We list 3 fully Funded Masters Scholarships for Nigerian Students in France, with the deadline, study level and eligibility of each one taken from the award's own terms. 2 state eligibility that includes Nigerian applicants.
Written from the 3 awards on this page — every figure below is counted from what the awards themselves state. 5 min read.
This page collects fully funded master's scholarships in France that are open to Nigerian graduates. There are 3 awards on the list. All 3 are master's-level awards, and all 3 are in France. Two of the three providers are Sciences Po and Sciences Po University, and the third is Université Paris-Saclay.
Two of the awards also carry an undergraduate track alongside the master's track, which is why the same page shows 2 bachelor's awards. If you are applying for a master's only, read the master's deadline for each award carefully — the two tracks usually close on different dates.
The pathway into these awards is a first degree or an HND. Nigerian qualifications that fit are B.Sc, B.A, B.Eng, LLB, MBBS and HND. These are taught and research master's programmes, so the award text usually states a minimum class of degree. Where an award asks for an "upper second", that corresponds to Second Class Upper (2:1) on a Nigerian transcript. Whether an HND is accepted is decided by each university, not by this page.
On nationality, 2 of the 3 awards are open to Nigerians. Neither of those two names Nigeria or a region in its eligibility text — they simply carry no nationality restriction. For the remaining award, eligibility is not stated on the award itself, so you would need to confirm it with the provider before spending money on a application. No award on this page names Nigeria or a West African region explicitly, so do not assume a country-specific quota exists.
All 3 awards on this page are labelled fully funded. What that means in practice varies by award, and the award text is the only reliable guide. Of the 3, 1 names tuition in its own text and 1 names travel. Those are the benefits the awards state in writing — not a promise that every cost you carry will be met.
Before you apply, read the award page for what is actually covered: tuition, a monthly stipend, travel, insurance, or a combination. Where an award does not spell out a benefit, treat it as unconfirmed and ask the provider directly.
The application requirements stated across these awards are light on this page. 1 award names letters of recommendation as a requirement. That is the only stated ask in the brief, so plan for the usual French master's file: transcripts, degree certificate, a statement of purpose, and a CV.
For a Nigerian applicant, the practical bottlenecks are document timelines, not the form itself. Transcripts from Nigerian universities can take weeks, and courier costs to France are paid out of pocket. Start the transcript request before you start the essay. If an award requires a recommendation letter, give your referee at least three weeks and send them your CV and your draft statement so they are not writing blind.
None of the awards on this page states an English-test requirement in the brief, so this page cannot tell you whether IELTS or TOEFL is needed. What is true generally is that French institutions set their own language rules, and a Nigerian degree taught in English is sometimes accepted as evidence of English proficiency. That decision belongs to the university, not to this page. Check the programme page for the specific master's you are applying to, and check whether the award adds a separate language condition on top of the admission condition.
The deadlines on this page fall into a clear pattern. All 3 awards are undated in the brief — meaning the award text carries a month and day but not a confirmed year for the current cycle. None of the 3 is currently flagged as still open, and none is listed as recurring.
What the award text does show is that the master's deadlines cluster around the turn of the year, with the undergraduate tracks closing later. Two of the awards list a master's deadline of December 1, and the third lists a candidate selection deadline of May 5. Treat these as the dates to work backwards from, and confirm the exact cycle date on the award page before you submit.
Two of the awards state programme durations. One lists an undergraduate duration of 3–6 years and a master's duration of 1.5–2 years. The other lists an undergraduate duration of 3 years and a master's duration of 2 years. Plan your funding and your living costs around the longer figure, not the shorter one. A 1.5-year master's and a 2-year master's are different budgets, and the award text is where you confirm which applies to your programme.
According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 772 Nigerian students were studying in France in 2024, placing Nigeria 22nd among sending countries. That is a modest presence compared with the larger Nigerian student populations in the UK and Canada, which means the Nigerian applicant pool for French awards is smaller and the competition is different in shape. It also means fewer alumni to ask for informal advice, so the written award text matters more here than it would elsewhere.
Work in this order. First, confirm your degree class against the minimum stated on the award — Second Class Upper is the common threshold. Second, request your transcript now, because the Nigerian university calendar and the courier timeline are the two things you cannot compress later. Third, open each of the three award pages linked above and read the master's deadline, the eligibility clause, and the list of what is covered.
Where an award does not state eligibility or does not name a benefit, email the provider and ask. A short, specific email — your degree, your class, your intended programme, and your question — is normal and expected. Do not wait for a deadline month to do this.
If none of the three fits your profile, the wider France collection on this site carries more awards, and the fully funded master's collection covers other countries. The three on this page are the ones that are fully funded, master's-level, and in France.
*UNESCO Institute for Statistics, inbound internationally mobile students from Nigeria, 2024.
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