We list 11 social Sciences Scholarships Open to Nigerian Students, with the deadline, study level and eligibility of each one taken from the award's own terms. 6 of them are fully funded. Most are held in the United States (4), Australia (2) and the United Kingdom (2). Awards with a known closing date are listed soonest first.
These awards do not restrict the field of study, so social sciences applicants can apply too.
Written from the 11 awards on this page — every figure below is counted from what the awards themselves state. 5 min read.
This page collects 11 scholarships in the social sciences that are open to Nigerian students. Every award here is either named for Nigeria or its region, or carries no nationality restriction at all. That is the whole point of the collection: you should not have to read through a dozen pages to find out whether a Nigerian passport disqualifies you.
Of the 11, one names Nigeria or the region in its own eligibility text. The other 10 state no nationality restriction. No award on this page leaves eligibility unstated, so you can check your position before you start gathering documents.
Six of the 11 are labelled fully funded. One is labelled partially funded. Four do not label their funding either way, so treat those as unknown until you read the individual page.
Where the awards state their benefits in writing, the counts run like this:
These are the benefits the awards themselves name. They are not a promise that every item on the list appears in every package. Read each award's own text for the exact cover, and check whether the stipend is paid monthly, per semester or as a lump sum, because that changes how you budget your first two months abroad.
The list is not only for master's applicants. The levels break down as follows:
Some awards appear at more than one level, which is why the numbers add up past 11. If you have just finished your B.Sc or HND and you are weighing a master's against a second degree abroad, both routes exist here. If you already hold an M.Sc and want to start a doctorate, four awards on this page are open at PhD level. The single postdoctoral entry suits anyone already teaching or researching and looking for a funded stay abroad.
The destinations are spread across six countries:
The United States carries the largest share. That matters for two practical reasons: American applications usually ask for letters of recommendation early, and visa interview slots in Lagos and Abuja fill quickly in the months before a September start. Australia and the United Kingdom follow, and both have well-established Nigerian student communities. China and the Netherlands appear once each, which is worth noting if you want a funded route outside the usual Anglophone destinations.
Requirements vary, but the pattern across this list is clear. Where awards state a requirement in writing:
Two things follow from this. First, recommendation letters are the most common single requirement, so approach your referees before you need them. Give each referee your CV, your transcript and a short note on what you are applying for, and give them at least three weeks. Second, the two awards that require an admission offer first mean the scholarship application comes after the university application, not alongside it. That is a longer runway, and you should start earlier.
On English tests: five awards state a score requirement. Some universities waive the test where your previous degree was taught in English, but that is decided by the institution, not by this page. Ask the admissions office directly rather than assuming.
Nine of the 11 awards carry a date, and all nine are still open. Nine are recurring, meaning the cycle returns each year, so a missed deadline is usually a delay rather than a dead end. Two awards on the page are undated.
The busiest months are December, with three deadlines, then October with two, then April with one. December is the month to plan around. If you intend to apply this cycle, the work of collecting transcripts, writing your statement and chasing referees needs to be finished before November, not during it.
The awards closing soonest are:
Further out, the Australia Awards Scholarships 2027 (Fully Funded) close on 30 April, which gives you a full cycle to prepare if the October and December dates are too close.
Social science applicants often cross into neighbouring departments, and this collection reflects that. Awards on this page also appear under Arts & Humanities (8), Business & Management (6), Engineering (6), Medicine & Health Sciences (5), Law (3), Education (2), Natural Sciences (2) and Economics & Finance (1).
If your research sits between two of these, check both listings before you decide an award is out of reach. A development economics project, for instance, may qualify under more than one heading.
Start with the two October deadlines if you already have your documents in order. If you do not, aim at the December group and use the extra weeks properly.
Work in this order. Confirm your degree class and request your transcript early, because Nigerian universities can take weeks to process a request and courier fees are paid by you. Shortlist three or four awards rather than all 11, and read each one's own page for the exact benefits and requirements. Line up your referees and give them the material they need. Book your English test only if the award or the university requires it. Then write your statement or research proposal against the specific award, not a generic version you reuse everywhere.
The awards on this page are open to Nigerian applicants. The rest is preparation, and preparation is the part you control.
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