We list 4 phD Scholarships Open to Nigerian Students in Turkey, with the deadline, study level and eligibility of each one taken from the award's own terms. 3 of them are fully funded.
Written from the 4 awards on this page — every figure below is counted from what the awards themselves state. 5 min read.
This page collects 4 PhD scholarships in Turkey that are open to Nigerian students. Every award here is a doctoral-level opportunity at a Turkish university or under a Turkish government scheme, and none of them restricts nationality, so a Nigerian applicant is eligible on the face of the award.
Three of the four are labelled fully funded. One does not state its funding either way, and this page makes no claim about what that award covers. Where an award says in its own text what it pays for, that is reported below as what the award states, not as a promise.
The providers on this list are Koc University, Bilkent University, Eastern Mediterranean University, and a Turkey government scholarship scheme that runs across various universities.
Three of the four carry the fully funded label. The fourth, Eastern Mediterranean University, does not state its funding on the award listing, so treat the funding question as something you confirm directly with the university rather than assume.
Among the awards on this page, three state that they cover tuition, three state that they cover living costs, three state that they cover travel, three state that they cover accommodation, and three state that they cover health insurance. One states that it covers research or training costs.
Read those as what the award text says, not as a guarantee of what lands in your account. Turkish doctoral funding is often packaged as a tuition waiver plus a monthly stipend, and the stipend amount, the payment schedule and whether it rises with inflation are all things you confirm with the institution before you commit. The point of listing them here is that a Nigerian applicant paying for transcripts, courier fees and an English test out of pocket needs to know which awards at least name the big cost lines in writing. These do.
All four awards on this page are open to Nigerian students. None of them names Nigeria or the African region specifically, and none of them carries a nationality restriction. That is the cleanest possible position for a Nigerian applicant: you are not competing for a special quota, and you are not excluded by a regional clause. You are assessed on the same terms as every other international candidate.
The qualification that leads into this level is a master's degree — an M.Sc, M.A, MBA or M.Phil. If you are finishing your master's now, or you completed one some years ago and have been working since, you are in the right band for a doctoral application. A first degree alone does not put you in this list; the awards here are for doctoral places.
For context on the scale of the pathway, UNESCO Institute for Statistics recorded 3,669 Nigerian students in Turkey in 2023, the fifth-largest national group in the country. That is a real, established community, not a handful of isolated cases.
Three of the four awards state that they require an English test score, IELTS or TOEFL. Three state a minimum degree class. Two state that they require a research proposal. Two state that they require letters of recommendation. One states that you need an admission offer first, before the scholarship itself is considered.
For a Nigerian applicant the English test is the line item that costs money and time. Book early, because test slots fill and results take weeks to reach you. If you hold a degree taught entirely in English, ask the specific university whether it waives the test — some do, and it is worth the email. Do not assume a waiver; ask.
The minimum degree class is the other gate. Turkish doctoral admission looks at your master's result, and a strong master's classification carries weight. If your master's result is borderline, the research proposal and the recommendation letters are where you make the case, which is why two of these awards ask for both.
The research proposal is not a formality. For a PhD, it is often the single document that decides whether a supervisor takes you on. Write it around a question you can actually pursue, and name the kind of supervision and facilities you need.
None of the four awards on this page carries a single fixed closing date that applies to everyone. All four are listed without a firm date on the award itself, so the timing is set by the university's own admission cycle rather than by one national deadline.
What the listings do show is when the cycles run. The Turkey Government Scholarship window is given as January 10 to February 20, 2026. Bilkent University's listing shows March 18, June 6 and November 4. Eastern Mediterranean University shows January 09, 2026 and September 01, 2026. Koc University's listing directs you to the details for its date.
Two things follow from that. First, these are recurring annual cycles, so if you miss one intake you are not locked out — you prepare for the next. Second, the dates cluster in the first half of the year, which means your documents need to be ready before January, not in January. Transcripts from a Nigerian university, a courier to Turkey, and an English test result all take time you cannot compress at the last minute.
Work through the four listings on this page in order of the deadline that suits you, and treat the document trail as the real project. The awards are open to you as a Nigerian applicant; the applications are won or lost on preparation.
Are you a Nigerian student dreaming of pursuing higher education abroad without financial burden? Look no further! Turkey is emerging as a top destination for international students, and the Turkish Government and many universities offer fully funded scholarships specifically for international students, including internationals. These scholarships cover tuition fees, living expenses, airfare, health insurance, and more.
Why Study in Turkey?Turkey bridges Europe and Asia and offers a unique cultural, academic, and geographical environment. Some reasons to study in Turkey include:
High-quality education with globally ranked universities. Affordable living and tuition (even without a scholarship). Friendly visa policy and student-friendly atmosphere. Growing number of programs taught in English. Rich Islamic history and cultural familiarity for international students.*UNESCO Institute for Statistics, inbound internationally mobile students from Nigeria, 2023.
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