The Federal Government has opened applications for the 2026 Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) Overseas Scholarship Scheme, offering Nigerian postgraduate students the opportunity to study in the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Malaysia.
The announcement was confirmed on Monday in a post shared on X (formerly Twitter) by the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Social Media, Dada Olusegun.
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 receive comprehensive funding, including tuition fees, return flight tickets, accommodation and living allowances, health insurance, and bench fees where applicable.
The PTDF said the 2026 overseas scholarships are designed to provide access to world-class training, advanced research facilities and global expertise, while building indigenous capacity in the oil and gas sector.
For PhD candidates in the United Kingdom, the programme will operate on a split-site arrangement, with research conducted between the College of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Kaduna (CPESK), and selected partner universities in the UK. These include Robert Gordon University, the University of Strathclyde and the University of Portsmouth.
The agency noted that the scholarships are highly competitive and will be awarded strictly on merit. Applicants will be assessed based on academic qualifications, research proposals, membership of relevant professional bodies and the relevance of their proposed studies to the oil and gas industry.
Eligibility requirements for MSc applicants include a minimum of a Second Class Lower (2.2) degree or higher, completion of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme, computer literacy, and at least five O’Level credits, including English Language and Mathematics. PhD applicants are also required to submit a research proposal of no more than five pages detailing their objectives, methodology and data collection approach.
The PTDF further stated that all applicants must have their National Identity Number (NIN) verified before applying, warning that multiple applications or the submission of falsified documents would lead to automatic disqualification.
Interested candidates are to apply online through scholarship.ptdf.gov.ng for approved programmes at PTDF partner institutions. The deadline for applications is February 27, 2026.
