The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has raised serious concerns over recent tuition fee hikes by various tertiary institutions, with increases ranging from 20% up to a staggering 521%.
The hikes, especially in Medicine, Nursing and Law programs, are threatening to overwhelm students and strain the fund’s capacity to support them.
An internal report from NELFUND’s risk management team, titled ‘Framework to Mitigate the Impact of Increased Institutional Charges on the Fund’s Operations’, revealed the affected schools include University of Ilesha (Osun State), Ekiti State University, University of Medical Sciences (Ondo), Edo State University, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH, Oyo State) and David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences (Ebonyi State).
This troubling development follows earlier reports by The Guardian exposing at least 51 institutions involved in questionable fee increases and unauthorized deductions from the loan scheme.
In July 2025, the Fund outrightly rejected loan applications from ten institutions due to fee hikes reaching as high as 900%.
At the University of Ilesha, Nursing fees rose from N825,000 to N1.276 million (55% increase) and Law fees increased by 20%, from N1.276 million to N1.526 million.
Ekiti State University’s Medicine and Surgery fees jumped 42%, from N797,000 to N1.132 million, while Edo State University’s same program surged 31% from N3.25 million to N4.25 million.
This translates to a potential debt exceeding N51 million for a medical student graduating after six years.
The University of Medical Sciences in Ondo raised Nursing fees by 149%, from N900,000 to N2.245 million; Community Health by 40%, from N1.2 million to N1.683 million and Medicine and Surgery by 70%, from N1.32 million to N2.245 million.
LAUTECH shocked many by increasing its Medicine and Surgery tuition by 521%, from N126,000 to N782,000, while Biomedical and Nursing fees rose 410%.
At Ebonyi’s David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Medicine fees increased by 46%, from N1.03 million to N1.5 million.
Similarly, other institutions like Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) and Kogi State Polytechnic have also significantly raised fees, Kogi Polytechnic’s hike reached over 1,000% in some cases.
In response, NELFUND’s committee recommended halting loan disbursements to schools with excessive fee hikes pending reviews, capping loans for affected institutions, or freezing loans where fees increased beyond 100% until further investigations.
For longer-term solutions, the Fund plans to work with the Federal Ministry of Education to set national fee guidelines, regularly update loan policies and allow students to anonymously report unfair fees.
As of September 26, NELFUND has disbursed over N107.6 billion to nearly 582,000 students nationwide, with institutional fees accounting for N61.3 billion and upkeep allowances N46.3 billion.
Parents and students are protesting these sharp fee increases, urging government intervention.
Alabi Ademola, a concerned parent, warned that unchecked hikes undermine efforts to help indigent students and called for tuition caps.
He emphasized education as a public good, not a profit venture.
Education experts warn these increases could deepen inequality, with only wealthy students affording higher costs despite the loan scheme’s intentions.
The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) criticized the loan program as a “debt trap,” warning it places students under long-term financial strain rather than resolving systemic underfunding.
ERC’s National Mobilisation Officer, Michael Adaramoye, condemned the government’s approach, saying student loans lead to generational debt and calling for immediate reversal of all fee hikes above the national minimum wage (N77,000).
He urged replacing loans with grants to support indigent students and insisted on proper public funding and democratic management of education.
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has urged the Federal Ministry of Education to impose loan restrictions on institutions hiking fees unjustly.
NANS spokesperson Adeyemi Ajasa revealed ongoing negotiations at zonal levels and threatened national intervention if local efforts fail.
Ajasa highlighted that institutions justify hikes due to inflation and fuel price increases, but these factors have stabilized, making further increases unjustifiable.
He pointed to Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) as an example, where fees have reportedly been increased twice recently.
Some institutions defended the increases, citing economic realities and the need to maintain academic standards.
University of Ilesha’s Babatunde Fanawopo noted that some programs like Education and Agriculture remain tuition-free.
FUNAAB’s spokesperson Olasunkanmi Olajide echoed these sentiments, saying fees were raised in line with prevailing economic conditions.
Meanwhile, officials from Ondo State’s University of Medical Sciences and Ebonyi’s David Umahi University insisted due process was followed in fee adjustments.
However, representatives from FUOYE confirmed that fee hikes have been reversed, while others like Edo State University and Kogi State Polytechnic remained unresponsive to inquiries.
The Federal Ministry of Education acknowledged limitations in controlling fee hikes, as education is on the concurrent legislative list, but reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring access to education for every Nigerian child.
