This is one of the most recognised scholarships for Nigerians, and for good reason. The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission funds students from Commonwealth countries, including Nigeria, to study at UK universities. It covers tuition, flights, and a monthly living stipend.

What makes this one stand out is that it explicitly targets candidates who will use their education to benefit their home country. That means your personal statement needs to be less about your ambitions and more about what you intend to do back home. If you are planning to japa permanently and never come back, this scholarship is not designed for you.

Nigeria typically has one of the highest application volumes from Africa, so competition is stiff. Strong academics alone will not win it. You need a clear development angle in your application.

Chevening is the UK government’s flagship international scholarship. It is for one-year Masters programmes and it is highly competitive, but Nigerians do win it. The 2025 cycle opened in August and closes around November each year.

The selection criteria are interesting because they are less about CGPA and more about leadership potential. They want people who show evidence of influencing others, building things, or driving change in their community or workplace. Your undergraduate result matters, but it is not the deciding factor.

You also need two years of work experience before you apply. So if you just finished your degree, put this on your three-year plan.

This one is specifically designed for young people from Africa, which makes it directly relevant to Nigerians. The MasterCard Foundation partners with universities across Africa, Canada, and the US, including institutions like University of Toronto, McGill, Arizona State, and several African universities.

It covers full tuition, accommodation, living expenses, and even a laptop. The target is ambitious young Africans from economically disadvantaged backgrounds who show clear potential to give back. If you grew up in a low-income household, that is not a mark against you here. It is part of the story they want to hear.

Because it runs through partner universities, you apply to the scholarship through each school’s own process. Check which universities are currently partnered and apply through them directly.

DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst) is Germany’s academic exchange service. They offer multiple scholarship programmes for international students, including Nigerians, to study in Germany. Many DAAD-funded programmes are taught in English, so you do not necessarily need to learn German first, though it helps long-term.

Germany is also appealing because public universities charge little to no tuition, even without a scholarship. DAAD on top of that means you are essentially getting funded for cost-of-living in a country that already does not charge you much to study. That is a strong deal.

The DAAD Development-Related Postgraduate Courses programme is particularly popular among Nigerians because it targets applicants from developing countries with a clear focus on applying skills back home.

The Fulbright Programme is run by the US government and is one of the most prestigious international scholarships in the world. Nigeria has a dedicated Fulbright allocation through the US Embassy, which means applications go through a country-specific process, not a general global pool.

It is fully funded: tuition, accommodation, health insurance, airfare, and a monthly stipend. The trade-off is that it is highly competitive and requires you to return to Nigeria after your programme ends. The US government funds this because they want cross-cultural exchange, not permanent immigration.

For Nigerians in STEM, social sciences, arts, or humanities, this is one of the strongest options available. Check the US Embassy Nigeria website for the exact opening and closing dates each cycle.

Australia Awards is funded by the Australian Government and targets students from developing countries, including Nigeria. It is a strong option for people looking to combine quality postgraduate education with a pathway into Australia’s immigration system afterward, since the visa allows you to work post-study.

The scholarship covers tuition, return airfare, establishment allowance, a living stipend, and health coverage. Nigeria is an eligible country, but you need to confirm availability each cycle as funding priorities can shift. Check the official Australia Awards Africa website, not secondary sources.

One realistic note: competition from East and Southern Africa is also strong. A focused application that clearly connects your field of study to development challenges is essential.

If you are aiming for the University of Cambridge, this is the scholarship to target. Gates Cambridge is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and covers the full cost of studying at Cambridge, one of the best universities in the world.

This is genuinely one of the most competitive scholarships in existence. Around 80 awards go to international students per year globally. That sounds small, and it is. But Nigerians have won it. The selection focuses on academic excellence, leadership capacity, and genuine commitment to improving lives of others.

You first need to get admission to Cambridge on your own merit. The scholarship then adds financial coverage. So the academic bar is Cambridge-level, which means your undergraduate record and references need to be exceptional.

The Vanier Scholarship is Canada’s most prestigious doctoral award, worth CAD 50,000 per year for three years. It is open to both Canadian and international students, which means Nigerians are eligible.

It targets doctoral candidates who demonstrate world-class research potential, leadership skills, and high academic achievement. The application is submitted through the Canadian university you want to attend, and only a limited number of nominations are made per institution each year.

If a PhD in Canada is your goal, this is worth planning your entire application strategy around. It changes your financial reality completely and also signals quality to future employers and institutions.

Erasmus Mundus is often underrated in Nigerian conversations about scholarships. It is funded by the European Union and allows you to study a Masters programme across two or three European countries. You graduate with a joint degree from multiple universities.

The scholarship covers tuition, travel, health insurance, and a monthly living allowance of around 1,000 euros. There are hundreds of programmes across fields like public health, environmental sciences, finance, data science, engineering, and more.

The advantage here is that competition is spread across many specific programmes, which can make your odds better than applying for a single high-volume scholarship. Find a programme in your field, check that Nigeria is eligible, and apply directly through that programme’s website.

This one is different from the rest. The NNPC/Agip scholarship is a Nigerian-funded award for undergraduate students, particularly those in oil-producing states. It covers tuition and some allowances for study within Nigeria.

It earns its place on this list because for undergraduates who cannot yet access international scholarships, this creates financial breathing room to build the profile needed to compete for international awards later. It is a stepping stone, not an end goal.

Other domestic scholarships worth knowing alongside this one include the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Foreign Scholarship and state government bursaries. The NDDC foreign scholarship in particular has sent Nigerians abroad for postgraduate study. Always verify current cycles directly because timelines shift year to year.