The North-West Development Commission (NWDC) has officially announced the opening of applications for its 2025/2026 Undergraduate and Postgraduate Foreign Scholarship Scheme.
The scholarship is targeted at exceptional students from Nigeria’s North-West geopolitical zone.
This was disclosed in a notice issued by the Commission, which highlighted that the programme is aimed at promoting academic excellence and human capital development across the region.
The Commission noted that the initiative is designed to empower individuals from the region to access world-class education opportunities.
“This initiative seeks to foster academic excellence and empower exceptional individuals from the North-West region to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate studies at reputable foreign universities,” they stated.
“The North-West Development Commission (NWDC), as established by the NWDC Act, 2024, signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, is committed to driving development, growth, and infrastructure enhancement in the North-West region.”
Eligible courses and levels of study
The scholarship is open to applicants intending to pursue studies at the undergraduate, Master’s, or PhD levels. Approved fields of study include:
- Engineering
- Medical Sciences
- ICT and Education
Who can apply
To qualify for the scholarship, applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria:
- Indigene status: Must be from one of the North-West states—Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, or Zamfara.
- Undergraduate applicants: Must possess five O’Level credits, including English, Mathematics, Biology, Physics, and Chemistry.
- Master’s applicants: Must hold a minimum of Second Class Upper in their First Degree.
- PhD applicants: Must have a minimum CGPA of 4.00 in their Master’s degree.
- Age limit: 35 years for Undergraduate and Master’s applicants, 40 years for PhD candidates.
Interested candidates are to apply via the NWDC’s official scholarship portal: nwdc.gov.ng/scholarships
Required documents
Applicants are required to submit the following documents during the application process:
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Primary School Certificate
- Bachelor’s Degree Certificate (if applicable)
- LGA and State Indigene Certificates
- NYSC Discharge Certificate/Exemption Letter
- International Passport
- Birth Certificate or Age Declaration
- WAEC/NECO Certificate
- Master’s Degree Certificate (for PhD applicants)
- Official Transcript
- Letter of Motivation
What you should know
The Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), have also opened applications for the 2025/2026 Overseas Postgraduate Scholarship Scheme (OSS).
The PTDF scholarship covers fully funded MSc and PhD programmes in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Malaysia, and the PTDF College of Petroleum and Energy Studies in Kaduna.
The scheme includes tuition, return flights, health insurance, living expenses, and bench fees, and aims to cultivate indigenous talent for Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. Both scholarship programmes reflect a broader government effort to strengthen local capacity and invest in human capital development.
