Labour & Social

Students Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act 2024

Amended version of the original 2023 Act — interest-free loans for undergrad/HND students at federal and state institutions, administered by NELFUND.

Signed
2024-04-03
Status
In force

1 Background

The 2024 amendment fixed implementation flaws in the original June 2023 Act. It removed the household-income cap (originally ₦500K/year — far too low), expanded coverage to private universities meeting criteria, and clarified the repayment regime (2 years after NYSC, automatic deduction from salary). The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) administers the programme. By mid-2026, disbursements have reached ~1 million students.

2 Key provisions (6)

01
Interest-free loans for tuition + upkeep
02
Available to undergrad and HND students at federal/state/qualifying private institutions
03
Household-income cap removed (amended in 2024)
04
Repayment begins 2 years after NYSC
05
Repayment via automatic salary deduction (10% of monthly basic)
06
NELFUND as administering agency

3 What changed in practice

~1 million students reached by mid-2026
Critical for retention after tuition hikes following federal subsidy removal
First disbursements May 2024

4 Who it affects

Undergraduate studentsHND studentsUniversitiesNYSC corps members

5 What it repealed / replaced

Other laws in Labour & Social