Scholarships for Nigerian Students in France 2026-2027

What this page lists

This page collects 3 scholarships in France that are open to Nigerian students. All three are labelled fully funded by the awarding body, and all three are listed at Master's level. Two of the three also carry an undergraduate route, so if you are applying with WAEC or NECO behind you, there is something here for you as well. The three awards come from three providers: Sciences Po, Sciences Po University and Université Paris-Saclay.

That is a short list, and it is worth saying so plainly. France does not have the volume of named, English-language scholarship pages that some other destinations do. What it has is a small number of well-established awards attached to specific institutions, and this page gathers the ones that are documented for Nigerian applicants.

Who can apply

Of the three awards on this page, 2 are open to Nigerian applicants. Neither of those two names Nigeria or the West African region in its eligibility text — they are open because they carry no nationality restriction at all. That distinction matters when you are reading an award page yourself: an award that does not exclude you is not the same as an award that is designed for you, and the competition for an open award is drawn from everywhere.

For the remaining award, the eligibility is not stated on the award itself. Do not read that as either a yes or a no. It means the information is not in front of us, and you will need to check the provider's own page before you spend money on transcripts or courier fees.

What the awards pay for

All three awards are marked fully funded by their providers. Beyond that label, the written detail is thin. One award names tuition in its own text, and one names travel. Those may well be the same award or two different ones — the brief does not say, and we are not going to guess.

What this means practically: do not assume that "fully funded" covers your flight, your visa fee, your accommodation deposit in a French city, or the cost of getting your documents out of your Nigerian institution. Read each award's own page and write down, line by line, what it commits to. Where a benefit is not named in writing, treat it as not covered until the provider tells you otherwise.

What the applications ask for

The brief records one award that asks for letters of recommendation. That is the only stated requirement captured here, but it is the one that most often delays Nigerian applicants, so plan around it from the start.

A recommendation letter in the Nigerian context usually means going back to a lecturer or a former supervisor who may have moved departments, retired, or be handling a teaching load that leaves little room for paperwork. Ask early. Ask in person if you can. Give the person a one-page summary of what you are applying for, the deadline, and the fact that the letter will be submitted online. If your referee has to print, sign and scan, build in the days that will take.

Two of the three awards here are at Master's level only, and one of those is a research-intensive university award where your academic record and your proposed field of study will carry most of the weight. The other two run an undergraduate route alongside the Master's route, which means the selection criteria differ depending on which level you are entering.

Levels and study duration

All 3 awards are listed at Master's level. 2 of the 3 also cover Bachelors.

The durations recorded for these awards vary. One states undergraduate: 3–6 years and master's: 1.5–2 years. Another states undergraduate: 3 years and master's: 2 years. If you are budgeting for a stay in France, that gap between a three-year and a six-year undergraduate commitment is the difference between one funding cycle and two, and you should check which structure applies to the specific award and programme you are targeting.

The three awards

• Emile Boutmy Scholarship 2026-2027 France (Fully Funded) — provider: Sciences Po. Level: Undergraduate, Master's. Fully funded.
• Chalhoub Scholarship 2026-2027 Fully Funded - France — provider: Sciences Po University. Level: Undergraduate, Master's. Fully funded.
• Université Paris-Saclay Scholarships 2026-2027 — provider: Université Paris-Saclay. Level: Master's. Fully funded.

Two of the three sit within the Sciences Po family of institutions, so if you are applying to both, expect overlapping documentation and prepare one clean set of transcripts, certificates and referee details that you can adapt rather than rebuild.

Deadlines

None of the three awards on this page carries a single fixed closing date in the brief, and none is currently flagged as still open. All three are recorded as undated. What the brief does carry are the deadline notes attached to each award, and those are worth reading carefully because they are split by level.

The Emile Boutmy Scholarship notes a Master's deadline of December 1 and an undergraduate deadline of March 4. The Chalhoub Scholarship notes a Master's deadline of December 1 for the relevant intake. The Université Paris-Saclay Scholarships note a candidate selection deadline of May 5, with the scholarship award following that selection stage.

Read those as the pattern the providers themselves describe, not as a guarantee for the cycle you are entering. Deadlines attached to a named intake move. Confirm the date on the provider's page before you commit money to a courier.

Nigerian students in France

UNESCO Institute for Statistics recorded 772 Nigerian students in France in 2024, which places Nigeria 22nd among the countries sending students there. That is a modest presence compared with the numbers Nigeria sends to the United Kingdom or Canada, and it shapes what you should expect. You are unlikely to find a large Nigerian student community on campus, and the administrative side of your application — transcripts, attestations, certified copies — will be handled by people in Nigeria who may not have processed a French application before.

Budget your document timeline accordingly. A transcript request that takes two weeks locally can take considerably longer if a faculty officer is on strike, if your department has merged, or if the courier route you chose stalls at customs. Start the paperwork before you start the application form, not after.

What to do next

• Open each of the three award pages and read the eligibility text in full, especially the Université Paris-Saclay award where eligibility is not stated in the brief.
• Decide which level you are applying at — Master's, or the undergraduate route where one exists — because the deadlines differ by level.
• Check whether the award names tuition, travel or neither in its own written terms, and build your own budget for everything it does not name.
• Approach your referees now if the award you want asks for letters of recommendation, and give them the deadline in writing.
• Request transcripts and certified certificates from your Nigerian institution early, and keep a scanned copy of everything you send.
• Confirm each deadline on the provider's own page before you rely on it.
• If English-test waivers apply to your case, check the provider's rule directly rather than assuming — the brief does not record a waiver policy for any of these three awards.

Three awards is a small list. Treat each one as a serious, individually prepared application rather than a batch, and give the document-gathering the same attention you give the personal statement.