The Federal Government has announced the commencement of a major reform of its national scholarship programme with a 50 percent increase in scholarship grants across all academic levels.
The initiative, with a combined budget of ₦6 billion for the 2025–2026 cycle, is expected to benefit over 15,000 Nigerian students.
Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed the development on Wednesday in Abuja during a meeting with the Federal Scholarship Board.
He said the reform was designed to ease the financial burden on students while aligning education investments with Nigeria’s long-term economic growth targets.
Under the new structure, annual scholarship awards have been increased to ₦750,000 for PhD candidates, ₦600,000 for Master’s students, and ₦450,000 for undergraduate, HND, and NCE students.
This represents a 50 percent increase from the previous allocations of ₦500,000, ₦400,000, and ₦300,000, respectively.
The Minister explained that the initiative is a key component of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and supports the goal of transforming Nigeria into a $1 trillion economy by prioritising education in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medical (STEMM) fields, as well as vocational training.
“This reform is designed to enhance merit-based access, improve economic relevance, and foster inclusivity, while significantly increasing financial support to students at all academic levels,” Alausa said.
As part of the restructuring of the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) scheme, the government redirected funds initially allocated for new awardees to introduce two new categories of scholarships.
The first targets students in public polytechnics enrolled in STEM and vocational programmes with a ₦1 billion allocation.
The second focuses on students pursuing Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Physiotherapy in public universities, also with a ₦1 billion allocation.
The Minister further disclosed that a revised allocation framework will guide the distribution of awards. Under the new framework, 50 percent of scholarships will go to undergraduates, 25 percent to Master’s students, and 25 percent to PhD candidates.
Within each category, 70 percent of awards will prioritise STEMM disciplines, while 30 percent will support Social Sciences.
In a move to promote inclusivity, 5 percent of all scholarships will be reserved for students with disabilities.
The implementation of the restructured programme will be coordinated by the Federal Scholarship Board in collaboration with an Inter-Ministerial Committee chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education.
The committee includes representatives from the National Assembly, Federal Character Commission, Ministry of Women Affairs, and other key stakeholders to ensure transparency and compliance.
Alausa emphasised that the reform goes beyond financial support, noting that it is a deliberate strategy to build the human capital required for Nigeria’s long-term economic transformation.