The Federal Government has announced a sweeping reform of its national scholarship programme, increasing scholarship grants by 50% across all education levels in a move aimed at reducing the financial burden on students and aligning education with national development priorities.
Speaking during a high-level meeting with the Federal Scholarship Board, the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, CON, described the development as the most comprehensive overhaul of the programme in over a decade.
“This reform is part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and supports the national drive to build a $1 trillion economy by investing in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Medical Sciences, and vocational training,” Dr. Alausa said.
Under the new structure, scholarship values have been increased significantly:
PhD students will now receive ₦750,000 annually, up from ₦500,000.
Master’s students will get ₦600,000, up from ₦400,000.
Undergraduate, HND, and NCE students will now receive ₦450,000 annually, increased from ₦300,000.
These adjustments apply to major scholarship schemes, including the Nigerian Scholarship Award.
In line with Dr. Alausa’s earlier commitment to restructure the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) scholarships, existing beneficiaries will continue to receive their awards. However, funds originally allocated for new BEA recipients have been redirected to launch two new categories targeting critical sectors.
The first category will support students in public polytechnics pursuing STEM and vocational programmes, with a ₦1 billion fund allocated. The second will focus on students of Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Physiotherapy in public universities, also backed by ₦1 billion.
A new allocation framework ensures that:
50% of scholarships go to undergraduates,
25% to Master’s students, and
25% to PhD candidates.
Within these tiers, 70% of awards are reserved for STEMM disciplines, while 30% will support students in the Social Sciences. In addition, 5% of all scholarships are set aside for students with disabilities — a first in the history of the programme.
The Federal Scholarship Board will implement the new structure in partnership with an Inter-Min
