Scholarships for Nigerian students
Find fully funded scholarships, fellowships and paid internships open to Nigerian students — at home, across Africa, and worldwide. Updated every day by our editors.
Nigeria is the largest source of African students studying abroad and the most competitive applicant pool in our database. The list below tracks every scholarship currently accepting applications from Nigerian nationals — including Chevening, Commonwealth, Fulbright, MasterCard Foundation Scholars, DAAD, Erasmus Mundus and Chinese Government Scholarships.
Where Nigerians win most. The strongest funded pathways for Nigerian students are the United Kingdom (Chevening, Commonwealth, Rhodes), the United States (Fulbright, MasterCard at Michigan and Berkeley) and Canada (Vanier, Trudeau, McCall MacBain). Germany, the Netherlands and China round out the top six destinations by acceptance volume from Nigeria.
Application calendar. Plan around three peaks: August–November for UK and Commonwealth awards, September–January for U.S. graduate funding, and February–April for European Erasmus and DAAD deadlines. Start your IELTS or TOEFL at least four months before your earliest deadline.
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Scholarships for Nigerians by destination
Pick the country you want to study in. Each page shows every fully funded scholarship in that destination currently open to Nigerian applicants.
Chevening, Commonwealth, Rhodes and Said Foundation awards.
Fulbright, MasterCard, Knight-Hennessy and need-blind Ivy aid.
Vanier, Trudeau, McCall MacBain and MasterCard at McGill & UBC.
DAAD EPOS, Heinrich Böll, KAAD and Erasmus Mundus joint Masters.
Australia Awards Africa and Group of Eight RTP PhD funding.
Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC) and Confucius Institute awards.
OKP/NFP, Holland Scholarship and Erasmus Mundus consortia.
Frequently asked questions
Who can apply for scholarships for Nigerian students?
Any Nigerian citizen pursuing Bachelors, Masters or PhD studies can apply, provided they meet the academic, language and country-specific eligibility requirements stated on each opportunity.
Are these Nigerian scholarships fully funded?
Most listings on this page cover full tuition, monthly stipend, health insurance and round-trip airfare. The funding type is clearly labelled on each card.
Do Nigerians need IELTS or TOEFL?
Most universities in the UK, US, Canada and Australia waive English proficiency tests for Nigerians because English is the official language of instruction in Nigeria. A Medium-of-Instruction (MOI) letter is usually accepted.
Which destinations are most popular for Nigerian students?
The United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, China and Australia consistently top the list, followed by South Africa, Rwanda and Ghana for intra-African study.
Are there scholarships for Nigerian undergraduates?
Yes — MTN Foundation, Agbami, NNPC/SNEPCO, MasterCard Foundation Scholars and Commonwealth Shared Scholarships all fund Nigerian Bachelors candidates.
How often is this list refreshed?
Daily. Closed scholarships are removed and new ones are added as soon as our editors verify them with the official sponsor.
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