We list 5 masters Scholarships for Nigerian Students in Germany, with the deadline, study level and eligibility of each one taken from the award's own terms. 3 of them are fully funded. 4 state eligibility that includes Nigerian applicants. Awards with a known closing date are listed soonest first.
United Kingdom
30
Australia
20
China
11
United States
11
Canada
8
Sweden
8
Belgium
7
Italy
7
Japan
7
Switzerland
7
United Arab Emirates
7
Netherlands
6
Russia
6
Germany
New Zealand
5
Saudi Arabia
5
Thailand
5
Brazil
4
Ireland
4
Turkey
4
Denmark
3
France
3
Singapore
3
Austria
2
Norway
2
Qatar
2
Written from the 5 awards on this page — every figure below is counted from what the awards themselves state. 5 min read.
This page collects 5 master's scholarships in Germany open to Nigerian students. Every award on the list is at master's level and every one is in Germany. Three of the five are labelled Fully Funded by the provider. Two do not state their funding position either way, so read those entries directly before you build a plan around them.
The providers are a mix of German political foundations and one private university: The Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, Neufert-Foundation and Constructor University. Each appears once on this list.
Four of the five awards state that Nigerians may apply. Of those four, one names Nigeria or the region in its own eligibility text, and three carry no nationality restriction at all. One award does not state its eligibility on the page.
That distinction matters when you are shortlisting. An award that names Nigeria or the region is telling you something specific about who it wants. An award with no nationality restriction is open on paper, but the competition is wider and the selection criteria will carry more weight than your passport.
For the entry where eligibility is not stated, treat it as unknown rather than closed. Go to the award page and read the provider's own rules before you spend money on a courier.
You enter this level holding a first degree or an HND. The qualifications in play are B.Sc, B.A, B.Eng, LLB, MBBS and HND.
These are taught and research master's programmes. Awards usually state a minimum class of degree, and where an award asks for an "upper second", that corresponds to Second Class Upper (2:1) on a Nigerian transcript. If your transcript reads Second Class Lower, check each award's own wording rather than assuming you are out — but do not assume you are in either.
Whether an HND is accepted is decided by each university, not by this page. If you hold an HND, confirm with the university's admissions office before you commit to application costs.
Of the 5 awards, one names tuition in its own text, one names living costs, and one names health insurance. Three are labelled fully funded by their providers.
Read those two sentences together carefully. A "fully funded" label and a named benefit are not the same thing. The label is the provider's summary. The named benefit is what the award's own text says it covers. Where an award names tuition, living costs or health insurance, that is what it states in writing — not a guarantee of what lands in your account, and not a promise about what it will cover in your particular case.
Two awards on this list do not label their funding at all. Nothing on this page tells you what those two cover. Open them and read the terms.
One award on this list states that it requires letters of recommendation. That is the only requirement counted here, which does not mean the other four ask for nothing — it means the other four do not state their requirements in the text we hold.
In practice, German foundation scholarships of this kind typically want a motivation letter, a CV, transcripts and proof of your degree, and they want them in a form the foundation specifies. Build your document set once: certified transcripts from your Nigerian university, a WAEC or NECO certificate, your degree certificate, and referees who will actually respond to an email. Transcript requests and courier fees are the slowest and most expensive part of this process for most Nigerian applicants, so start those before you start writing.
If an award accepts an English-test waiver — for example because your degree was taught in English — that will be stated in the award's own requirements. Do not assume a waiver exists.
Two awards on this list carry a specific date. Two are currently still open. Three are undated, and two are recurring, meaning the provider runs them on a cycle rather than once.
The busiest months across the deadlines we hold are October and May, with one award falling in each.
The two closing soonest are:
Beyond those, the Heinrich Böll Foundation Scholarship 2026-2027 lists September 01, 2026 and March 01, 2027. The Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Scholarships 2026 gives a master's deadline of April 30, 2026 for the summer semester, with a second date following. Constructor University Scholarships 2026-2027 says only "see details".
Where an award is undated or says "see details", the date exists on the provider's site, not here. Check it before you plan anything around it.
The durations stated across these awards vary. One runs for 2 years. One runs for 1.5 to 2 years. One states master's up to 3 years and PhD up to 4 years.
That last one is worth noting if you are thinking past the master's. The Rosa Luxemburg Foundation Scholarship and the Heinrich Böll Foundation Scholarship are both listed at master's and PhD level. If a PhD is on your horizon, applying to a foundation that funds both levels can save you a second application later — provided you meet the requirements at the time.
One award on this list states how many awards it makes. The Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Scholarships 2026 states up to 40. The other four do not state a number, so there is nothing to compare and no way to estimate your odds from this page.
Do not read a missing number as a small number. It is simply not stated.
According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 3,717 Nigerian students were studying in Germany in 2024, placing Nigeria fourth among sending countries to Germany.
That figure tells you the pathway is well used. It does not tell you anything about how competitive these particular five awards are.
Start with the two dated deadlines. The Neufert-Foundation award closes 15 May and the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation award closes 1 October. Both are linked above.
Then work through the remaining three. For each one, answer four questions before you invest time: does it name Nigeria or carry no nationality restriction, does it state a minimum degree class, does it state what it covers, and does it state a deadline. Where the answer is missing, go to the provider's own page and find it.
Two of the five are still open right now. Three are undated, which usually means a cycle you can catch rather than a door that has shut. Order your transcripts early, line up your referees, and read each award's own text rather than the summary on this page.
Germany has become one of the most popular study destinations for Nigerian students because of its world-class universities, affordable living costs, and high-quality education system. Every year, hundreds of international students apply to German universities for undergraduate, master’s, and PhD programs in fields such as engineering, medicine, business, social sciences, and IT. To make education more accessible, several fully funded scholarships in Germany for international students 2026–2027 are now available, covering tuition fees, monthly stipends, accommodation, health insurance, and travel costs.
Whether you want to pursue higher studies at top institutions like the Technical University of Munich, Heidelberg University, or RWTH Aachen, or enroll in specialized research programs, these scholarships provide financial support and open doors to international career opportunities. Many of these scholarships are offered by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), government organizations, and top universities themselves, ensuring that talented international students can achieve their academic goals without financial burden.
In this guide, you will find a complete list of the best scholarships in Germany for international students 2026–2027, along with details about benefits, eligibility criteria, and appli...
*UNESCO Institute for Statistics, inbound internationally mobile students from Nigeria, 2024.
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