Nigeria is home to over 200 million people, a large percentage of which is youth. Education is key to unlocking the potential of the Nigerian youth and helping elevate communities out of poverty. However, lacking scholarships often prevents deserving Nigerian students from accessing higher education and skills development opportunities.
In this article, we analyze what field of study gets the most scholarships for Nigerians in other to make education more affordable and accessible.
What Field of Study Gets the Most Scholarships for Nigerians?
Here are the most popular fields of study with abundant scholarships targeted at Nigerian students
Engineering
Engineering is one of the most popular fields for Nigerian students. Various engineering disciplines like Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, and Petroleum receive a large share of available scholarships for Nigerians from public and private sources.
Technology, construction, energy, and infrastructure companies offer scholarships for engineering students as investments in the skilled talent they require. Government scholarships also prioritize engineering as it aligns with development needs.
Medicine
Medicine and other healthcare-related studies like Nursing, Pharmacy receive a high volume of scholarships for Nigerian students from organizations that want to improve healthcare access in the country.
Public health programs to tackle diseases like HIV, Malaria, etc. have scholarships to train Nigerian students as part of capacity building. Several medical universities also offer merit-based scholarships for exceptional pre-med students.
Agriculture
Agriculture is a crucial sector for the Nigerian economy. Various public, private and non-profit scholarships are dedicated to developing skilled talent in agriculture and related disciplines like horticulture, agribusiness, agroeconomics etc.
Organizations like USAID, MasterCard Foundation, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) offer scholarships focused on agriculture and food security research to enable Nigeria’s self-sufficiency.
Computer Science/IT
Technology proficiency is crucial for Nigeria’s growth. Several scholarships exist to fund Nigerians pursuing computer science, software engineering, IT degrees within Nigeria and overseas.
Top technology firms like Microsoft, SAP, SAGE offer scholarships and tech training programs to boost Nigerian students’ tech education. Government scholarships also prioritize tech fields.
Business Management
Nigerian students keen on studying business, finance, accounting, entrepreneurship have scholarship options from corporate sources aiming to develop management capacity and future business leaders.
Banks like Citi Bank, Zenith Bank and organizations like Fate Foundation, TEF, MTN Foundation offer scholarships for Nigerian students to study business degrees locally or globally and gain professional skills.
Other Notable Fields of Study Gets the Most Scholarships for Nigerians
While the major share of available scholarships for Nigerians focus on high-demand fields like engineering and healthcare, students in other fields also have opportunities to secure funding:
Law – Law is a popular course for Nigerian students. Reputable Nigerian law firms like Banwo & Ighodalo, Olaniwun Ajayi, Templars offer scholarships annually for students to study law locally or overseas and eventually work at the firm. There is also the highly prestigious Nigeria Law School scholarship.
Social Sciences – Scholarships are available in fields like public policy, international relations, economics, social work etc. from government sources like PTDF, Think Tank Nigeria and special university grants. These help develop expertise in shaping policies and governance.
Journalism & Media – Ethical journalism is important for nation building. Scholarships are offered specifically for Nigerian students to study communications and media degrees by organizations like Reuters, BBC, All On graduate funding program.
Teaching – Quality education access requires developing teaching talent. Scholarships are offered by government teaching agencies and private groups for studying education degrees and teaching certification programs.
Vocational training – To promote employable vocational skills in Nigerian youth, several scholarships are offered for short-term skills training programs in crafts like fashion design, cosmetology, welding, carpentry etc.
Best Scholarship Providers for Nigerians
Here are some leading organizations that offer scholarships for Nigerian students across undergraduate and graduate levels:
Federal Government Scholarships – Key federal government scholarship schemes are offered via PTDF, NDDC, TETFund, Nigerian Universities Commission etc. in fields like oil & gas, education, engineering, sciences.
State Scholarships – Several state governments also offer scholarships usually reserved for indigenes. This includes Lagos, Rivers, Kano, Kaduna, Delta state scholarships for study locally or overseas.
Shell Scholarship – One of the largest corporate scholarship providers, Shell offers undergraduate and postgraduate funding in Nigeria for fields like engineering, geosciences, business, medicine.
MTN Foundation Scholarship – Science & technology focused scholarships for Nigerian students provided by telecom giant MTN Nigeria as part of their CSR efforts.
Ford Foundation International Fellowships – Prestigious funding for postgraduate study offered by Ford Foundation for Nigerians and other African students. Covers up to 3 years.
Commonwealth Scholarship – Funded by UK’s Commonwealth Office, this offers scholarships for Nigerian students in fields like health, engineering, agriculture etc. to study in the UK.
Agip Scholarship – Offered by oil & gas giant ENI, Agip scholarship provides graduate funding in areas like engineering, geosciences, law, medicine, computer science.
Chevening Scholarship – Funded by UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Chevening offers full scholarships for Nigerian students to pursue master’s degrees at any UK university.
Application Tips
Nigerian students should follow these tips to tap into the most scholarships:
- Identify reputable scholarship providers that align with your field of study.
- Understand eligibility criteria thoroughly. Often requires academic merit, financial need.
- Prepare early with all required application materials – transcripts, test scores, essays etc.
- Showcase leadership skills, community impact, career goals in applications.
- Apply to as many scholarships as possible – don’t limit yourself to one.
- Follow up diligently during selection process.
Conclusion
The fields highlighted in this article – Engineering, Medicine, Agriculture, Computer Science, and Business – have relatively higher scholarships available for Nigerian students compared to other subjects. This is driven by the country’s development priorities, demand for skilled talent, and providers wanting to build capacity in crucial areas.
However, Nigerian students across all academic disciplines can secure funding for higher education with proper preparation and by casting a wide scholarship application net. Government, corporate and non-profit providers offer scholarships in diverse study areas for undergraduate and graduate levels.
Students must identify providers that align with their field of interest and create stellar applications showcasing academic merit, leadership potential and social impact.
While certain fields may have more scholarships at a given time, opportunities exist for deserving and persistent Nigerian students in any area from vocational studies to humanities and social sciences to contribute to the nation as educated leaders of tomorrow.
