The federal government has opened applications for the 2026 Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) Overseas Scholarship Scheme, offering Nigerian postgraduate students opportunities to study abroad.
According to an announcement shared on X by the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, the programme is now accepting applications from qualified candidates for Master’s (MSc) and PhD studies in countries including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Malaysia.
The scholarship scheme aims to support students in disciplines relevant to Nigeria’s oil and gas sector by providing tuition fees, return flight tickets, accommodation, living allowances, health insurance, and bench fees, where applicable.
For PhD applicants in the United Kingdom, the scholarship will follow a split-site arrangement, allowing recipients to conduct research at both the College of Petroleum and Energy Studies in Kaduna and at partner universities, such as Robert Gordon University, the University of Strathclyde, and the University of Portsmouth.
The PTDF emphasised that the scheme is highly competitive and will select candidates based on academic merit, quality of research proposals, professional body memberships, and the relevance of studies to Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
Eligibility requirements for MSc applicants include a minimum of Second Class Lower (2.2) degree, completion of the NYSC programme, computer literacy, and at least five O-Level credits, including English and Mathematics. PhD candidates must also submit a research proposal of up to five pages outlining their study objectives and methodology.
Applicants must ensure their National Identity Number (NIN) is verified before applying, and multiple or falsified submissions will lead to automatic disqualification, the fund warned.
Interested candidates can apply online through the PTDF scholarship portal at scholarship.ptdf.gov.ng. The deadline for submission is February 27, 2026.
