Northern Nigeria leads student loan demand with over 170,000 applications from its top 10 institutions

Key takeaways

  • University of Maiduguri leads with 31,770 applications, indicating a significant demand for student loans in the North East.
  • North West institutions dominate the list, with five universities (Bayero University Kano, Federal University Dutsinma Katsina, Ahmadu Bello University, Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, and Umaru Musa Yar'adua University) collectively accounting for a substantial portion of applications.
  • North Central is represented by University of Jos and University of Ilorin, highlighting the region's active participation in the student loan programme.
  • Federal University, Kashere's presence underscores the North East's engagement, with two institutions in the top 10.
  • All listed universities received over 11,000 applications, reflecting widespread awareness and utilization of the student loan initiative across these regions.

The distribution of student loan applications across Nigerian universities reveals a pronounced regional pattern. Institutions in the North West and North East dominate the top 10, with University of Maiduguri leading the chart with 31,770 applications. This strong showing suggests not only a heightened demand but also possibly stronger mobilisation or outreach efforts in these regions. Five of the top 10 universities are in the North West alone, underscoring the region's central role in the uptake of the education loan scheme.

North Central, represented by University of Jos and University of Ilorin, demonstrates significant engagement as well, suggesting the programme's widening geographical reach. Interestingly, while southern institutions are absent from the top 10, the steady presence of universities from across multiple northern zones reflects both the educational demographics and possibly varying access to alternative funding sources.

Source:

NELFUND

Period:

May 2025
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