NELFUND Raises Alarm Over Soaring Tuition Fees in EKSU, UNIMED, DUFUHS, LAUTECH, and Other Institutions

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has expressed deep concern over the steep rise in tuition fees across several public tertiary institutions, warning that the trend threatens the sustainability of its student loan operations.

An internal risk assessment report obtained by The Guardian revealed that some universities and polytechnics have increased fees by 20 to 521 percent, creating significant financial pressure on students and parents.

According to the report titled “Framework to Mitigate the Impact of Increased Institutional Charges on the Fund’s Operations,” the affected institutions include Ekiti State University (EKSU), University of Medical Sciences, Ondo (UNIMED), Edo State University, Uzairue, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), University of Ilesha, and David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences (DUFUHS), Ebonyi State. The tuition surges are particularly pronounced in professional programmes such as Medicine, Nursing, and Law.

NELFUND’s analysis showed that tuition fees for medical, nursing, and law courses have increased by an average of 20 percent, with some programmes experiencing hikes of over 100 percent. The Fund warned that such increments exacerbate students’ financial burdens, potentially affecting loan disbursement and repayment capacity.

For instance, Edo State University reportedly raised its tuition for Medicine and Surgery from about ₦750,000 to over ₦950,000 per session, while Nursing students now pay nearly ₦850,000. At UNIMED, the average cost of a medical degree now exceeds ₦1 million annually, representing a 20–30 percent increase. LAUTECH implemented new tuition bands for Law and Engineering students, with fees rising from ₦250,000 to ₦300,000 for Law, while other faculties saw increases of 15–25 percent. DUFUHS experienced one of the steepest hikes, with tuition for medical and health sciences programmes climbing over 40 percent in the last academic session.

A particularly extreme case was observed at Kogi State Polytechnic, where tuition and related charges reportedly surged by over 1,000 percent, increasing from less than ₦20,000 per semester to over ₦200,000 for certain programmes.

NELFUND’s report highlighted that these sudden fee increases have disrupted its operational forecasts, creating potential funding gaps and raising the risk of loan defaults. The Fund urged state governments and the Federal Ministry of Education to intervene, recommending a collaborative framework with the National Universities Commission (NUC), the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and other regulatory agencies to standardize fee adjustments.

Education stakeholders, including ASUU and student organizations, have warned that unchecked tuition hikes could increase dropout rates among low-income students, undermining the objectives of the Education Loan Act.

NELFUND reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining its loan programme but called on institutions to review fee structures in line with economic realities, stressing that “education must remain accessible to all, not a privilege for a few.”