From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Federal Government has announced a 50 percent increase in the scholarship grants across all academic levels as part of a comprehensive reform of its scholarship programme.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, in a statement, announced that PhD students would now receive N750,000 annually from hitherto 500,000; Master’s students would get N600,000 from hitherto N400,000, and undergraduate, HND and NCE students would receive N450,000 annually an increase from N300,000.
The Minister said the objective of the increase was to address rising education costs and ensure equitable access to quality learning. Regarding the Bilateral Education Agreements (BEA), the Minister stated that existing beneficiaries would continue to receive their awards, while the funds initially allocated for new awardees have been repurposed to introduce two new scholarship categories under the revamped scheme.
He said the first category targets students in public polytechnics enrolled in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and other vocational programmes with N1 billion allocated to support the group.
“The second category was dedicated to students studying medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy and physiotherapy in public universities. It was also supported by an N1 billion fund. Both scholarship streams are financed through a strategic reallocation of the BEA budget, now redirected to address critical national education priorities,” he said.
The Minister confirmed that a revised allocation framework had also been introduced to ensure fair and impactful distribution of scholarships. “Under the new structure, 50 percent of awards will be allocated to undergraduate students, 25 percent to Master’s, and 25 percent to PhD candidates.
“Within each tier, 70 percent of awards will prioritise STEM disciplines, while 30 percent will support Social Sciences. Also, in a milestone effort to promote inclusivity, five percent of all scholarships will be reserved for students with disabilities.”
The Minister said the reforms were expected to benefit over 15,000 students through the Nigerian Scholarship Award, the Education Bursary Award, and the restructured BEA scheme, adding that implementation would be coordinated by the Federal Scholarship Board in partnership with an Inter-Ministerial Committee chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education.
He noted that with a combined budget of N6 billion for the 2025–2026 cycle, the reformed scholarship programme reflects a bold national investment in youth development, emphasising that the initiative goes beyond educational funding. “It is a deliberate strategy to cultivate the human capital required for Nigeria’s long-term transformation.”
The Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, accountability and continuous improvement in delivering the renewed scholarship agenda in alignment with national aspirations.
