Fully Funded Scholarships for Nigerian Students (2026/2027)
Quick answer: These are the 13 scholarships genuinely worth a Nigerian student’s time in 2026/2027 — every one verified against its official portal (no aggregator recycling). Right now the biggest live deadlines are Chevening (closes 6 October 2026) and the Commonwealth Master’s Scholarship (closes 16:00 UK time, 20 October 2026). Nigerian corporate awards (NNPC/SNEPCo, Agbami, MTN, NLNG) open annually — their next windows are not yet announced, so we show each scheme’s usual timing instead of made-up dates. All of them are free to apply: anyone charging you for a form or a “slot” is a scammer.
At a glance: verified scholarships for Nigerians
| Scholarship | Level | What it covers | 2026/2027 window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chevening (UK) | Master’s | Full ride | Open — closes 6 Oct 2026 |
| Commonwealth Scholarship (UK) | Master’s/PhD | Full ride | Master’s closes 20 Oct 2026 |
| DAAD EPOS (Germany) | Master’s/PhD | Full ride + stipend | Per course, roughly Jun–Oct 2026 |
| Erasmus Mundus (EU) | Master’s | Full ride | Most open ~Oct–Nov 2026 |
| Mastercard Foundation Scholars | UG + PG | Full ride | Per partner university |
| Joint Japan/World Bank (JJ/WBGSP) | Master’s | Full ride | Check current-year guidelines |
| Fulbright (USA) | PhD/research | Full ride | Next cycle TBA (closed 1 Jun) |
| Australia Awards Africa | Master’s | Full ride | Next round TBA (closed 30 Apr 2026) |
| NNPC/SNEPCo | Undergraduate | Annual grant | Next cycle TBA |
| Agbami Medical & Engineering | Undergraduate | ₦100k–₦200k grant | Next cycle TBA (closed Jan 2026) |
| MTN Science & Tech | Undergraduate | ₦300k/yr renewable | Next cycle TBA (closed 31 May 2026) |
| NLNG Undergraduate | Undergraduate | ₦300k/yr renewable | Next cycle TBA (closed 28 Feb 2026) |
| NELFUND (loan, not scholarship) | Undergraduate | Tuition + upkeep loan | Rolling — open now |
Fully funded international scholarships
1. Chevening Scholarship (UK) — open now
The UK government’s flagship award: one-year Master’s with tuition, monthly stipend, flights and visa covered. You need a bachelor’s degree and at least two years’ work experience. The 2027/2028 application opened 4 August 2026 and closes 6 October 2026. Apply free at chevening.org/scholarship/nigeria.
2. Commonwealth Scholarship (UK) — open now
UK government (CSC) awards for Master’s and PhD: tuition, stipend, travel and thesis grant. Master’s applicants need at least Second Class Upper (or 2.2 plus a relevant postgraduate qualification); NYSC completion is expected for the Nigeria nomination route through the Federal Scholarship Board. The Master’s round closes 16:00 UK time, 20 October 2026 (study starts September/October 2027). Apply at cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk. Doing a PhD? See our Commonwealth PhD guide for Nigerians (same 20 October deadline, FSB nomination).
3. DAAD EPOS (Germany)
Germany’s development-track scholarships for young professionals: tuition waiver, monthly stipend (€992 Master’s / €1,300 PhD), flights, insurance and a German course, across 30+ English-taught programmes. There is no single deadline — each participating course sets its own (mostly June–October 2026 for the 2027 intake). Pick a course in the EPOS list and apply directly: daad.de (EPOS). For a full doctorate outside EPOS, see our DAAD PhD research grant guide.
4. Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s (EU)
Fully funded two-year Master’s degrees taught across several European universities: tuition, travel, installation and a monthly allowance. Nigerians are eligible and regularly selected. Each joint programme runs its own application (most open around October–November 2026 for the 2027 intake) — search the official catalogue and apply to the programme directly.
5. Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program
Full-ride funding (tuition, living, mentoring) through partner universities. In Nigeria the partner is Pan-Atlantic University; African and international partner universities also admit Nigerians. There is no central application — you apply through the partner university’s own admissions: mastercardfdn.org.
6. Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship (JJ/WBGSP)
For mid-career development professionals: tuition, monthly stipend, airfare and insurance for approved Master’s programmes abroad. You must already hold unconditional admission to a participating programme. Check the current application guidelines at worldbank.org — our JJ/WBGSP guide tracks the cycle.
7. Fulbright Foreign Student Program (USA)
Fully funded US study/research; the Nigeria track currently favours doctoral candidates and faculty. The last cycle closed 1 June; the next has not been announced. Details: us.fulbrightonline.org and the US Embassy Nigeria website. Full breakdown: how Fulbright actually works for Nigerian PhD students.
8. Australia Awards Africa
Nigeria is on the eligible list (a common misconception says otherwise). Fully funded Master’s for professionals aged 25+ with about five years’ experience, in priority fields like agriculture, climate, mining/energy and inclusion. The 2026 round closed 30 April 2026; the next round is not yet announced: australiaawardsafrica.org.
Nigerian corporate scholarships (annual)
These are grants — smaller than a foreign full ride, but real, free to enter, and paid in naira to students in Nigerian institutions.
9. NNPC/SNEPCo National University Scholarship
For second-year undergraduates in NUC-accredited public universities. Applications are free on the official Scholastica portal: candidate.scholastica.ng/schemes/SNEPCo. Next cycle not yet announced — see our NNPC/SNEPCo guide.
10. Agbami Medical & Engineering Scholarship
₦200,000 (medical) / ₦100,000 (engineering) for 200-level students with CGPA 3.5+. The 2025/2026 round closed 17 January 2026. Portal: candidate.scholastica.ng/schemes/Agbami — our Agbami guide has the details.
11. MTN Foundation Science & Technology Scholarship
₦300,000 per year, renewable to graduation, for 300-level STEM students in public institutions (plus dedicated blind-students and medical categories). The 2026 window closed 31 May 2026; next cycle TBA at mtn.ng/scholarships — see our MTN scholarship guide.
12. NLNG Undergraduate Scholarship
₦300,000 per year, renewable, for first-year undergraduates (national and host-community streams). The 2025/2026 deadline was 28 February 2026. Note: the old domain nigerialng.com is dead — the real site is nlng.com. Our NLNG guide covers both streams.
13. NELFUND — a loan, not a scholarship (but open right now)
If you need funding today and can’t wait for a scholarship window, the Federal Government’s NELFUND student loan covers tuition plus a monthly upkeep allowance for students of public institutions. It is repayable after graduation — not free money — but applications are rolling at portal.nelf.gov.ng. See our NELFUND guide.
Doing a PhD? Also see our verified guides to Knight-Hennessy Scholars at Stanford (closes 6 October 2026), the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships, and Canada’s CGRS-D — the award that replaced Vanier.
How not to get scammed
- Every scholarship above is free to apply. “Processing fees”, “slot fees” and paid “forms” are always scams.
- Apply only on the official URLs listed here — several old scholarship domains (e.g. the former federal portal fsbn.com.ng, and NLNG’s old nigerialng.com) have expired or been taken over. Our FSBN status page explains the federal portal situation.
- Where we write “next cycle TBA”, no official date exists yet — any site quoting one invented it.
Last verified against official portals: 14 August 2026. Deadlines change — always confirm on the official page before planning.