UK Scholarships for Nigerian Students (2026/2027): 8 Verified Options
Quick answer: Two UK scholarships Nigerians can apply for right now: the Rhodes Scholarship for West Africa (closes 27 August 2026) and Chevening (closes 6 October 2026), with the Commonwealth Master’s round opening 8 September and closing 20 October 2026. Below are the 8 UK awards we could verify on their official pages — what each covers, who qualifies, and the real deadlines. All are free to apply; anyone selling a “form” or a “slot” is scamming you.
UK scholarships open to Nigerians: at a glance
| Scholarship | Level | Covers | 2026/27 status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhodes West Africa (Oxford) | Postgraduate | Full ride | Open — closes 27 Aug 2026 |
| Chevening | Master’s | Full ride | Open — closes 6 Oct 2026 |
| Commonwealth (CSC) | Master’s/PhD | Full ride + £1,712–£2,000/mo | Opens 8 Sep, closes 20 Oct 2026 |
| Gates Cambridge | PhD (+ some Master’s) | Full ride | Opens Sep 2026 |
| Felix (Univ. of Reading route) | Master’s | Full ride | 2026 closed; 2027 not yet open |
| GREAT Scholarships | Master’s | £10,000 (partial) | Mostly closed; next refresh TBA |
| Sheffield Hallam Transform Together | Postgrad taught | 50% fee waiver | Open — closes 1 Nov 2026 (Jan 2027 entry) |
| Westminster international awards | UG + PG | Full (UG) / partial (PG) | Check university page |
1. Rhodes Scholarship for West Africa — closes 27 August 2026
Fully funded postgraduate study at the University of Oxford: all fees plus a generous stipend. Nigeria is one of 20 eligible West African countries, with 3 scholarships a year. The 2027 application opened 1 June 2026 and closes 27 August 2026 at 23:59 GMT — if you qualify, this is the one to move on today. Note: news of Rhodes suspending applications refers only to its separate “Global” stream — the West Africa scholarship is running normally. Apply at rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk.
2. Chevening Scholarship — closes 6 October 2026
The UK government’s flagship one-year Master’s award: tuition, monthly stipend, flights and allowances. You need a degree plus at least two years’ work experience, and you’ll commit to returning to Nigeria for two years after study. Applications for 2027/28 are open until 6 October 2026 at chevening.org/scholarship/nigeria.
3. Commonwealth Scholarships (CSC) — opens 8 September 2026
UK government awards for Master’s and PhD: full tuition, a monthly stipend of £1,712 (£2,000 in London), airfare and study grants. The 2027/28 round opens 8 September 2026 and closes 16:00 UK time on 20 October 2026. Nigeria also runs a domestic nomination route through the Federal Scholarship Board — see our FSB status page for why you should only trust education.gov.ng for that route. Direct applications: cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk. PhD applicants: see our step-by-step Commonwealth PhD scholarship guide.
4. Gates Cambridge Scholarship
Full-cost awards (about 80 per year worldwide) for PhD and some postgraduate courses at Cambridge — tuition, maintenance and travel, open to any non-UK nationality. Applications for 2027 entry open in September 2026; deadlines fall December 2026–January 2027 depending on course. You apply through Cambridge’s graduate application and tick the funding box: gatescambridge.org. More in our Gates Cambridge guide.
5. Felix Scholarships (University of Reading route)
A generous full award — international tuition, a maintenance stipend around £17,900, allowances and return flights — aimed primarily at candidates from African and other developing countries, for Master’s study. The 2026-entry round at Reading is closed; the 2027 round had not opened when we checked. Note the eligibility is university-specific (the SOAS Felix award currently targets other countries, not Nigeria). Details: reading.ac.uk — Felix Scholarships.
6. GREAT Scholarships (British Council)
£10,000 toward tuition for a one-year Master’s — partial funding, but Nigeria is one of this cycle’s two target countries, and each participating university awards its own. Deadlines are set per university (most fell February–May 2026, so the current round is largely closed — watch for the next refresh). Start from a partner university’s page, e.g. UCL’s GREAT Scholarship page, and see our GREAT Scholarships guide.
7. Sheffield Hallam Transform Together — closes 1 November 2026
A 50% tuition-fee waiver (first year) for international postgraduate-taught students — partial, but with a live window: the January 2027 entry round closes 1 November 2026. Apply for admission first, then submit the scholarship form: shu.ac.uk.
8. University of Westminster international scholarships
Westminster runs a rare full undergraduate international scholarship (tuition, accommodation, living costs and flights) for students from developing countries, alongside smaller partial awards for Master’s applicants. Windows vary by intake — confirm the current dates on the official hub: westminster.ac.uk/scholarships.
Before you apply: three rules
- Admission usually comes first. Chevening, GREAT, Sheffield Hallam and Felix all expect you to secure (or be pursuing) a course offer before or alongside the scholarship application.
- Only use the official URLs above. UK scholarship names are heavily impersonated by fee-charging “agents” targeting Nigerian applicants. No genuine UK award charges an application fee.
- Plan around IELTS and transcripts early — they are the slowest documents to obtain and most deadlines above are hard cut-offs.
Looking beyond the UK? See our verified list of fully funded scholarships for Nigerian students (2026/2027).
Last verified against official pages: 14 August 2026. Deadlines change — always confirm on the official page before planning.