EU awards 89 fully funded Erasmus scholarships to Nigerians

The European Union has awarded 89 fully funded Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s scholarships to Nigerian students for the 2026 academic cycle, reinforcing Nigeria's leading position in Africa for this prestigious international program. The announcement was made by the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, during a pre-departure orientation in Abuja.

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This year we have about 163 Nigerian students admitted into these master’s programmes. This places Nigeria again, like in 2024, as the top country in Africa and among the top five globally, together with Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and the United States.

Mignot stated that 163 Nigerian students were admitted into Erasmus Mundus master's programs this year. With 89 securing the fully funded scholarships, Nigeria ranks first in Africa and among the top five countries globally, alongside Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, and the United States. This year's award represents an increase from the 81 Nigerian recipients in 2025, bringing the total number of Nigerian beneficiaries since 2014 close to 1,000.

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We have 89 scholarship awardees this year, up from 81 in 2025.

The Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s program is recognized as one of the world's most competitive postgraduate scholarship schemes. It offers fully funded education, allowing students to study at least two universities in two different European countries, culminating in joint, double, or multiple master's degrees.

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We want Nigeria to get higher in the world ranking, to begin with, in the top three. We will work for that together with the Ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission and Nigerian universities, and I’m sure we’ll get there.

Ambassador Mignot affirmed the EU's ongoing commitment to collaborating with Nigeria to broaden access to global educational opportunities and enhance the country's performance in the program. He expressed a desire to see Nigeria rise into the top three globally, working alongside Nigeria's Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission. Mignot highlighted the scholarships as a concrete commitment by the EU to create opportunities for talented Nigerian youth through merit-based access to world-class education and regular migration pathways.

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It demonstrates the readiness of the EU to offer regular migration opportunities for young Nigerians to travel and study in Europe, based on their merit, capacity and abilities. It is indeed the concrete commitment of the EU to creating opportunities for Nigerian youth.