We list 5 scholarships for Nigerian Students in New Zealand, with the deadline, study level and eligibility of each one taken from the award's own terms. 3 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
10
Sweden
10
Germany
9
United Arab Emirates
9
Belgium
8
Japan
8
Switzerland
8
Netherlands
6
Russia
6
Thailand
6
Denmark
5
New Zealand
Saudi Arabia
5
Singapore
5
Austria
4
Brazil
4
Ireland
4
Turkey
4
France
3
Norway
3
Qatar
3
Spain
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 scholarships in New Zealand that are open to Nigerian students. Every award here is offered by a New Zealand university, and the five providers are the University of Waikato, the University of Otago, Lincoln University, the University of Auckland and Victoria University of Wellington — one award each.
Because the list is short, it is worth reading every entry rather than skimming. Five awards across five institutions means each one carries a different deadline, a different funding label and a different set of documents. Treat the page as a shortlist to work through in order, not a catalogue to browse.
Of the 5 awards on this page, 3 are open to Nigerian applicants. None of those three names Nigeria or the African region in its eligibility text; all three are open because they carry no nationality restriction at all. That distinction matters when you are reading the original award pages. An award that is silent on nationality is not the same as an award that names your country — it usually means the selection committee weighs academic merit and the strength of your application rather than your passport.
The remaining 2 awards do not state their eligibility on the award listing at all. For those, you will need to confirm your position with the university directly before you spend money on transcripts or a courier.
New Zealand universities generally assess international applicants on the qualification you already hold. A Nigerian B.Sc or HND with a strong class is the usual route into master's study, and WAEC or NECO results sit behind undergraduate entry. Where an award states a minimum degree class, it will say so in its own text — see the section on what applications demand below.
The funding labels split 3 fully funded and 2 partially funded. Read those labels as a starting point, not a promise. What an award actually covers is set out in its own wording, and on this page 4 awards name tuition, 1 names living costs and 1 names health insurance.
That gap between "fully funded" and what is written down is the single most important thing to check before you apply. Tuition-only support still leaves you to find accommodation, food, transport and the student visa costs yourself. If an award names living costs, find out whether that is a stipend, a allowance paid in instalments, or a contribution towards a fixed figure.
The list is weighted towards taught study. 5 awards are open at bachelor's level and 5 at master's level, which means most of the entries serve both. Only 1 award is open at PhD level — the University of Otago entry — and 1 is a short course.
If you are applying from Nigeria with a completed B.Sc or HND and you want a taught master's, you are looking at the widest part of this list. If you are aiming at doctoral research, your options here are narrow and you should expect to build a research proposal and approach a supervisor before anything else. The short course entry is worth a look if you want a shorter period of study or a professional top-up rather than a full degree.
One award on the page is listed as running for 1 year.
On this page, 2 awards state a minimum degree class as a requirement. That is the only formal academic threshold the brief records, and it is the one you should check first — before English tests, before transcripts, before anything that costs money.
Beyond that, the demands are the usual ones for New Zealand university applications, and they are the parts that take longest from Nigeria:
Transcript requests and courier delivery are the slowest step for most Nigerian applicants. Start them the moment you decide to apply, not after you have drafted your statement. If your university grants an English test waiver on the basis of a prior degree taught in English, confirm that in writing with the admissions office before you pay for a test.
Deadlines on this page are not uniform, and that is the main practical risk. 1 award carries a specific date, 1 is still open, 4 are undated, and 1 recurs. January is the busiest month on the list, with one closing date falling there.
The award closing soonest is the Lincoln University Scholarships 2026-2027, which closes on 31 January — that is 115 days from now. If you intend to apply for it, the transcript request should go out this week.
The other dated entries:
An undated award is not an open award. It usually means the university publishes dates on a separate page, or that the round has not yet been announced. Check the provider's own site before you assume you have time.
New Zealand is a small destination for Nigerian students. The UNESCO Institute for Statistics recorded 129 Nigerian students in the country in 2024, ranking Nigeria 51st among sending countries.
That figure is worth sitting with. A small Nigerian cohort means less word-of-mouth about which awards actually pay out, which departments are welcoming, and how long a transcript really takes to arrive. It also means that if you do apply, your file is unlikely to be one of dozens from Lagos and Abuja competing against each other. The competition is with applicants from everywhere else.
Work through the list in deadline order rather than by preference. Start with the Lincoln University Scholarships 2026-2027, because 31 January is the only fixed date on the page and the 115 days will pass faster than the transcript office works.
Then confirm your eligibility on the two awards that do not state it. Send a short, direct email to the admissions or scholarships office: state your Nigerian qualification, the level you are applying for, and ask whether you are eligible and what documents they require. Keep the reply.
Finally, check the funding wording on every award you shortlist. Four name tuition, one names living costs, one names health insurance — and those are the awards' own words, not a guarantee of what lands in your account. Budget the difference yourself before you commit to a visa application.
Are you planning to study abroad in 2026 and searching for fully funded opportunities? New Zealand is one of the most sought-after study destinations among international students, offering world-class education, globally ranked universities, and a safe, welcoming environment. The best part is that a number of fully funded and partially funded scholarshipsare now open for international students in New Zealand for the 2025–2026 academic year. These scholarships are available for undergraduate, master’s, and PhD degree programs and offer financial assistance in the form of tuition fee waivers, monthly stipends, accommodation support, travel allowances, and medical insurance.
Whether you’re aiming to pursue higher education in engineering, business, social sciences, life sciences, environmental sciences, or any other field, New Zealand provides generous funding opportunities through government-sponsored programs and university-specific scholarships. Below is a comprehensive guide to some of the top scholarships available for international students in New Zealand, along with their benefits and how to apply.
*UNESCO Institute for Statistics, inbound internationally mobile students from Nigeria, 2024.
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