We list 2 scholarships for Nigerian Students in Spain, with the deadline, study level and eligibility of each one taken from the award's own terms. 2 of them are fully funded. 1 state eligibility that includes Nigerian applicants.
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
5
Saudi Arabia
5
Singapore
5
Austria
4
Brazil
4
Ireland
4
Turkey
4
France
3
Norway
3
Qatar
3
Spain
Written from the 2 awards on this page — every figure below is counted from what the awards themselves state. 5 min read.
This page collects 2 scholarships in Spain open to Nigerian students. Both are labelled fully funded by the bodies that run them, which in practice means the award text names more than one cost it covers rather than a single fee waiver. The list is small, and that is the honest starting point: Spain does not run the volume of Nigeria-facing scholarship schemes that the United Kingdom, Canada or Germany do, so the two entries here are worth reading closely rather than skimming.
The awards sit at different points on the academic ladder. One is a government scheme associated with the Spanish state, listed as Becas MAEC-AECID for the 2026–2027 cycle. The other is run by ICFO – The Institute of Photonic Sciences, a research institute, and its listing spans undergraduate, master's, PhD and postdoctoral levels. Between them they cover a bachelor's award, a fellowship, a master's award, a PhD award and a postdoctoral award.
Both awards state that they cover living costs and travel. That pairing matters for a Nigerian applicant, because the two costs that most often derail a Spanish application are not tuition but the monthly cost of living in a Spanish city and the price of getting there and back. One of the two awards also names tuition, and one names health insurance.
Read the wording carefully. These figures describe what the awards say in their own published text, not what any recipient has received. Where an award does not name a cost, that cost is not covered by the award's own description, and you should plan to meet it yourself or from another source. Neither listing publishes a monetary value or a number of awards on this page, so there is no figure to quote for either.
Of the two awards, 1 is open to Nigerian applicants. Within that one award, 0 name Nigeria or the West African region specifically, and 1 carries no nationality restriction at all. Separately, 1 award does not state its eligibility on the award text itself, which means you will need to check the provider's own page before assuming you qualify or do not.
The practical reading: nothing on this list is a Nigeria-only scheme. You are competing in an open pool, and your case rests on your academic record, your documents and how well your proposal fits what the provider is funding. For the ICFO fellowship, that fit is likely to be research-driven. For the Becas MAEC-AECID listing, the fit is more likely to be about the level of study and the strength of your academic transcript.
The requirements stated across these awards are modest in number but heavy in effort:
Two recommendation letters is the floor, not the target. Nigerian referees are usually willing, but they are slow, and a lecturer who agrees in June may not send the letter until August. Ask early, give them your CV and your statement of purpose, and follow up by email rather than by phone. If you are applying from a Nigerian university, give your referee a stamped, addressed envelope or a clear instruction about the submission portal.
The English test requirement applies to one of the two awards. If you hold a degree taught entirely in English, check the provider's own wording on waivers before you pay for an IELTS slot — but do not assume a waiver exists. The research proposal applies to the award that sits at research level, so treat it as a serious piece of writing, not a paragraph.
Neither award on this page carries a fixed date in our listing. Both show Deadline: see details, and neither is marked as currently open or as recurring. There is no busiest month to plan around here, and no next deadline to name.
That does not mean the deadlines are flexible. It means the dates sit on the provider's own page, and they change between cycles. The Becas MAEC-AECID listing is tied to the 2026–2027 cycle, so its window will fall somewhere in the run-up to that academic year. The ICFO fellowship is likewise listed for 2026–2027. Open both listings, follow through to the provider, and write the date into your calendar the day you find it. Spanish public deadlines are usually firm and the portals close without warning.
Budget for the paperwork before you budget for anything else. Transcripts from a Nigerian university, courier fees to Spain, and — where required — an IELTS or TOEFL sitting are real money, and none of it is refunded if you are unsuccessful. If the award you are targeting requires an English test, book it early enough that the result reaches you before the deadline, not after.
For the research-level award, your referee letters and proposal should be written for the specific institute, not reused from a previous application. A generic proposal is the fastest way to be screened out of a small, competitive pool.
According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 245 Nigerian students were studying in Spain in 2024, which places Nigeria 41st among the countries sending students there. That is a small community. It means you are unlikely to arrive to an established Nigerian network in most Spanish cities, and it means the two awards on this page are not part of a large, well-trodden pipeline. Plan accordingly: housing, residency paperwork and banking will be things you work out largely on your own.
Open both listings and read them in full. They are:
Start with the one that matches your level. If you are finishing a B.Sc or HND and looking at a master's, the government scheme is the more likely fit. If you are already at research level — a master's holder heading for a PhD, or a postdoctoral researcher — the ICFO fellowship spans those stages and is the one to read first. Note that the ICFO listing also covers undergraduate and fellowship levels, so it is worth checking even if you are earlier in your studies.
Then work backwards from the deadline. Request transcripts, brief your two referees, and draft the research proposal if the award asks for one. Confirm on the provider's page whether an English test is required in your case, and whether any waiver applies. Because there are only two awards here and neither names Nigeria specifically, your application has to stand on its own merits — there is no regional quota to lean on. Treat each one as a single, carefully prepared submission rather than one of many.
Are you looking to study in Europe without the burden of tuition fees and living expenses? Spain offers fully funded scholarships for Nigerian students in the academic year 2025-2026, opening doors to world-class education, vibrant culture, and affordable living. Whether you’re aiming for a bachelor’s, master’s, or PhD degree, Spanish universities and government bodies provide a wide range of scholarship opportunities that cover tuition, accommodation, monthly stipends, and even travel expenses.
Renowned institutions like the University of Barcelona, Autonomous University of Madrid, University of Granada, and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona participate in government-funded and EU-backed scholarship programs, such as MAEC-AECID, Erasmus Mundus, and Fundación Carolina. These scholarships are designed to attract high-achieving students from non-EU countries, especially from Latin America, Asia, Africa, and developing regions.
In this article, we’ll guide you through the top fully funded scholarships in Spain for 2026-2027, including eligibility criteria, benefits, and how to apply—so you can make your dream of studying in Spain a reality.
*UNESCO Institute for Statistics, inbound internationally mobile students from Nigeria, 2024.
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