UNICAL Refunds NELFUND Tuition Fees to 1,089 Students

The University of Calabar (UNICAL) has refunded tuition fees to 1,089 students who paid their school charges before receiving support from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND). The institution also disclosed that 2,090 additional refund applications are currently awaiting payment through its newly introduced automated refund portal.

UNICAL's NELFUND Desk Officer, Dr Elizabeth Effiwatt, said the university had completed nine batches of manual refunds and dismissed claims that the institution had failed to reimburse eligible students. She stressed that the refund exercise is ongoing and is being carried out with transparency and accountability.

Effiwatt explained that the university has progressively refunded students in batches, covering beneficiaries whose tuition fees had already been paid before NELFUND released funds to the institution. She commended President Bola Tinubu and NELFUND Managing Director Akintunde Sawyerr for introducing the student loan initiative, describing it as a major boost for access to higher education.

The Director of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Dr Eyo Essien, revealed that UNICAL has launched a digital platform that allows students to apply for tuition refunds electronically. He said the automated system has attracted over 2,090 applications within a month, adding that processing for the next phase was temporarily paused to reconcile records before payments resume.

University officials noted that students no longer need to visit administrative offices or pay anyone to process refunds, as applications can now be completed online through the institution's portal. They expressed confidence that the innovation would simplify the refund process, improve efficiency and make UNICAL one of the first Nigerian universities to fully digitise NELFUND refund applications.