​Navigating Academia with a Family: A Guide to Scholarships for Nigerian Students with Kids

​Embarking on or continuing your academic journey while raising a family is an act of incredible courage and determination. For Nigerian students who are also parents, the financial pressures can be overwhelming—juggling tuition, study materials, and the daily expenses of raising children in a challenging economy.

​The good news is that you are not alone! While scholarships specifically targeting “student parents” are rare, there are numerous need-based, merit-based, and postgraduate opportunities—both local and international—that can provide the crucial financial relief you need. The key is to know where to look and, most importantly, how to frame your application to highlight your unique circumstances.

​The Nigerian Landscape: Local Opportunities

​In Nigeria, finding scholarships that explicitly mention support for children/dependents is difficult. However, many foundational and corporate scholarships operate on a need-based model, which is where your status as a parent becomes a powerful part of your application.

​1. Corporate and Foundation Scholarships

​These are often highly competitive but offer substantial support that can free up personal funds for your family’s needs:

• ​Oil and Gas Majors (Shell, NNPC/Chevron, TotalEnergies): While primarily merit-based for undergraduates, their substantial stipend can be a game-changer. They look for high academic performance in engineering, sciences, and related fields.
• ​MTN Foundation & Stanbic IBTC University Scholarship: These programs offer financial awards to undergraduates in Nigerian public tertiary institutions. The application process usually involves academic excellence criteria, but being a student struggling with dependents adds weight to your personal statement on financial need.
• ​David Oyedepo Foundation (DOF) Scholarship: Known for offering fully funded scholarships, including tuition, stipends, and sometimes healthcare, at partner institutions like Covenant and Landmark Universities. Financial need is a core criterion, making it a strong option for student parents.
• ​SieDi-Hub Opportunity Youth Educational Scholarship: This is a need-based, full-ride scholarship aimed at supporting students from low-income and vulnerable backgrounds. They select two students annually and the application review criteria specifically mention the “Degree of financial/life hardship” and the “Strength and authenticity of personal story,” which are perfect avenues to present your story as a student-parent.

​2. University-Specific Discounts

​Always check with your specific university’s financial aid office for unique internal opportunities:

• ​Sibling/Family Discounts: Some private universities like Nile University of Nigeria offer sibling discounts (e.g., 5% for two children, up to 20% for five or more). While this is for multiple children enrolled in the university, if you have multiple children, this shows the university acknowledges family financial burden.
• ​Postgraduate Discounts: Nile University also offers a 10% discount on tuition for parents of current undergraduate or postgraduate students who wish to pursue a postgraduate program themselves. This directly benefits student parents pursuing higher degrees.

​Going Global: International Scholarships with Dependent Support

​For postgraduate studies, international scholarships offer the best chance for comprehensive funding that often includes an explicit dependent allowance or a large enough stipend to cover family living costs.

​1. Government-Funded Prestige Scholarships

​These are fully funded and are often the most generous:

• ​Chevening Scholarship (UK): This is a prestigious scholarship for mid-career professionals pursuing a one-year Master’s degree. It covers tuition, travel, and a monthly living allowance (stipend). While it doesn’t always have a separate dependent allowance, the stipend is often sufficient to help with childcare and living expenses back home or for a visiting family member.
• ​Commonwealth Scholarships (UK): Designed for students from Commonwealth countries like Nigeria. The Master’s and PhD awards are fully funded and are particularly supportive. They often offer a family allowance for married scholars accompanied by their spouse and/or children, though this is only available in certain cases and must be pre-approved.
• ​Fulbright Foreign Student Program (USA): This program provides full funding for Master’s and PhD studies in the U.S., covering tuition, living expenses, and health insurance. Crucially, the accompanying J-2 visa for dependents often allows spouses to apply for work authorization after arriving in the U.S., which significantly boosts a family’s financial stability during the study period.
• ​DAAD Scholarships (Germany): The German Academic Exchange Service offers numerous scholarships, particularly for postgraduates. Many of these stipends include an additional family allowance for spouses and children who accompany the scholar to Germany.

​2. Foundation and Multi-National Scholarships

• ​Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program: Available at various universities in the U.S., Canada, and Africa. It is one of the most comprehensive scholarships, covering tuition, accommodation, books, and often providing a generous stipend and support services that are invaluable for student parents.
• ​Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJ/WBGSP): This fully-funded Master’s scholarship covers tuition, a monthly living stipend, round-trip airfare, and health insurance. The stipend is often sufficient to help support family members.

​ Your Winning Strategy: Application Tips for Student Parents

​To successfully secure a scholarship as a student with kids, you need to strategically weave your family narrative into your application, especially in the personal statement.

​1. Be Honest About Your Financial Need

​If the scholarship is need-based, clearly articulate how supporting your child(ren) adds to your financial burden and how the scholarship will directly impact your ability to focus on your studies and provide for your family. This is your most powerful tool in need-based applications.

​2. Highlight Your Discipline and Resilience

​Being a student and a parent demonstrates exceptional time management, focus, and resilience. Turn your challenge into a strength!

​Example Prompt: “Juggling my final-year project while ensuring my children were in a good crèche forced me to become an expert planner. This experience has instilled the discipline I need to manage the rigors of a demanding Master’s program, proving my dedication goes beyond the classroom.”

