payments?
NELFUND denied reports circulating online that upkeep payments had been suspended for beneficiaries of the 2025/2026 Student Loan Scheme.
The Fund described the purported suspension notice as false and maintained that approved tuition and upkeep payments to eligible beneficiaries were continuing in line with its mandate.
What About August and September 2026 Upkeep?
There are currently messages circulating on social media suggesting that NELFUND may pay ₦40,000 for August and September 2026.
However, UNIHUB CONNECT TV has not found an official NELFUND announcement confirming that a nationwide August/September payment of ₦40,000 has commenced or has been approved for all institutions.
Students are therefore advised not to treat the circulating ₦40,000 August/September claim as confirmed information until an official announcement is made by NELFUND.
NELFUND's Academic Session Policy
NELFUND announced in 2025 that upkeep payments are tied to the academic session of each institution.
Under the policy, students are entitled to upkeep for their current academic session, while payments for a session automatically cease when the institution's academic year concludes. Students entering a new academic session are expected to apply for the new session.
Being physically on holiday does not, by itself, determine whether a student qualifies for a particular month's upkeep. The relevant issue is the institution's academic session and the information available to NELFUND.
What Should Students Do Now?
Students are advised to:
- Check their NELFUND dashboard regularly.
- Monitor the bank account registered with their application.
- Avoid relying solely on unverified WhatsApp broadcasts or screenshots.
- Do not pay anyone claiming to have special access to release NELFUND funds.
- Wait for official communication before assuming that August or September upkeep has been released.
What About FUOYE Students?
For students of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) and other institutions currently on academic break, the fact that the university is on holiday should not automatically be interpreted as confirmation that August or September upkeep will or will not be paid.
The decisive factor remains the applicable academic session and NELFUND's processing of eligible beneficiaries.
UNIHUB CONNECT TV Verdict
August/September 2026 upkeep has NOT been confirmed as a nationwide ₦40,000 payment by an official NELFUND announcement that we could verify at the time of publication.
What is confirmed is that NELFUND has continued processing upkeep payments, including the June and July 2026 backlog, and has denied claims that the upkeep scheme was suspended.
Students are therefore advised to remain patient and rely on verified NELFUND communications as further information becomes available.
UNIHUB CONNECT TV will continue monitoring the situation and will provide updates when an official announcement on August and September 2026 upkeep is released.