Fully funded scholarships open to Nigerian students, 2027

Fully funded scholarships Nigerians can apply for in 2027: master's, PhD and undergraduate awards checked on official pages, with deadlines and eligibility.

27 open now, 27 fully funded. Updated 13 November 2026.

This page lists fully funded scholarships that Nigerian citizens can apply for now. Some are only for nationals of listed countries that include Nigeria, such as Commonwealth Shared Scholarships and the University of Groningen's Eric Bleumink Fellowship. Others are open to applicants from any country, such as Gates Cambridge. Every listing was checked against the programme's official page, and the list updates as deadlines pass and new calls open.

"Fully funded" means more than free tuition. A full award normally pays tuition, a monthly living allowance and travel, and sometimes health insurance and visa costs. Commonwealth Shared Scholarships, for example, cover full tuition fees, approved airfare to the UK and a stipend of £1,712 a month (£2,000 in the London area), for a master's degree. Read what each listing says it covers, because some awards labelled "full" still leave you to pay for flights or a visa.

Timing matters. Many of the best-funded awards for the 2027–28 academic year close between November and February. Commonwealth Shared Scholarships close at 16:00 GMT on 8 December 2026. Gates Cambridge closes on 8 December 2026 or 6 January 2027, depending on the course. Several awards also need a university admission or a nomination first: the Eric Bleumink Fellowship cannot be applied for directly, and Groningen only considers candidates who applied for their programme before 1 December.

How to make a strong application:

1. Check eligibility line by line: citizenship, degree class, years of work experience, and rules such as the Commonwealth Shared Scholarships condition that you must not have studied or worked for a year or more in a high-income country. 2. Start the university application early, since many scholarships depend on it. 3. Write to each programme's own question and word limit; reused generic essays are easy to spot. 4. Ask referees at least four weeks before the deadline and give them a short brief. 5. Get transcripts and certificates certified in good time; Nigerian institutions can take weeks.

Use the list below to sort by deadline, then open each listing for eligibility, documents and the link to the official page. A free OpenDoors profile shows which of these you qualify for.

See which of these you qualify for, and why.Get my matches, free

Scholarship · Fully fundedStrategic Engagement Scheme (SES) PhD ScholarshipUniversity of Newcastle

Fee offset for up to 3.5 years; stipend of $40,690 per annum (2027 rate) for up to 3.5 yearsOpen worldwide30 Nov

Scholarship · Fully fundedAcademic Pathway Scheme (RTP-funded PhD scholarship)University of Newcastle

Fee offset for up to 3.5 years; stipend of $40,690 per annum (2027 rate) for up to 3.5 years; optional $10,000 per annum medalist top-up for up to 3.5 yearsOpen worldwide30 Nov

Scholarship · Fully fundedExcellence Scholarship & Opportunity Programme (ESOP)ETH Zurich

CHF 12,000 per semester (CHF 13,500 per semester from HS27 onwards) plus tuition fee waiverOpen worldwide30 Nov

Scholarship · Fully fundedYenching Scholarship 2027 (International Candidates)Yenching Academy of Peking University

Fellowship covering tuition fees, accommodation, monthly stipend, one round-trip travel fare and field study costsOpen worldwide30 Nov

Scholarship · Fully fundedBerea College Tuition Promise ScholarshipBerea College

Full tuition (fully funded, no tuition)Open worldwide30 Nov

Scholarship · Fully fundedEric Bleumink Fellowship 2027University of Groningen

Covers tuition fee, international travel, subsistence, books and health insuranceAsia, Africa, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, Oceania1 Dec

Scholarship · Fully fundedHong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme 2027/28Research Grants Council (University Grants Committee), Hong Kong

Fully funded fellowship (400 scholarships, per the source title); specific stipend amounts not stated on the pages reviewed.Open worldwide1 Dec

Scholarship · Fully fundedThe LIONS Scholarship 2027 (Creative Academy and Brand Marketing Academy)Cannes Lions

Fully funded trip to Cannes Lions 2027 including accommodation, travel and allowance, plus a Young Lions Festival pass.Open worldwide4 Dec

Scholarship · Fully fundedThe Jodi Harris Scholarship 2027 for Emerging Marketing LeadersCannes Lions (with AB InBev)

Fully funded trip including accommodation, travel and allowance, plus Brand Marketers Festival PassOpen worldwide4 Dec

Scholarship · Fully fundedCommonwealth Shared Scholarships (2027/28 entry)Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK (CSC)

Full tuition fees covered; airfare; stipend of £1,712 per month (£2,000 per month in London); warm clothing allowance where applicable; thesis and study travel grants; TB test contribution; child allowances for widowed, divorced or single-parent scholars.Africa, Asia, Latin America, Oceania, Europe8 Dec

Scholarship · Fully fundedGates Cambridge ScholarshipGates Cambridge Trust, University of Cambridge

Full-cost award: University Composition Fee plus £23,152 maintenance allowance (2026-27 rate, 12 months), airfares, visa costs and Immigration Health SurchargeOpen worldwide8 Dec

Scholarship · Fully fundedErasmus Mundus Master's Scholarship in Journalism, Media and Globalisation (Mundus Journalism, 2027-2029)Mundus Journalism Consortium (coordinated by Aarhus University)

Full tuition waiver for both years, €1,400 per month for up to 24 months, free health and liability insuranceOpen worldwide10 Jan

Scholarship · Fully fundedGLOCAL Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Scholarship 2027/29GLOCAL Consortium (led by University of Glasgow)

