If you are a single mother in Nigeria trying to go back to school,
or trying to help your child through school while you also study, you already know the real problem.
It is not that you lack the brain for it.
It is money, time, and the fact that nobody built the system with you in mind.
The good news is that Nigeria does not have one single “single mother scholarship” that solves everything.
What it has is a mix of government programmes, state boards, and a few private schemes that single mothers can genuinely use, once you know where to look and how to apply properly.
In this article l will walk through the real options, with the actual portals, amounts, and dates, so you are not wasting time on rumours or fake WhatsApp links.
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Why Single Mothers Struggle To Access Scholarships In Nigeria
Most scholarship forms in Nigeria are built for the “typical” candidate: a young school leaver, still under a parent’s roof, applying straight from secondary school.
A single mother juggling rent, a child’s school fees, and maybe a small trade to survive does not fit neatly into that box.
Many drop out of the process at the point of asking for a guarantor, a “state of origin” letter, or proof of a stable address, because life as a single parent is rarely that neat.
This is exactly why it helps to separate scholarships from student loans, because in the Nigerian system right now, the loan option is actually the widest door open to you.
Read More:Â How To Change My Institution On Jamb Portal
1. NELFUND – The Nigerian Education Loan Fund
If you are currently studying or about to gain admission into a Nigerian public tertiary institution, NELFUND is the first place to check.
It is not a “scholarship” in the sense of free money you never repay, but it is interest-free, and it covers two things that matter most to a single mother:
your tuition is paid straight to your school, and an upkeep allowance is paid into your own account for feeding, transport, and your child’s basic needs.
How it works, in plain terms:
- Visit the official portal at nelf.gov.ng (do not trust any other site asking for payment to “register” you).
- You will need your NIN (National Identity Number) and BVN (Bank Verification Number).
- You register, add your school and matriculation number, then apply for the loan and, separately, tick the box for the upkeep allowance if you need it.
- Repayment does not start immediately after graduation; it is designed to begin once you are earning, so you are not chased for money the month you leave school.
To show this is not a small pilot programme: NELFUND had disbursed about ₦56.85 billion to roughly 298,124 students across 198 institutions as of May 2025, since the portal opened in May 2024.
For the 2025/2026 academic session,
registration ran from 23 October 2025 to 31 January 2026, so future sessions tend to follow a similar window — apply the day the portal reopens; do not wait until the last week.
2. Federal Government Scholarship Board (FSB) Awards
The Federal Scholarship Board, under the Federal Ministry of Education, runs yearly scholarships for Nigerians in local public universities,
polytechnics, and colleges of education, as well as scholarships for study abroad under Bilateral Education Agreements (BEA) with countries like Russia,
China, Hungary, Serbia, Romania, Morocco, Egypt, and Algeria.
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For the local (National Scholarship Award) category,
the stipend has typically been ₦300,000 per year, paid to successful applicants regardless of their background, tribe, or religion. To apply:
- Go to the Federal Ministry of Education’s website, education.gov.ng, and click on the Federal Scholarship Board icon.
- Read the guidelines carefully before you start; a small mismatch between your certificate name and your form can cost you the slot.
- In recent cycles, shortlisted candidates have had to sit a Computer-Based Test (CBT) at designated centres, so keep checking your email and the portal after you apply.
This scholarship is open to any qualifying Nigerian student, single mother or not, and the requirement that matters most is your CGPA (generally around 4.0 on a 5-point scale for undergraduates),
not your marital status. Being a single mother does not disqualify you from a single line of this form.
Read More:Â MTN Scholarship Application Guide 2026 For Nigerian Students
3. State Government Scholarship Boards
Every state in Nigeria has, or has had at some point, a scholarship board or bursary unit inside its Ministry of Education.
Lagos State, for example, runs the Lagos State Scholarship Board, which gives bursaries to indigenes studying in approved institutions.
Other states run similar boards under different names.
Because these change year to year and state to state, the smartest move is this:
search “[your state] scholarship board” or “[your state] ministry of education bursary” directly,
and go to the state government’s own website, not a random blog.
