Nigeria’s new student loan programme has quickly become one of the most closely watched education support schemes in the country.
Since its rollout, the portal has recorded a sharp rise in applications, with a total interest-free successful loan application of 451,535 in October 2025.
This highlights how Nigerian students are responding to the opportunity for tuition and upkeep support.
The surge in applications is happening at a time when families are grappling with rising living costs, increased fees across public universities, and broader economic pressures. For many students, the loan scheme has become a crucial pathway to staying enrolled and managing day-to-day expenses.
The programme has already disbursed over N116 billion to support both tuition and upkeep allowances, less than two years after its launch on May 24, 2024.
These numbers offer a new way to understand the extent to which students rely on government-backed support to complete their studies. This report breaks down the top ten institutions with the highest number of applications as of October 23, 2025.
Below is a breakdown of the top 10 institutions by total applications from May 2024 to October 2025:
The University of Uyo (UNIUYO) is a federal public university located in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State. Established in 1991, it grew out of the former University of Cross River State, inheriting its programmes and facilities.
UNIUYO operates across multiple campuses, including its Main Campus, Town Campus, Annex Campus, Health Sciences Campus, and Ime Umanah Campus. It currently has 12 faculties offering more than 90 academic programmes. The university employs 1,521 academic staff and about 4,128 administrative staff.
UNIUYO recorded 31,826 total loan applications, of which 15,605 were for upkeep loans, showing a very active uptake of the scheme by its undergraduates. According to the NUC Statistics, the University has 12,435 male students and 11,438 female students, with a total of 23,873 students.
The university is also affiliated with the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), which enhances its medical training and research capabilities.