​3. Emphasize Academic Performance

​Even with your responsibilities, strive to maintain an impressive academic record. Merit remains the primary criterion for most top-tier scholarships. A strong GPA is your ticket to the short-list.

​4. Seek out Niche Grants and Institutional Aid

• ​Contact the University’s Diversity or Women’s Centre: Some universities, particularly abroad, have small, internal grants specifically for students with dependents or single mothers/fathers.
• ​Check Professional Associations: If you are studying a technical course (e.g., Engineering, Law), your professional association (e.g., NSE, NBA) often has small-scale scholarship programs.

​Securing a scholarship is demanding, but as a Nigerian student with children, your journey already proves your strength. Use your unique story not as an obstacle, but as a compelling demonstration of your perseverance and commitment to building a better future for yourself and your family. Start your research today, gather your documents, and apply with confidence!

​Introduction: Acknowledging the Double Duty

• ​Catchy Title/Hook: Start with a powerful statement acknowledging the immense sacrifice and dedication of Nigerian student parents (“You are a student, a parent, and a powerhouse!”).
• ​The Nigerian Context: Address the specific challenges faced in Nigeria: high cost of living, inadequate support systems, and the societal expectation that often prioritizes one role over the other.
• ​The Promise: State the clear goal of the blog post: to guide them to specific financial aid and scholarships designed, or applicable, to help them shoulder the burden of education and childcare simultaneously.
• ​The Nigerian Scholarship Award (NSA) & Education Bursary Award (EBA): While generally for all students, emphasize that these can be a crucial supplement for managing family expenses.
  • ​Actionable Tip: Students with dependents should highlight their financial hardship in the application personal statement.
• ​State-Specific Scholarships & Bursaries: Encourage readers to check their state of origin’s scholarship board.
  • ​Search Query: “Lagos State Scholarship Board”, “Rivers State Bursary”, etc.
• ​University-Specific Aid: Many universities (Federal and State) have a hardship fund or internal bursaries.
  • ​Actionable Tip: Contact the Dean of Student Affairs or the Financial Aid Office immediately upon gaining admission.
• ​Major Corporate Schemes:
  • ​MTN Foundation Scholarship: Offers a decent annual stipend. Open to all students.
  • ​Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) Scholarship: Primarily for postgraduate studies, both local and international, and is often fully-funded, which is a massive relief for student parents.
• ​Targeted Foundations (Based on Search):
  • ​Jennifer Etuh Foundation: Specifically aims to offer academic scholarships to girls and women pursuing university or polytechnic qualifications.
  • ​SieDi-Hub Scholarship: Focuses on students facing financial/life hardship, which explicitly includes extreme poverty and loss of a parent/guardian—situations often exacerbated by the responsibility of a dependent.
• ​Chevening Scholarship (UK): Prestigious, fully-funded master’s program. Crucially, applicants can apply for a stipend increase for accompanying family members/dependents (check current policy).
• ​Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP): For Master’s and PhD in the UK. Many of their awards include a child allowance for scholars accompanied by their children.
• ​Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees (Europe): Fully-funded. Their stipends are often generous enough to cover living expenses for one person, making it possible to budget for a child’s upkeep.
• ​Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program: A global initiative implemented through partner universities (e.g., in the US, Canada, Africa). It covers tuition, accommodation, books, and crucially, provides mentoring, counselling, and a return air ticket. Their focus on developing “transformative leaders” and assisting those from underrepresented backgrounds makes student parents strong candidates.
• ​Aga Khan Foundation International Scholarship Programme (AKF ISP): For postgraduate studies globally. It offers a limited number of awards as a half grant/half loan. Check for their policy on dependents.
• ​MPOWER Women in STEM Scholarship: While not specific to parents, this scholarship for women in STEM pursuing studies in the US or Canada is an excellent financial opportunity that alleviates the financial pressure on the family unit.
• ​Margaret McNamara Education Grants (MMEG): Highly relevant for women from developing countries pursuing higher education who have a proven commitment to improving the lives of women and children in their home country. This is a must-apply for Nigerian student mothers.
• ​Nigerian NGOs Focusing on Maternal/Child Health & Empowerment:
  • ​Motherhood Nigeria Initiative and RAiSE Foundation: While they focus on health and empowerment, their programs often provide resources or training that can free up personal finances or offer valuable community support.
  • ​Rising Child Foundation: Focuses on education and empowerment for vulnerable children and young women. Getting a child into one of their educational programs could remove a massive financial burden.
• ​The Narrative: Frame your story around resilience, exceptional time management, and commitment to a brighter future for your child.
• ​Key Phrases to Use in Your Essay/Statement:
  • ​”My commitment to my studies, despite the demands of parenthood, demonstrates my unwavering discipline and ability to prioritize under pressure.”
  • ​”Receiving this funding is not just an investment in my future, but a foundational step in breaking the cycle for my child, demonstrating my belief in education as empowerment.”
  • ​”My life as a student parent has equipped me with real-world skills in budgeting, crisis management, and empathy, which I will bring to my field of study/community.”
• ​Proof of Hardship: For needs-based scholarships, submit authentic documents (e.g., birth certificate, proof of child’s enrollment, letters detailing your financial strain).
• ​Reaffirmation: Reassure the student parent that their hard work is seen and valued.
• ​Final Call to Action: Urge them to start their research today and not miss deadlines.