By Helen Ajake
The Federal Government has announced the commencement of applications for the 2026 Petroleum Technology Development Fund Overseas Scholarship Scheme.
This offers Nigerian postgraduate students the opportunity to study in the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Malaysia.
The development was disclosed on Monday via a post on X (formerly Twitter) by the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Social Media, Dada Olusegun.
“FG has announced the commencement of applications for 2026 Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) Scholarships overseas,” the post read.
According to details published on the PTDF scholarship board website, the scheme is open to MSc and PhD candidates in disciplines relevant to Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
Successful applicants will enjoy comprehensive benefits including full tuition, return flight tickets, accommodation, living allowances, health insurance and bench fees where applicable.
The Fund explained that the programme is designed to build indigenous capacity in the petroleum sector by exposing beneficiaries to world-class education and research environments.
“The 2026 Overseas MSc and PhD Scholarships provide access to world-class training, research facilities and global expertise, while developing indigenous capacity in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector,” the statement said.
For PhD applicants seeking admission into universities in the United Kingdom, the PTDF disclosed that the scholarship would operate under a split-site arrangement.
This allows scholars to conduct part of their research at the College of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Kaduna, and the remainder at selected partner institutions in the UK, including Robert Gordon University, the University of Strathclyde and the University of Portsmouth.
The agency stressed that the scholarship is highly competitive, noting that only candidates who demonstrate exceptional academic merit and relevance to the oil and gas industry would be shortlisted.
“Applicants will be assessed based on academic credentials, research proposals, professional body memberships and the relevance of their proposed studies to the oil and gas sector,” the statement added.
Eligibility requirements for MSc applicants include a minimum of Second Class Lower (2.2) or Second Class Upper (2.1) in a first degree, completion of the National Youth Service Corps programme, computer literacy and at least five O’Level credits including English Language and Mathematics.
PhD applicants are also required to submit a detailed research proposal of no more than five pages, outlining their research objectives, methodology and data collection strategies.
The PTDF further warned that all applicants must ensure their National Identity Number is verified before applying, adding that multiple applications or the submission of falsified documents would lead to automatic disqualification.
Interested candidates are to apply online via scholarship.ptdf.gov.ng for approved programmes at PTDF partner institutions. The closing date for applications is February 27, 2026.