State scholarships are usually smaller in amount than federal ones, but they are also less competitive because far fewer people apply for them.
4. Corporate And Foundation Scholarships Open To Women
A few private-sector scholarships in Nigeria are worth a single mother’s time because they focus on need and merit rather than age or family status.
- MTN Foundation Scholarships – aimed at high-performing Nigerian undergraduates in science and technology courses at public universities. Details and application windows are posted at mtn.ng/scholarships.
- Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program – runs through partner universities across Africa (including some Nigerian institutions) and is fully funded, covering tuition, accommodation, and upkeep for students who show financial need and leadership potential. If your child’s school or your own university is a partner institution, this is worth checking directly on the Mastercard Foundation’s website.
Neither of these asks whether you are married, so do not talk yourself out of applying because you assume it is “for younger, single students.”
5. WAEC And JAMB: Get The Basics Right First
Before any scholarship or loan matters, your child’s (or your own, if you are returning to school) WAEC and JAMB documents must be correct and verifiable, because every serious scholarship board will check them.
- Official WAEC information and result checks: waecnigeria.org
- Official JAMB information, UTME registration, and portal access: jamb.gov.ng
If you are helping your child pick or correct a JAMB course choice this year,
we already have a full walkthrough on this blog: How to Change course in JAMB 2026
It is worth reading before your child submits anything, because a wrong course choice can quietly disqualify a strong scholarship application later.
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Practical Tips Before You Apply
- Keep your documents in one folder — birth certificate, WAEC result, JAMB slip, NIN slip, BVN details, and admission letter. Scholarship deadlines in Nigeria move fast, and the person who has everything ready wins the race, not necessarily the person with the best grades.
- Never pay to “secure” a scholarship slot. Government scholarships (FSB, NELFUND, state boards) do not charge you money to guarantee selection. If someone asks for that, it is a scam.
- Apply as soon as the portal opens, not close to the deadline. Servers slow down and sometimes crash in the final week.
- Do not assume you’re disqualified. Being a single mother is rarely listed as a disqualifying factor on any of the forms above. What disqualifies people is missing documents and late applications.
Conclusion:
Being a single mother in Nigeria does not close the door on scholarships or education loans —
it just means you have to be more deliberate about which doors to knock on.
Start with NELFUND if you are already in school,
check the Federal Scholarship Board and your state’s scholarship board for direct funding, and keep your child’s WAEC and JAMB documents ready ahead of time.
Read More:Â Chevening Scholarship Application Step By Step Guide For Nigerians (2026)
None of these programmes ask about your marital status on the form. They ask if you qualify and if you apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is there a scholarship in Nigeria specifically for single mothers?
Not one dedicated national scheme, no.
But single mothers can apply for NELFUND, the Federal Scholarship Board, state scholarship boards,
and open corporate scholarships like MTN Foundation’s — none of these exclude you for being a single parent.
2. Can I apply for NELFUND if I already graduated and I’m going back for a second degree or a diploma?
NELFUND is generally aimed at students currently admitted into an approved tertiary or vocational institution.
Check the specific guidelines on nelf.gov.ng for your intended programme, since rules on repeat or second qualifications can change between sessions.
3. Do I need a guarantor to apply for these scholarships?
The Federal Scholarship Board and NELFUND applications are largely online and tied to your NIN, BVN,
and school records rather than a personal guarantor, unlike some older bursary schemes.
Always read the current year’s guidelines, since requirements can be updated.
4. My child is in secondary school. Is it too early to plan for scholarships?
It is actually the best time.
Strong WAEC results and a correctly filled JAMB form open the door to almost every scholarship on this list, so getting those two things right early saves a lot of stress later.
5. How do I know if a scholarship advert is real or a scam?
Check whether the scholarship’s official announcement is on a government (.gov.ng) or verified institutional website,
never send money to “process” your application, and be suspicious of any offer that promises guaranteed approval.
WHAT IF YOUR BLOG MADE ₦500K+/MONTH? 👀💰
I’ll show you how to build, grow & monetize it.
