Scholarships for Nigerian Students 2026: Fully Funded Options Abroad

What counts as a scholarship for Nigerian students

Most awards open to Nigerians are not labelled "for Nigerians" at all. They are international scholarships that any non-domestic applicant can use, and Nigeria is simply one of the eligible countries. That matters because it widens your search: instead of hunting for Nigeria-only funds, you look at every international award whose country list includes Nigeria.

These awards come from three main sources. Universities fund them to attract strong international students. Governments fund them for development and diplomacy. Foundations and trusts fund them for specific groups, such as students from developing countries or women in research. Each source has its own application route, which is why reading the rules on the official page matters more than reading a summary.

Fully funded versus partial

Fully funded means the award covers tuition and a living allowance, and sometimes flights, insurance and visa costs. Partial awards cover only tuition, or only part of it. Both are worth applying for, but budget honestly: a tuition waiver in the Netherlands or Sweden leaves you to find living costs yourself.

How to read this list of international scholarships for Nigerians

Below, the awards are grouped by what they actually pay, because that is the first thing to check. A "tuition only" award and a "tuition plus stipend" award demand very different savings on your side. Deadlines are shown as our listings give them, and the official page always holds the current round.

Use the scholarship finder or the filtered list for this page to see what is open now, then work down this page for the detail on each award. If a deadline has passed, note the month and plan for the next cycle rather than abandoning the award.

Fully funded awards that cover tuition and living costs

These are the strongest options for a Nigerian student who cannot self-fund living costs abroad. Each one pays tuition and a maintenance grant, and several add flights or insurance.

• Gates Cambridge Scholarships for International Students at University of Cambridge covers full tuition, a maintenance allowance, one economy airfare at the start and end of the course, and visa and health surcharge costs. Deadline: 14 October 2026 for US citizens resident in the USA, with other routes on the official page.
• Clarendon Fund Scholarships 2027 at University of Oxford (Masters/PhD) pays tuition and college fees in full plus an annual living grant. Deadline: Dec 2026/Jan 2027.
• Oxford-Weidenfeld and Hoffmann Scholarship and Leadership Programme (University of Oxford) covers 100% of university and college fees plus a living grant. Deadline: Dec 2026/Jan 2027.
• Justus & Louise van Effen Excellence Scholarships at TU Delft for International Master's Students pays full tuition each year plus a contribution to living expenses. Deadline: 1 Dec 2026.
• Maastricht University NL-High Potential Scholarships for International Students covers living expenses, insurance, visa costs, tuition and pre-academic training. Deadline: 1 February 2027.
• Australia Awards Scholarships for Developing Country Students covers full tuition, return air travel, an establishment allowance, living costs and health cover. Deadline: 30 April 2026.
• IOE Centenary Masters Scholarships at UCL for International Students covers full tuition, accommodation at International Students House and an annual stipend. Deadline: 4 May 2026.
• DAAD Helmut-Schmidt Masters Scholarships in Public Policy and Good Governance pays no tuition plus a monthly scholarship rate, health insurance, travel allowance and study subsidy. Deadline: 31 July 2026.
• Commonwealth Master's and PhD Scholarships for Developing Commonwealth Countries (DFID) provides airfare, tuition and examination fees, a monthly stipend, a study travel grant and a warm clothing allowance. Deadline: 20 Oct 2026.

Awards that pay tuition only

These remove the largest single bill but leave living costs to you. They are still valuable, and several are less competitive than the full packages above.

• KTH Scholarship for Master's Study at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden pays tuition for the first and second year, subject to satisfactory first-year results. Deadline: 15 January 2027.
• Axel Adler Scholarships at University of Gothenburg for Master's Study is a tuition fee waiver paid directly to the university. Deadline: 15 January 2027.
• Uppsala University Global Scholarships for Master's Study in Sweden covers the full tuition fee for an international Master's programme. Deadline: 15 January 2027.
• VU Amsterdam Fellowship Programme (VUFP) for International Master's Students covers tuition fees only. Deadline: 1 February 2027.
• Developing Solutions Scholarships at University of Nottingham for Master's Study covers 50 to 100% of tuition fees. Deadline: 15 April 2026.
• Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships for Developing Commonwealth Countries covers tuition and study grants for online Master's study. Deadline: 31 March 2026.

Partial awards, stipends and research funding

Some awards pay a fixed grant rather than a full package. They suit students who have another source of funding, or who are applying to a programme with low tuition.