EMJM scholarship (amount not stated on pages)Open worldwide14 Jan

Scholarship · Fully fundedLLM–MAS in International Crimes, Justice and Human Rights – Scholarship and Regular Admission (September 2027 intake)Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights (University of Geneva and Geneva Graduate Institute)

Full scholarship covers tuition and living expenses in Geneva for 10 months; regular tuition CHF 18,000Open worldwide17 Jan

Scholarship · Fully fundedEuropean Youth Summit 2027 Scholarships (Madrid)Centre for Diplomatic Advancement (CDA)

Fully funded seats: round-trip airfare, shared accommodation, visa fee reimbursement, meals, summit access, mentorship and project funding eligibility; partially funded and Forum Access seats receive fewer benefits.Open worldwide20 Jan

Scholarship · Fully fundedAHRC Doctoral Landscape Awards at Birmingham City University (September 2027 entry)Birmingham City University (funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council)

Full tuition fee scholarship for 3.5 years plus tax-free stipend at UKRI minimum rate (£21,805 per annum for 2026/7) for 3.5 yearsOpen worldwide20 Jan

Scholarship · Fully fundedUM NL Brightlands Talent Scholarship (academic year 2027-2028)Maastricht University

Living expenses €20,150 (13 months) or €38,750 (25 months); tuition, health and liability insurance, visa costs, pre-academic training and ISAP covered by UM. Amounts for 2027-2028 subject to change.Open worldwide1 Feb

Scholarship · Fully fundedBridging Divides Graduate Student Stipend (Existing PhD Students) 2027-2028Global Migration Institute, Toronto Metropolitan University

Up to $45,000 per year, for a maximum of three yearsOpen worldwide1 Feb

Scholarship · Fully fundedAHRC Doctoral Landscape Award (DLA) PhD Studentship, 2027/28 entryUniversity of Sheffield (Faculty of Arts and Humanities), AHRC North/Northwest Hub

3.5-year studentship (pro-rata part-time) with maintenance stipend at the UKRI rate (currently £21,805 in 26/27) plus payment of Home or International tuition feesOpen worldwide19 Feb

Scholarship · Fully fundedPioneering Women in STEM Scholarship 2027/2028Swedish Institute (SI)

Full tuition fee coverage paid directly to the university; SEK 12,000 monthly allowance; one-time SEK 15,000 travel grant (not for those already living in Sweden).Africa, Asia24 Feb

Scholarship · Fully fundedSI Scholarship for Global ProfessionalsSwedish Institute (SI)

Full tuition fee coverage; monthly allowance of SEK 12,000; one-time travel grant of SEK 15,000 (SEK 10,000 for scholars from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine).Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, Oceania, North America24 Feb

Scholarship · Fully fundedICP Connect Scholarships for Master Programmes 2027-2028 (Study in Belgium)VLIR-UOS

Full ScholarshipOpen worldwide28 Feb

Scholarship · Fully fundedCarleton University Prestige Scholarships (2027-2028 entry)Carleton University

Chancellor's: 10 awards at $32,000 total; Richard Lewar: 7 awards at $21,500 total; Carleton University Scholarship of Excellence: 3 awards at $20,000 total; Carleton University SHAD: 2 awards at $20,000 total; Jay Woo and CAA: 1 award at $20,000 total; Riordon: 1 award with full tuition (capped at Canadian domestic full tuition fee) for four years.Open worldwide1 Mar

Scholarship · Fully fundedAllan and Nesta Ferguson Charitable Trust Masters ScholarshipsUniversity of Sheffield

Full tuition fee waiver plus a £12,500 maintenance stipendOpen worldwide1 Jun

Scholarship · Fully fundedKAS International Scholarship 2026 for Study and Research in GermanyKonrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS)

Up to €992 per month for Bachelor's, Master's or postgraduate programmes (standard 2 years); up to €1,400 per month for doctoral candidates (standard 3 years); optional allowances such as health insurance subsidy up to €120/month, family allowance €276, child allowance €250 per child, research travel grants, and tuition partial reimbursement up to €750 per semester in exceptional cases.Open worldwide15 Jul

Scholarship · Fully fundedSchwarzman Scholars Program (Class of 2028-2029) - U.S./Global ApplicantsSchwarzman Scholars

Fully funded (tuition, room and board, in-country study tour, travel to and from Beijing, health insurance, and a personal expenses stipend)Open worldwide30 Sept

Scholarship · Fully fundedCanada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral (CGRS D)Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), with CIHR and SSHRC

$40,000 per year for 36 monthsOpen worldwide17 Oct

Common questions

Are there fully funded scholarships for Nigerians in 2027?

Yes. Commonwealth Shared Scholarships, Gates Cambridge, the Eric Bleumink Fellowship and other fully funded awards listed on this page accept Nigerian applicants for 2027–28 entry. Each listing gives the deadline, what is covered and the official link.

What is the deadline for Commonwealth Shared Scholarships 2027?

The closing date is 16:00 GMT on Tuesday 8 December 2026, according to the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission. The award is for a one-year master's degree at a participating UK university and covers tuition, airfare and a monthly stipend.

Can Nigerians apply for Gates Cambridge?

Yes. Gates Cambridge is open to applicants from any country outside the UK. Applicants who are not US citizens resident in the USA apply in the main round, which closes on 8 December 2026 or 6 January 2027 depending on the course.

Do I need admission before applying for a scholarship?

It depends on the award. Many university scholarships, such as the Eric Bleumink Fellowship at Groningen, consider only candidates who have applied for or been offered a place, so apply to the programme first and check each listing's process.

How can I tell if a scholarship is really fully funded?

Check that it pays tuition, living costs and travel. Each OpenDoors listing states what the award covers, taken from the official page, and links to that page so you can confirm it.