The University of Calabar has refunded tuition fees to 1,089 students under the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, the institution said, marking one of the largest batches of reimbursements since the federal government began rolling out the new student loan scheme. The refunds apply to students who paid fees before their loan disbursements were processed.
University officials said the payments were completed in nine batches, with the institution shifting from manual processing to a digital system designed to speed up verification and reduce errors. Dr. Elizabeth Effiwatt, the NELFUND Desk Officer, said the school is committed to transparency and dismissed claims that eligible students were being denied refunds.
Effiwatt released a detailed breakdown of the batches, noting that the first four covered more than 500 students, while additional batches addressed payment glitches and late applications. She said the transition to an automated portal has significantly increased the number of refund requests, as students can now submit applications and track their status online without visiting administrative offices.
The university’s ICT Director, Dr. Eyo Essien, said more than 2,000 students applied for refunds within a month of the portal’s launch. He described the digital system as a major step toward modernizing financial processes in Nigerian universities, where manual documentation often slows down payments and creates opportunities for mistakes or delays.
The NELFUND refund initiative is part of a broader national effort to ease financial pressure on students and ensure that those who paid fees before receiving loan support are reimbursed. Several universities across Nigeria are still adjusting to the policy, with some facing challenges in verifying old receipts and reconciling student records.
Education analysts say UNICAL’s progress could encourage other institutions to adopt similar digital systems, noting that automation improves accountability and reduces the burden on students navigating complex financial procedures. The university said refund processing will resume once record reconciliation is complete, and students have been advised to monitor the portal for updates.
