We list 17 undergraduate Scholarships for Nigerian Students in the United States, with the deadline, study level and eligibility of each one taken from the award's own terms. 10 of them are fully funded. 11 state eligibility that includes Nigerian applicants. Awards with a known closing date are listed soonest first.
Written from the 17 awards on this page — every figure below is counted from what the awards themselves state. 5 min read.
This page collects 17 undergraduate scholarships in the United States open to study at bachelors level. Every award here is tied to a US institution or a US-based foundation, and the level filter is set to Bachelors, so you are not scrolling past masters or PhD listings to find them.
Ten of the 17 are labelled Fully Funded by the provider. One is labelled Partially Funded. The remaining 6 do not state their funding either way, so treat those as unknown until you open the award page and read the terms yourself.
The providers are a mix. Two awards come from American Colleges and Universities, one from partner US universities, one from US Colleges and Universities, and the rest sit with named institutions such as Clark University, Cornell University and Boston University.
Of the 17 awards, 11 are open to Nigerian applicants. That figure breaks down in a specific way: none of those 11 names Nigeria or the West African region in its eligibility text, and all 11 carry no nationality restriction at all. In other words, you qualify because the award does not exclude you, not because Nigeria is written into the criteria.
A further 6 awards do not state their eligibility on the listing. That is not a yes and not a no. It means the nationality rule sits somewhere in the full application documents, and you have to go and find it before you spend money on a transcript or a courier.
For context on the size of the Nigerian presence in US higher education, the UNESCO Institute for Statistics recorded 16,632 Nigerian students in the United States in 2023, the second largest group from any country. Undergraduate awards like these are one of the routes into that population.
Funding language matters more than the label. Across the 17 listings, here is what the award text actually names:
These are counts of what each award says in writing, not a promise of a full package. A tuition-only award still leaves you to cover housing, feeding, books, health cover and the flight. Before you accept anything, work out the gap between what is named and what a US academic year actually costs, then decide whether you can close it.
Where an award is silent on funding, this page says nothing about what it covers. Read the provider's own page.
The requirements stated across these listings fall into a short list:
The English test is the single most common requirement, and it is also the one Nigerian applicants most often try to avoid. Some US universities waive the test where your secondary or tertiary education was taught in English, but that waiver is granted by the institution, not by this page. Ask the admissions office in writing before you pay for a test date.
The four awards that name a minimum degree class are worth reading closely. If you are applying with WAEC or NECO results rather than a university transcript, the class requirement will not apply to you in the same way; check which document the award actually wants.
Only one award asks for a return-home commitment. Where that condition exists, it is usually tied to the funding body's aims, and it is enforceable. Do not treat it as a formality.
Seven of the 17 awards carry a stated date. Seven are currently open. Ten are undated, and seven of the dated ones recur annually, which means the date you see is the pattern, not a one-off.
The busiest months in this collection are November with two deadlines, then September and December with one each.
These are the awards closing soonest:
One further award on the list, the Onsi Sawiris Scholarship Program 2026-2027 Fully Funded, closes 31 July and covers undergraduate and master's study at Harvard University, Stanford University, University of Chicago and University of Pennsylvania.
Duration is stated on some awards and not others. Where it is given, three awards run for 4 years, one runs for 4 years or longer depending on the major, and one covers 1 semester (4–5 months).
That spread matters for planning. A four-year award is a commitment from the provider across your whole degree, which usually means you must keep a minimum grade average to stay funded. A one-semester award is a short injection of money, useful for one specific period and nothing more.
Where duration is not stated, assume nothing. Ask.
The 17 awards are spread thinly across fields, which tells you something about where the volume is:
Several awards are not field-restricted at all, so the counts above do not add up to 17. If your intended major does not appear, that does not rule you out of the open awards. It does mean you should check each one directly.
Note also that this collection sits inside a wider US set: the same country listings include 5 masters awards, 3 PhD awards, 3 high school awards, 2 fellowships, 1 postdoctoral award and 1 short course. If your plans change, the material is already there.
Start with the two November deadlines, because they are the nearest and they will force you to assemble documents now rather than later. For a Nigerian applicant, the slow items are almost always the same: getting your WAEC or NECO result verified, requesting transcripts from your school or polytechnic, chasing two referees for recommendation letters, and paying for courier delivery. None of that happens in a week.
Work in this order. First, open the award page and confirm the nationality rule and the entry requirement — do this before anything else, so you do not prepare documents for an award you cannot win. Second, confirm whether an English test is required or waived, in writing. Third, line up your referees and give them enough notice. Fourth, budget for transcripts and postage as a real cost, not an afterthought.
Then apply to more than one. With 11 awards open to Nigerian applicants and no nationality restriction on any of them, there is no reason to pin everything on a single application. Spread your effort across the fully funded awards first, and treat the undated ones as rolling opportunities you can return to once the November and December deadlines have passed.
Studying in the United States is a dream for many international students due to its world-class universities, cutting-edge research opportunities, and global recognition. However, the high cost of tuition, living expenses, and travel can be a significant hurdle. Fortunately, a wide range of fully funded and partially funded scholarships are available specifically for international students, offered by US universities, government initiatives, and private organizations. These programs can cover tuition fees, living stipends, health insurance, and even airfare, depending on the scholarship type. Below is a comprehensive list of the top 10 scholarships in the USA for international students for 2026–2027, including opportunities for undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs. By applying to these scholarships, you can access world-class education while minimizing financial burdens and focusing on academic and professional growth.
*UNESCO Institute for Statistics, inbound internationally mobile students from Nigeria, 2023.
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