7 fully-funded scholarships Nigerians can apply for by the end of 2023

In pursuing tertiary/higher education, the cost of tuition is a daunting hurdle to overcome. However, there is hope for Nigerian students seeking financial assistance to fund their academic dreams.

As we approach the end of 2023, the opportunity to secure scholarships is still very much alive. There're fully funded scholarships Nigerians can still apply for before the end of 2023.

In this article, Legit.ng unveils the top seven scholarships with upcoming application deadlines, offering students a chance to ease the burden of their educational expenses.

Chevening Scholarships

Chevening Scholarships empower exceptional emerging leaders worldwide to pursue fully funded one-year master's degrees in the United Kingdom (UK).

These fully funded prestigious scholarships cover flights, accommodation, and course fees, offering scholars an unparalleled opportunity to live and study in the UK for a year.

Upon graduation, the scholars will depart the UK armed with the knowledge and invaluable networks needed to transform their innovative ideas into reality.

The deadline for applications is Tuesday, November 7, 2023, at 12:00 GMT (midday UK time)

Mastercard Foundation AfOx Scholarships

The Mastercard Foundation AfOx Scholarship programme empowers African youth for graduate studies at the University of Oxford. It's an integral part of the AfOx Graduate Scholars Program, facilitating African students' access to opportunities at Oxford and their post-university success.

Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters (students)

Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters scholarship allows students worldwide to study at several universities in Europe and beyond.

The scholarships involve at least three institutions from at least three different countries.

Application deadline Apply between October and January for courses starting the following academic year.

2023 NNPC-SNEPCo National University Scholarship Award

The 2023 NNPC-SNEPCo National University Scholarship Award is sponsored by the Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCO).

The scholarship aims to promote academic excellence and improve young Nigerians' skills. It provides yearly grants to successful applicants from their second year to the completion of their undergraduate degree programme.

Nestle Nigeria Scholarship

Nestlé Nigeria Scholarships are for Science and Technical Courses and are open to SS1 students only in specified secondary schools and First-year students only in accredited Universities and Polytechnics.

The beneficiaries are drawn from the company’s host communities (Obafemi Owode, Sagamu, and Agbara in Ogun State and Manderigi and Abaji in Federal Capital Territory).

The Gates Cambridge Scholarship programme

The Gates Cambridge Scholarship programme is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and operated by the University of Cambridge.

Annually, the programme provides around 80 full-cost scholarships for exceptional candidates from outside the UK to pursue postgraduate degrees across various subjects at the University of Cambridge.

The Yenching Academy Masters Scholarship

The Yenching Academy scholarship enrols approximately 120 new students from both the Chinese Mainland and abroad to study, live, and learn together. International students comprise roughly 80% of the student body.

Tips for successful scholarship applications

Giving tips for successful scholarship applications, the PhD student who had a Masters in Literary Studies before proceeding to Canada for further studies said: "Applying for scholarships takes a lot of time. It's not just about getting access to openings on various relevant platforms; you have to start preparing whatever interest you have in academia right from time.

"You have to tighten the loose ends in your academic portfolios/profiles. Scholarships are contests. This means that so many people will apply for it. There can be 300 applicants competing for three slots. So, you will compete with other applicants who are also brilliant as you are."

Salawu said to be successful, applicants, apart from getting good grades, need to boost their profiles by engaging in volunteer work, academic workshops, and so on.

"Having a good CV that contains a directory of academic activities, paper publications, workshops attendance, volunteer records, etc." boosts your application," he said.

The literary scholar added that scholarship applicants must know what school they want to apply to, the kind of programmes they run, and their requirements (e.g. IELTS, TOEFL).

"Once you have identified the programme you are interested in, the next step is writing a proposal, personal statement, statement of interest, and so on," he added.

"Make sure you personalise your proposal so they can feel your voice inside. You have to personalise the narrative. You are writing a story that you're interested in a project in their school and department, and you need them to fund it.

"So you need to convince them why they should give you the funding. Part of convincing them is having a good portfolio, a great CV and a statement of purpose.

"One of the ways to achieve this is to check only for winning statements of purpose or ask friends in graduate school to share theirs with you to use as a model. But beware, you cannot plagiarise. Plagiarism is a grave offence in academia. If you are caught dubbing someone else' idea, you are gone. So, you have to be original and that is why your voice must be heard inside. You have to personalise the narrative."

Salawu also advised against using a one-size-fits-all approach in scholarship applications.

According to the literary scholar and poet, scholarship openings have unique requirements, and applicants must tailor their CVs, statements of purpose, and other relevant documents to fit in with them.

"Also, get a good, convincing reference letter. The person will have to speak to your project topic. He has to talk broadly about what you have done and achieved together. This will convince the decision-makers that the person actually knows you and your work well. Don't just find someone to write a 2-paragraph reference for you to submit. Find someone who can write up to three pages.

"Also, your CV should be long and cover several pages. An academic CV is different from two or three-page resumes," he said.