Federal Ministry of Education Overseas Scholarships for Undergraduate, Masters and PhD Nigerian Students

Bilateral Educational Agreement (BEA) Awards Courses(s) Offered: All fields
Course Level: Undergraduate (bachelors), Postgraduate (masters, PhD)
Provider: Federal Scholarship Board
Country to Study in: Several countries

Scholarship Description
The Federal Government of Nigeria through the Federal Ministry of Education through the Federal Scholarship Board is offering the Bilateral Educational Agreement (BEA) Oversea Scholarships to Nigerian undergraduate, masters and doctoral students.The BEA Awards are scholarship awards made to eligible Nigerian youths after due process by development partners who have entered into Bilateral Educational agreement with Nigeria. Nigeria equally offers reciprocal awards to citizens of the following Bilateral Education Agreement countries: China, Romania, and Cuba.

The Honourable Minister of Education (HME), is hereby inviting interested and qualified Nigerians to participate in the 2015/2016 Nomination Interview for the Bilateral Educational Agreement (BEA) Scholarship Award tenable in Russia, China, Morocco, Turkey, Algeria, Romania, Serbia, Japan, Ukraine, Cuba, Greece, Czech Republic, Syria, Macedonia, Mexico, Egypt, Tunisia etc.

Eligibility
(A). Undergraduate Scholarship

• All applicants for undergraduate degree courses must possess a minimum qualification of Five (5) Distinctions (As & Bs) in the Senior Secondary School Certificate, WAEC or NECO (May/June) only in the subjects relevant to their field of study including English language and Mathematics.
• Certificates should not be more than Two (2) years old (2013 or 2014)
• Age limit is 22 years (minimum age of 18years and maximum 22 years old at the time of taking up the award).

(B). Postgraduate Scholarship

• All applicants must hold a First Degree with at least 2nd Class Upper Division.
• The applicants who are previous recipients of Foreign Awards must have completed at least Two (2) years post qualification or employment practice in Nigeria.
• A knowledge of the Foreign language of the donor country is desired particularly for those applying for Russian Award.
• All applicants must have completed NYSCE.
• Age limit is 35 years for Masters and 40 years for Ph.D.

Note: (For all Applicants):
Knowledge of the language of the country of choice is an added advantage.

The donor countries are non english speaking. Applicants should therefore be prepared to undertake mandatory one year foreign language of the country of choice which will be the medium of instructions. And For postgraduate applicants for Russian award, the candidate must have obtained his/her first degree Russia.

Eligible groups
Citizens of Nigeria ONLY.

Participating Institutions
All accredited institutions of higher learning in the participating countries that have Bilateral Educational Agreements (BEA) with Nigeria.

The participating countries include:

• Undergraduate (UG) studies: tenable in Russia, Cuba, Morocco, Algeria, Romania, Ukraine, Turkey, Egypt, Japan, Serbia, Macedonia and Hungary.
• Postgraduate (PG) studies: tenable in Russia, China, Turkey, Japan, Serbia, Mexico, Hungary, South Korea etc.

Fields of Study
The Fields of Study:

1. Undergraduate level: Medicine, Paramedical, Engineering, Geology, Agriculture, Sciences, Mathematics, Languages, Environmental Sciences, Sports, Law, Social Sciences, etc
2. Postgraduate level (Masters Degree and Ph.D): All fields

Note:
Awardees study the language of the country in their first Year and this constitutes the language of instruction throughout their study.

It is pertinent to state that performance in the language course determines the continuation of the course of study for which the award has been made.

Number of awards
Not specified, but several would be awarded

Sponsorship duration
The duration of the scholarship offer ranges from 4 – 9 years depending on the level of study and the country.

Scholarship benefits
The participating countries are responsible for the tuition and accommodation, while Nigeria government takes care of the following;

• $500 monthly for supplementation
• $250 yearly for warm clothing
• $200 yearly for Health Insurance
• $500 yearly for medical scholars only
• $1000 for PG research grant yearly were applicable
• N100,000 – Take off for PG scholars were applicable
• N60,000 – Take off for UG scholars were applicable

Method of Application
To apply for the federal government scholarship, all qualified candidates are advised to:

• Visit Federal Scholarship Board’s website: www.fsb.gov.ng
• Click on Application Center
• Click on BEA Award Application in the Application Center
• Register/Login
• Read Requirements & Instructions
• Continue to complete the online form and submit
• Print completed Application Form and Acknowledgement Slip and bring two (2) copies to the interview venue (as found on official website).

Venue of Interview:
All eligible applicants are to report for interview at the venues nearest to them as scheduled for their respective states of origin. Two sets of completed application forms should be submitted at the various interview centres with the following attachments:

1. Two authenticated photocopies of Educational Certificates and Testimonial of previous school attended in two envelopes.
2. Only one Certificate will be accepted ie WAEC or NECO
3. Two copies of Birth Certificate from national population commission (NPC) only
4. State of Origin Certificate duly signed, stamped and dated.
5. Four passport sized colour photographs on white background.
6. Data page of current International Passport, and
7. Academic transcripts and NYSC certificate will be required from applicants for postgraduate studies.

Original documents should be presented at the interview venues for sighting.

The Interview Venues and Dates can be found on the official website. The interview would take place from March 9th to March 13th 2015 by 9.00am daily. Applications should be submitted before the nomination interview of 9th to 13th March 2015.

Applicants are strongly advised to attend the interview at their zones of origin.

DEADLINES:
The 2015/2016 BEA scholarship application closing date is 8th March, 2015.

PLEASE NOTE:
Candidates nominated and finally selected by the awarding BEA countries will be required to submit to Federal scholarship Board the following:

1. Authenticated copies of academic certificates
2. Specified medical reports and police clearance certificate.

Application Deadline: 8 March 2015
Open to International Applicants: No (ONLY Nigerians)