Scholarships for Nigerian Master’s Students: Official Routes and Deadlines

Scholarship directory · Master’s study

Compare five scholarship routes that Nigerian applicants can investigate for postgraduate study abroad. Start with eligibility and the application route, then check the funding. These are selected starting points, not a complete list or a personalised eligibility decision.

Route statuses checked: 22 October 2026. Chevening and Commonwealth Master’s are closed for this round. Commonwealth Shared opens on 10 November 2026. Clarendon and Erasmus Mundus deadlines depend on the selected course. Recheck each linked provider before applying.

Compare the application routes

Use this table to rule out a poor fit before preparing essays or paying for documents. Each provider’s page remains the final authority for your course and award.

1. Chevening Scholarships: Nigeria

Closed for 2027–28 entry. The official Nigeria page now says applications are closed. Its deadline was 6 October 2026, 11:00 UTC (12 noon in Nigeria). Do not treat a new round as open until Chevening announces it.

Study: eligible one-year taught master’s courses in the UK. Nigerian citizenship alone is not sufficient: check residence rules, degree eligibility and exclusions. Applicants need at least 2,800 hours of work experience gained after undergraduate study, over a minimum of two years, and must have completed undergraduate studies at least two years before the application deadline. There is a two-year return-home commitment.

Check your dates and hours with our Chevening work-experience guide for Nigerian applicants, including what to verify before counting an NYSC period.

Funding: the full award includes tuition, a living allowance, approved travel and specified allowances. Check current award terms for caps, partial awards and exclusions, particularly for an MBA or dependants; do not assume every personal expense is covered.

Application route: submit the scholarship application through Chevening and apply separately to three eligible UK courses. An unconditional offer from at least one choice is required by the later offer deadline in the official timeline, not necessarily when first submitting the scholarship form.

Start here: official Nigeria application page, eligibility rules and funding coverage.

2. Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships

Closed for 2027–28 entry. The CSC deadline was 20 October 2026, 16:00 BST (4 pm in Nigeria). The official programme page confirms closure. Applicants who submitted should follow their nominator’s instructions and manage university applications separately. No future-cycle deadline is assumed.

Study and eligibility: one-year taught master’s study in the UK, excluding MBAs. Nigeria is listed. Applicants must meet eligible citizenship/status and permanent-residence requirements, demonstrate financial need, and normally hold a 2:1, or a 2:2 plus a relevant postgraduate qualification, by September 2027. Check restrictions on previous master’s study and the return-home commitment.

Funding: approved tuition, approved return airfare, a living allowance and specified study support. Dependant travel is not covered; do not assume the package meets all family costs.

Application route: complete the CSC application and the relevant nominator’s process. This is not a direct-application-only scheme. A nomination does not guarantee an award. The CSC does not require a university offer at the initial scholarship application stage, but admission must still be arranged.

Start here: official programme, nominator links and deadline; CSC application FAQs. Confirm your nominator’s Nigerian application instructions before submission.

For a step-by-step document and nomination check, read our 2027/28 Commonwealth Master’s application guide for Nigerians.

3. Clarendon Fund at Oxford

Course-specific deadline. There is no single Clarendon closing date. For 2027–28 entry, use the relevant December or January funding deadline on your chosen Oxford graduate course page.

Study and eligibility: new master’s and DPhil courses at Oxford, including eligible full-time and part-time study. The scheme has no nationality, ordinary-residence or subject restriction, so Nigerians can be considered. Selection is highly competitive and based on academic merit and potential; course admissions requirements still apply.

Funding: course fees and a living-expenses grant for the course’s fee-liability period. Budget separately for application and other preparation expenses unless another confirmed arrangement covers them.

Application route: apply for the Oxford course by its relevant funding deadline. Clarendon consideration is automatic; there is no separate scholarship application. You do not need an existing admission offer to submit the graduate application.

Start here: official Clarendon information and your chosen course’s current admissions page.

4. Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters

Programme-specific window. Erasmus Mundus is a group of joint master’s programmes, not one scholarship with one deadline. The European Commission says most applications fall between October and January for the following academic year. Confirm the exact 2027-entry scholarship dates on each programme website; this listing does not mean every programme is open.

Study and eligibility: one- to two-year joint master’s programmes involving institutions in several countries. Applicants worldwide, including Nigerians, can apply. You generally need a bachelor’s degree or must finish it before the programme begins; subject and language requirements vary.

Funding: selected programmes offer scholarships covering participation costs and contributing to travel, visa and living expenses. Admission without a scholarship is also possible; distinguish the two outcomes.

Application route: use the official catalogue to find a course, then apply to its organising institution. Check whether scholarship consideration is included or requires an additional step.

Start here: official student guidance and course catalogue link.

Compare three current programme examples and their separate funding routes in our Erasmus Mundus deadline guide for Nigerian applicants.

5. Commonwealth Shared Scholarships

Upcoming for 2027–28. The CSC candidate page announces opening on 10 November 2026 and closing at 16:00 GMT on 8 December 2026 (5 pm in Nigeria). Its linked course list still relates to 2026; the CSC says the 2027 approved courses will be published before opening. Check that list before selecting a course.

Study and eligibility: selected one-year taught UK master’s courses. Nigeria is listed on the current candidate page. Criteria include eligible citizenship/status and permanent residence, financial need, normally a 2:1 or a 2:2 with a relevant postgraduate qualification, and restrictions on previous study or work in high-income countries. A return-home commitment applies. Recheck the candidate rules and approved course list when applications open.

Funding: jointly supported by the CSC and host university, including tuition, living support, airfare and specified allowances. Check final award terms and any costs payable before reimbursement.

Application route: a CSC scholarship application plus a separate course-admission application; participating universities nominate candidates.

Start here: the official candidate page and announced dates. Course admission and scholarship applications are separate; check the university’s own admission deadline.

Which route should you research first?

Make a shortlist based on the rules, not the size of the headline award. If you lack Chevening’s post-degree work experience, check that constraint before spending time on its essays. If an Oxford course fits your academic background, record its funding deadline alongside its admissions requirements. For Erasmus Mundus, choose the subject and programme first so you can check real dates and criteria.

Use one record per opportunity: course, eligible nationality and residence, academic requirements, admission deadline, scholarship deadline, nomination deadline if relevant, required documents and uncovered costs. A promising listing with an unanswered eligibility question is a research task, not a confirmed match.

Download the editable scholarship application tracker (.xlsx). Updated 22 October 2026: includes the closed Commonwealth Master’s round and announced Commonwealth Shared dates. Dates with times use UTC in the workbook. Replace or add rows for your own shortlist, and recheck every deadline and rule on the provider’s site before applying.

Prepare your next step

• Verify a scholarship offer before paying or sharing documents.
• Understand whether to apply for admission or funding first.
• Check what “fully funded” actually covers.
• Build a budget for costs before funding arrives.
• Organise your master’s application documents.

Educated does not award these scholarships or collect applications. Apply through the official provider’s route. If a deadline or rule has changed, please send us the official source for a correction.

Route statuses and deadlines checked on 22 October 2026; other source checks completed on 8 October 2026. See our editorial policy or report a correction.