Three Federal Government Scholarship Schemes Nigerian Students Can Apply For

The Nigerian Scholarship Board (NSB) has clarified that the federal government runs only three higher education scholarship schemes for Nigerians: the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) Awards, the Nigerian Award, and the Commonwealth Awards. While numerous other scholarship opportunities exist through private and public bodies, the NSB's disclosure highlights the limited scope of direct federal government-administered schemes, even as public perception often holds that the government should be doing more to ease the cost of tertiary education. Bilateral Education Agreement Awards This scheme operates through agreements with 12 countries — Algeria, China, Cuba, Egypt, Hungary, Morocco, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Tunisia, Turkey and Ukraine. Candidates are selected on merit from all 36 states and the FCT via a computer-based exam conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, with results broken down by state of origin before donor countries make their selections. Applications open in December and close in January, and candidates may apply to two countries. To qualify, applicants need five distinctions in their school certificate exams, including in Mathematics and English, obtained at a single sitting as a school candidate on their first attempt. Their O'Level certificate must generally be no more than two years old, though some countries require it to be under a year old. Teaching is conducted in the host country's language (except in Hungary), meaning beneficiaries typically spend a year learning the language before starting their professional course — with course placement depending on their performance in that language assessment. Host countries cover tuition, accommodation, a stipend and health insurance. The Nigerian government additionally provides each beneficiary $500, warm clothing, and health insurance valued at roughly $6,000 annually, along with a N60,000 take-off grant for undergraduates and a return ticket at the end of the programme. Applicants must be between 18 and 20 years old for undergraduate study. The scheme reportedly supported 720 beneficiaries in the most recent year cited. The Nigerian Award Unlike the BEA, this award is not available at entry level. Students may only apply after completing their first year, provided they maintain a CGPA of 4.0 on a 5-point scale (an 80 percent average); falling below this threshold results in automatic forfeiture. Age limits are 18–20 for undergraduates, up to 35 for postgraduate study, and up to 40 for doctoral candidates. Beneficiaries receive N100,000 per session for HND/NCE students, N150,000 for undergraduates, and N180,000 for postgraduates. Around 3,000 Nigerians benefit from this award annually, with applications opening in December and closing in March. Commonwealth Awards Open only to postgraduate and doctoral applicants, this scheme is triggered when the Commonwealth Secretariat calls for applications, typically between December and March. Candidates need a Second Class Upper for postgraduate study; doctoral applicants generally need a 2:1 at both bachelor's and master's level, though a 2:2 at bachelor's level paired with a first-class master's may also qualify. According to NSB Secretary Fatima Ahmad, the board handles nomination and selection, but the Commonwealth Secretariat conducts its own interviews and fully funds successful scholars — the Nigerian government contributes nothing financially. Ongoing Challenges Ahmad told PREMIUM TIMES that the Nigerian Award scheme has struggled with weak systems for verifying applicants' state of origin. She also addressed a separate, longstanding issue involving Nigerian students stranded abroad after funding disputes arose when the Attorney-General of the Federation flagged the then-Education Trust Fund (now TETFund) for sponsoring non-lecturer scholarship students, a practice deemed outside its legal mandate. Responsibility for resolving outstanding debts was formally transferred to the NSB in July 2017, with funding to clear both historical and current arrears included in the 2018 budget proposal.