We list 10 scholarships for Nigerian Students in Italy, with the deadline, study level and eligibility of each one taken from the award's own terms. 9 of them are fully funded. 3 state eligibility that includes Nigerian applicants. Awards with a known closing date are listed soonest first.
United Kingdom
40
United States
37
Australia
27
Canada
20
China
12
Italy
Sweden
10
Germany
9
United Arab Emirates
9
Belgium
8
Japan
8
Switzerland
8
Netherlands
6
Russia
6
Thailand
6
Denmark
5
New Zealand
5
Saudi Arabia
5
Singapore
5
Austria
4
Brazil
4
Ireland
4
Turkey
4
France
3
Norway
3
Qatar
3
Spain
2
Written from the 10 awards on this page — every figure below is counted from what the awards themselves state. 5 min read.
This page collects 10 scholarships in Italy open to international students, and it is written with Nigerian applicants in mind. Nine of the ten are labelled fully funded by the awarding body. One does not state its funding position either way, so nothing here should be assumed about what that particular award covers.
The awards come from a mix of Italian institutions: the Italian Government, the University of Bologna, Politecnico di Milano, Scuola Normale Superiore, the University of Padua and Bocconi University. That spread matters. It means you are not looking at one scheme repeated ten times, but at separate applications, separate portals and separate selection committees.
The list is weighted towards postgraduate study, but it is not only for master's applicants.
Some awards appear under more than one level because they accept applicants at both undergraduate and postgraduate entry, which is why the numbers add up to more than ten. If you hold a B.Sc or HND and are weighing up a master's, the master's group is the largest single block. If you are coming straight from WAEC or NECO with a strong secondary school record, the bachelor's group is worth working through properly.
Funding labels are only useful if you read what sits underneath them. Counting what the awards state in their own text:
These are the benefits each award puts in writing. They are not a promise that every cost of your stay is handled. A tuition waiver in Italy can still leave you responsible for living expenses, residence permit fees and the cost of getting your documents out of Nigeria. Read the individual award page and note exactly which line items are named before you build a budget around it.
This is the question most people skip to, and the honest answer is that the list is mixed. Of the ten awards, 3 are ones a Nigerian applicant can act on with confidence. Within that group of three, 1 names Nigeria or the region directly, and 2 carry no nationality restriction at all.
For the remaining 7, the award page does not state an eligibility position on nationality. That is not a rejection and it is not an invitation. It means the information is not on the page, and you would need to check the awarding institution's own rules before spending money on transcripts or courier fees. Treat those seven as research tasks, not as applications you can fire off today.
The stated requirements across the list are lighter than many applicants expect, but they are specific:
Only three awards name an English test in their requirements. Where a test is not named, do not assume it is waived; it may simply not be listed. If you are applying from Nigeria, this is the point at which you should ask each institution directly whether your WAEC or NECO English result, or a medium-of-instruction letter from your university, is accepted in place of IELTS. Get that answer in writing before you pay for a test slot.
Recommendation letters sound simple and rarely are. Lecturers in Nigerian departments are often handling requests from dozens of students at once, and they will need your transcript, your CV and a clear statement of what the award is. Give them weeks, not days.
Three awards carry a stated date. Two are still open at the time of writing. Seven are undated on this page, and two run on a recurring cycle.
The busiest months in the list are June, with 2 deadlines, and April, with 1. The two closing soonest are:
Several others sit earlier in the year than people plan for. The Politecnico di Milano Merit-Based Scholarships 2026-2027 Fully Funded list February 2026 for the Fall intake and July 2026 for a second round. The Padua International Excellence Scholarship 2027 Fully Funded falls in February to March 2026, with exact dates varying by programme. The University of Bologna Scholarship 2027 (Application Process) points to May 2026.
If you are targeting any of those, the working timeline starts now, not in the month the portal opens. Nigerian document processing — transcripts, attestation, courier delivery — is the part that eats the calendar.
The award lengths on this page vary widely, and that variation is useful. One award runs for 3, 6 or nine months. One runs for 4 years. One covers 2 years at master's level and 3 years at bachelor's level. One is a short programme of 4 to 12 weeks in 2027.
A four-year award and a twelve-week award are different decisions, not just different line items. A short fellowship may suit someone already enrolled or employed who needs a defined block of research time. A multi-year award asks you to commit to living in Italy and to a funding structure that has to hold up across several budget cycles. Match the duration to what you can actually commit to, and check whether the funding is renewed annually or granted once.
According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 625 Nigerian students were studying in Italy in 2023, placing Nigeria 25th among sending countries. That is a small number next to the large Nigerian student populations in the UK, Canada or the United States.
Read that figure carefully rather than as discouragement. A smaller community means less competition from people who look exactly like you on paper, and it means the Italian system is not yet saturated with Nigerian applications. It also means you should not expect a ready-made network on arrival. The practical work of finding housing, opening a bank account and navigating the residence permit process will fall to you and whoever you meet there.
Start with the three awards where Nigerian eligibility is clear, and read each one end to end. Note the level, the duration and the benefits named in the award text.
Then take the seven awards that do not state a nationality position and email the institution directly. Ask one question: are Nigerian nationals eligible for this award, and what documentation is required to prove eligibility? Keep the reply.
Work backwards from the deadline. If an award closes in April or June, your transcript request, recommendation letters and any English test booking need to be in motion well before that. Two awards on this list close in June and one in April, so the near-term calendar is not empty.
Finally, apply to more than one. Ten awards across six different providers means there is no single application that covers them all, and no single rejection that ends the year.
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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