We list 6 fully Funded Masters Scholarships for Nigerian Students in Italy, with the deadline, study level and eligibility of each one taken from the award's own terms. 2 state eligibility that includes Nigerian applicants. Awards with a known closing date are listed soonest first.
Written from the 6 awards on this page — every figure below is counted from what the awards themselves state. 5 min read.
This page collects 6 fully funded masters scholarships in Italy that are open to Nigerian students. Every award here is at masters level, every one is in Italy, and every one is labelled fully funded by the body offering it. The six awards come from six different providers, so you are not looking at one scheme repeated: the list runs across the Italian government, the University of Bologna, Politecnico di Milano, the University of Padua, Bocconi University and Politecnico di Torino.
Italy is a realistic destination for a Nigerian master's applicant. According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 625 Nigerian students were studying in Italy in 2023, placing the country 25th among destinations for Nigerian students. That is a small, settled community rather than a crowd, and it tells you the route exists and is walked every year.
"Fully funded" is not one thing in Italy. It depends on the award. Of the six on this page, 5 name tuition in their own text, 2 name living costs, 1 names accommodation, and 1 names health insurance. Read those counts as what the awards say in writing, not as a promise that every line of your budget is covered. An award that names tuition and nothing else still leaves you to plan for rent, food, transport and the permesso di soggiorno process.
This is why the individual award pages matter more than the label. Open each one and check the benefit section against your own numbers before you spend money on a transcript or a courier.
Of the six awards, 2 are open to Nigerians. Neither of those two names Nigeria or the region, and both are open because they carry no nationality restriction at all. For the other four, eligibility is not stated on the award as we hold it. That is not a refusal. It means the nationality condition, if there is one, sits in the full call and you have to read it there.
The qualification you bring is a first degree or an HND. The awards at this level expect a B.Sc, B.A, B.Eng, LLB, MBBS or HND. These are taught and research masters, and awards usually state a minimum class of degree. Where a call says "upper second", that corresponds to Second Class Upper (2:1) on a Nigerian transcript. Whether an HND is accepted is decided by each university, so ask the admissions office directly rather than assuming either way.
Two requirements appear in the award text on this page. 3 of the six awards ask for an English test score, IELTS or TOEFL. 2 ask for letters of recommendation.
Plan around both. An IELTS or TOEFL slot in Nigeria needs booking weeks ahead, and the result takes time to reach you. Some Italian universities waive the English test where your degree was taught in English, but that decision belongs to the university, not to this page, so confirm it in writing before you pay for a test you may not need. For recommendations, approach lecturers early and give them your CV, your transcript and the deadline in writing. A referee who is chased two days before a February deadline will not produce a strong letter.
One award on this page carries a dated deadline and is still open: the Italian Government Scholarship 2026 (Application Process), which closes 14 June. That is the one to act on first if you are ready to apply this cycle.
The rest of the calendar is thinner and earlier than most applicants expect. 5 of the six awards are undated as we hold them, and 1 recurs. June is the busiest month on the page, with 1 deadline falling there. The dates that are recorded cluster in the first half of the year: the University of Bologna award points to May 2026, Politecnico di Milano to February 2026 for the Fall intake and July 2026 for another, Padua to February–March 2026 with exact dates varying by programme, Bocconi to 14 April for undergraduate and 21 April for master's, and Politecnico di Torino to a window that varies by programme, February–March 2026 for the Fall intake.
Treat those as the shape of the cycle, not as fixed. Italian universities publish each call separately and dates shift by programme and by intake. Check the award page again before you rely on a month.
Several of these providers also run awards at other levels. The same collection carries 4 bachelors awards and 2 PhD awards in Italy, so if your plans change, or if a sibling or colleague is applying at a different level, the wider Italy list is worth reading.
The award text on this page records two duration patterns. One award states a scholarship duration of 3, 6 or nine months. Another states 2 years for a master's and 3 years for a bachelor's. Which applies to you depends entirely on the award and the programme, so read the duration line on the award page before you plan a two-year stay.
Duration matters for money. A tuition-only award for one year is a different proposition from a tuition-only award for two, because the second year's living costs are yours to find. If you are funding transcripts, courier fees and an English test out of pocket now, work out the full cost of the degree, not just the first year, before you commit.
Start with the award that is open. The Italian Government Scholarship closes 14 June, and it is the only dated, still-open deadline on this page.
Then work backwards from the February to May window that most of these awards sit in. Gather your documents in this order: transcript and degree certificate from your Nigerian institution, then your English test if the university requires one, then your recommendation letters, then the application form. Transcripts and couriers take the longest, so begin there.
Read the eligibility section of each award in full, because 4 of the six do not state their eligibility on the award as we hold it. Where a class of degree is named, check it against your transcript. Where an HND is in question, email the university and keep the reply. Then apply to more than one. Six awards, six providers and a spread of deadlines from February to July give you room to send several applications rather than betting everything on a single call.
Italy is one of the most attractive destinations in Europe for international students who want to pursue higher education abroad. Known for its rich history, cultural diversity, and internationally recognized universities, Italy offers a wide range of fully funded scholarships for international students 2026–2027 at the bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD levels. These scholarships cover tuition fees, monthly living allowances, accommodation, health insurance, and in some cases, travel expenses, making it easier for talented students to study in prestigious Italian institutions like the University of Bologna, Sapienza University of Rome, and Politecnico di Milano. With these opportunities, international students can access high-quality education in fields such as engineering, medicine, business, arts, and social sciences while experiencing Europe’s unique lifestyle.
*UNESCO Institute for Statistics, inbound internationally mobile students from Nigeria, 2023.
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