Nigerian students seeking to pay tuition fees to institutions abroad can now process their payments directly from Naira accounts, as commercial banks have resumed handling international educational transactions through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s Form A portal.
The development comes as a significant relief to students and their families, following a recent directive from the apex bank aimed at easing access to foreign exchange for educational and other legitimate purposes.
Form A is a designated application form provided by the CBN for the purchase of foreign exchange for services classified under “invisible trade” – such as educational fees, medical bills, and travel expenses. Through this channel, customers can access forex at the official CBN or interbank rate to pay for approved services abroad.
Leading commercial banks, including Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) and Lotus Bank, have confirmed the resumption of the service via official notices sent to customers on Monday.
“Pay international tuition fees directly from your Naira account,” GTBank announced in its message, encouraging customers to initiate the process by registering on the official Trade Monitoring System Portal at www.tradesystem.gov.ng.
The bank further advised applicants to select the ‘Form A’ application for Educational Fees, choose GTBank as the processing bank, and upload all required documents before submitting their applications.
Lotus Bank issued a similar advisory, outlining the same steps and reaffirming its readiness to process tuition payments for both undergraduate and postgraduate students studying abroad.
This policy update follows an earlier move by Nigerian banks to resume international transactions on Naira cards—a development that signaled gradual improvements in foreign exchange accessibility for individuals and businesses.
With the reinstatement of tuition payment services via Form A, stakeholders in Nigeria’s education sector are hopeful for greater stability in processing overseas education expenses.
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