• ETH Zurich Excellence Masters Scholarships (ESOP) combines a living and study grant with a tuition fee waiver. Deadline: 30 November 2026.
• Radboud Scholarship Programme at Radboud University for International Master's Students cuts your tuition fee and covers visa, residence permit and insurance costs. Deadline: 31 January 2027.
• Ampère Excellence Scholarships at ENS de Lyon for International Master's Students pays a monthly amount for one academic year, renewable under conditions. Deadline: 23 Jan 2026.
• University of Geneva Excellence Masters Fellowships for Master of Science study is a yearly grant for the regular duration of the Master's. Deadline: 28 February 2026.
• Science@Leuven Scholarships for International Students covers tuition, insurance and a living contribution, continued only with outstanding first-year results. Deadline: 15 Feb 2026.
• Wells Mountain Foundation Empowerment Through Education Scholarships for Developing Country Students pays a yearly amount usable for tuition, books, room and meals. Deadline: 1 March 2026.
• Italian Government Scholarships for Foreign Students 2026/2027 offers tuition exemption depending on each university's policy, plus health and medical insurance. Deadline: 26 March 2026.

Undergraduate, Master's and PhD options

Most awards open to Nigerians sit at Master's level, but the spread across levels is wider than many students expect.

Research students should also read the Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarships, Australian Government, which combines a fee offset with a stipend, and the DAAD Development-Related Postgraduate Scholarships in Germany, which pays a monthly rate plus insurance and travel allowance.

Who these scholarships suit, and who should look elsewhere

These awards suit Nigerian students with strong academic records who can prepare documents months ahead and who are willing to apply to several programmes at once. They reward early preparation more than last-minute effort.

Look elsewhere if you need funding for a programme that is not on the eligible list, or if you cannot meet a strict document deadline. Students seeking short courses, diplomas or professional certificates will find few matches here; the diploma scholarships page is a better starting point. Women in research should also check scholarships for women and the AAUW International Fellowships in USA for Women (Masters/PhD/Postdoc), which pays a fixed stipend by level.

How to apply, step by step

The order below works for nearly every award on this page. Our guide on how to apply for a scholarship goes deeper into each stage.

1. Shortlist three to five awards whose eligibility rules name Nigeria or list developing countries, and note each deadline in a calendar.
2. Read the official page for the current round, because amounts and dates change between cycles.
3. Check the admission deadline for the degree programme itself; many scholarships require you to be admitted or to have applied first.
4. Prepare your documents early, including transcripts, degree certificates, passport, English test result and referee details.
5. Draft the motivation letter around your course choice and your plans after study, not around the money.
6. Request references well before the deadline and give each referee your CV and the scholarship name.
7. Submit the scholarship form and the university application separately if the rules require both, and keep the confirmation emails.

Documents and timeline you should plan for

Most applications open months before the deadline and close in a narrow window. The table shows the documents that appear again and again, and when to have them ready.

For awards that require a separate university admission, treat the earlier of the two deadlines as your real deadline. A scholarship form submitted after the admission deadline is usually not considered.

How selection works and what to do after an offer

Selection panels look for academic fit first, then for a clear reason to study that particular programme. A strong motivation letter connects your past work to the course content and to a realistic plan back home or in the field. Referees who can describe your work in detail carry more weight than a famous name who barely knows you.

If you receive an offer, confirm it in writing within the stated window and check what the award does and does not cover. Some awards, such as the Axel Adler Scholarship, cannot be combined with another scholarship, so read the conditions before accepting a second offer. Then start the visa and accommodation process early, because those steps take longer than most students expect.

Common mistakes Nigerian applicants make

• Applying only to awards with "Nigeria" in the title and missing international awards that list Nigeria as eligible.
• Missing the university admission deadline while focusing on the scholarship form.
• Reusing one motivation letter for every award, which shows in the details.
• Ignoring the conditions attached to renewal, such as satisfactory first-year results.
• Assuming a tuition waiver covers living costs, then discovering it does not.
• Leaving references and English tests to the final week.

Where to study and what to check next

Nigerian students most often head to the UK, Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany and Australia, and each country page lists the awards open there. Start with Scholarships in United Kingdom, Scholarships in Canada and Scholarships in the Netherlands, then check Scholarships in Sweden, Scholarships in Switzerland, Scholarships in Germany and Scholarships in Australia.

If you want the widest net, browse fully funded scholarships for international students and the scholarships for African students page. For deadlines in one place, use scholarship deadlines, and for application writing help see the scholarship motivation letter and scholarship application letter guides.