SchoolRegistry Pathways · Scholarships
PTDF Overseas Postgraduate Scholarship
Funded by Petroleum Technology Development Fund, a Nigerian federal government agency
This is the most searched scholarship in Nigeria and it is a Nigerian government scheme, so you are competing only with other Nigerians rather than with the whole world. It is also narrow: postgraduate only, and the course has to serve the oil and gas sector. If your degree is in engineering, geosciences, petroleum-related law, or energy economics, this is the first thing you should look at.
We do not run this scholarship, and our advice on it is free.
Apply for it directly through the official body below. If it does not come through, United Kingdom and Germany and Malaysia are destinations we apply to on your behalf at no cost to your family, so there is a route either way.
What it covers, and who it is for
What it covers
Fully funded: tuition, accommodation, airfare and living expenses.
Level
Master's and PhD only
Where it sends you
United Kingdom, Germany, France, Malaysia, Nigeria (CPESK, Kaduna)
Who qualifies
- Nigerian citizen with a valid Nigerian passport
- Minimum of Second Class Upper in your first degree, or Second Class Lower with relevant industry experience
- NYSC completed
- Computer literate
- Your course must be relevant to the oil and gas industry, which is the single commonest reason applications are thrown out
Deadlines
PTDF runs the scheme annually and the application window is usually open for a few weeks. Dates move every year, so check the official portal rather than any blog, including this one.
We do not print a date on this page on purpose. Scholarship deadlines move every year, and a stale date on somebody else's blog is how people miss them. Go to the official page and check.
If you do not get it
PTDF sends people to the UK, Germany and Malaysia, and those are three destinations we apply to directly. If the award does not come through, the same universities are still open to you as a self-funded student, and Germany in particular charges no tuition at its public universities. That is the conversation to have before the intake closes, not after.
Worth saying plainly: most people who apply for a fully funded award do not get one. That is not a reflection on you, it is the number of places. The families who still travel are the ones who had a second plan ready before the intake closed. That is a thirty-minute conversation and it costs nothing.
How Pathways is paid, and what we never promise
Placement is free to families. Universities pay SchoolRegistry a fee when a student we place enrols. It never changes your fee and it never changes which programme we recommend: the shortlist is ordered by fit, then refusal risk, then cost to you, and that rule is printed with every list. We do not promise admission or a visa, to anyone. Pathways is operated by Academic Support Services NG Ltd (RC 9416237), Ikeja, Lagos; write to pathway@schoolregistry.ng.
Questions about the PTDF scholarship
Who can apply for the PTDF scholarship?
Nigerian citizen with a valid Nigerian passport. Minimum of Second Class Upper in your first degree, or Second Class Lower with relevant industry experience. NYSC completed. Computer literate. Your course must be relevant to the oil and gas industry, which is the single commonest reason applications are thrown out.
What does the PTDF scholarship cover?
Fully funded: tuition, accommodation, airfare and living expenses.
What level of study is the PTDF scholarship for?
Master's and PhD only. It covers study in United Kingdom, Germany, France, Malaysia, Nigeria (CPESK, Kaduna).
When is the PTDF deadline?
PTDF runs the scheme annually and the application window is usually open for a few weeks. Dates move every year, so check the official portal rather than any blog, including this one. We deliberately do not print a date here, because these move every year and a stale one could cost you the application. The official source is https://scholarship.ptdf.gov.ng/.
What if I do not get the PTDF scholarship?
PTDF sends people to the UK, Germany and Malaysia, and those are three destinations we apply to directly. If the award does not come through, the same universities are still open to you as a self-funded student, and Germany in particular charges no tuition at its public universities. That is the conversation to have before the intake closes, not after. Most people who apply for any fully funded award do not get it, which is not a reflection on them. Having a second plan ready before the intake closes is the difference between going a year later and not going at all.
Does SchoolRegistry Pathways charge for this advice?
No. We are paid by universities when a student we place enrols, so our guidance on scholarships is free and we earn nothing from you applying for one. We do not administer or award any scholarship on this page.
Other scholarships Nigerians apply for
- DAAD Scholarships for Germany
- Fulbright Foreign Student Program
- Chevening Scholarship
- Government of Ireland International Education Scholarship
- Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship
- NNPC and joint venture scholarships
- Commonwealth Scholarships
- All scholarships
Checked on 5 October 2026. SchoolRegistry Pathways does not administer, award or influence any scholarship listed here.