2026/27 IN-COUNTRY SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME (ISS)

APPLICATION FOR 2026/27 PTDF IN-COUNTRY SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME (ISS) FOR UNDERGRADUATE AND POSTGRADUATE AWARDS

The Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) is a Federal Government agency with the mandate of developing indigenous human capacity and petroleum technology to meet the needs of the oil and gas industry. The Fund hereby invites applications from interested and qualified Nigerians to apply for the 2026/27 Undergraduate, Master's and PhD scholarships in Nigerian public universities only.

Method of Application

The online application form can be accessed from the PTDF Scholarship Management Portal: scholarship.ptdf.gov.ng. Instructions on how to access the application form are stated on the PTDF Scholarship Management Portal (scholarship.ptdf.gov.ng). Applicants are advised to read through the requirements before applying.

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Applicants Are to Please Note the Following:

• Applicants must have a National Identity Number (NIN) before applying for the scholarship. Applicants are to note that they will be required to verify their NIN before proceeding with the application (NIMC verification charges apply).
• Applicants who have benefited from any of the PTDF scholarships in the past cannot apply for the same or lower category of degree.
• Applicants who are current beneficiaries of any other scholarship need not apply.
• Application is restricted to public universities and for specific courses only.
• Possession of a valid admission letter into the university is mandatory for all undergraduate applicants.
• Postgraduate applicants who are presently in their final year of studies need not apply.
• Postgraduate applicants who meet the requirements shall be shortlisted and invited for oral interviews before final selection of successful candidates.
• Undergraduate applicants must have completed their first-year examinations and are presently in their second year of studies.
• Only undergraduate applicants undertaking studies in oil and gas, energy and management-related fields (as advertised) will be considered and the final selection shall be based on grades on their transcripts (transcripts must be signed and stamped by the HOD, Exams Officer, or any authorized personnel of the university).
• Admission for part-time studies shall not be considered for all categories of applications.
• The scholarship is highly competitive and merit-driven. Selection of candidates shall be based on equitable representation of the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, except where a State does not have requisite number of candidates to fill allotted slots.

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Criteria, Requirements and Selection Process for In-Country Scholarship Scheme (ISS) Postgraduate

A selection panel will be constituted to assess applications using the following criteria:

• Academic merit as evidenced by quality of degrees, full academic transcripts, other professional qualifications acquired, and relevant publications to be referenced by applicants.
• Membership of professional bodies.
• The viability of the study/research plan (PhD applicants only).
• Undergraduate and Postgraduate (MSc) applicants are required to make a case for their scholarship by submitting a statement of purpose stating the reason(s) they wish to undertake the study, the relevance of the proposed study to the industry, and its expected impact on national development.
• PhD applicants are required to submit a research proposal of not more than 6 pages to include topic, introduction, literature review, research question(s), methodology, mode of data collection, expected outcome(s), novelty, relevance to the industry, and appropriate references.

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Eligibility Requirements

A. ISS Undergraduate

• Applicants must be full-time students in any of the public Universities.
• Applicants must be presently in 200 level in their field of study.
• Course of study should be related to the oil and gas industry and management, as advertised.
• Applicants must possess 5 credits in WAEC/SSCE/NECO, including English Language and Mathematics.
• Applicants must possess a minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 2.4 on a scale of 5.0. ( i.e Second Class Lower).
• Applicants should provide their transcripts for the first year of study (transcripts must be signed and stamped by the HOD, Exams Officer, or any authorized personnel in the university).

Undergraduate applicants who meet the above requirements are to upload the following documents:

1. Evidence of WAEC/SSCE/NECO results with at least 5 credits, including English Language and Mathematics (not more than 2 sittings and the first sitting result must be uploaded).
2. Letter of admission into the university.
3. First-year academic transcript(s), duly signed and stamped by the HOD, Exams Officer, or any authorized personnel.
4. Certificate of indigeneship (evidence of state of origin and local government).
5. A personal statement of a minimum of 300 words stating reasons for undertaking the course of study.

B. ISS MSc (Requirements for Application)

• Applicants must possess a full-time admission letter into any of the Public Universities.
• A minimum of Second-Class Lower (2:2) in an oil and gas-related field.
• Course of study should be related to the oil and gas/management industry.
• Applicants must possess at least 5 credits in WAEC/SSCE/NECO results (not more than 2 sittings and the two results must precede the first degree).
• National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate or letter of exemption.
• Certificate of indigeneship (evidence of state of origin and local government).
• A personal statement of a minimum of 1,000 words stating reasons for undertaking the course of study.

C. PhD ISS (Requirements for Application)

• Applicants must possess a full-time admission letter into any of the Public Universities.
• A minimum of Second Class Lower (2:2) in an oil and gas/management-related field.
• A minimum of Merit in a second-degree certificate in an oil and gas-related discipline.
• Applicants must possess at least 5 credits in WAEC/SSCE/NECO results (not more than 2 sittings and the two results must precede the first degree).
• National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate or letter of exemption.
• Certificate of indigeneship (evidence of state of origin and local government).
• Research area must be relevant to the oil and gas industry.
• A PhD research proposal of not more than 6 pages. The proposal template can be accessed via the applicant's profile on the PTDF Scholarship Management Portal.

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Documents to Be Uploaded by Postgraduate Applicants

Applicants are advised to scan copies of the following documents and attach them to their online application forms. All documents must be in PDF format and legible, except the passport photograph, and must be in the right file sizes as indicated in the portal:

1. First-degree certificate or statement of results.
2. NYSC certificate or letter of exemption.
3. WAEC/GCE/SSCE/NECO result(s).
4. Admission letter.
5. Personal statement (MSc applicants only).
6. Certificate of indigeneship (evidence of state of origin and local government).

Additional scanned documents required from PhD applicants:

1. Second-degree certificate or statement of results.
2. PhD research proposal (the proposal template can be accessed via the applicant's profile on the PTDF Scholarship Management Portal).

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PhD Research Areas

PhD research areas have been provided to enable applicants choose areas of research. Please see the research areas on the PTDF Scholarship Portal (scholarship.ptdf.gov.ng).

Signed
Management