Nigerian undergraduates in public universities can apply for the 2026 National University Scholarship Award offered by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited, with successful candidates entitled to annual grants until graduation.
The scholarship is open to full-time students in their second year of study who have a minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average of 3.5 on a five-point grading system.
The application deadline is November 30, 2026.
Shell announced the scholarship in a video posted on its X account which was sighted by PUNCH Online on Saturday, directing interested and eligible students to submit their applications through the Scholastica scholarship portal.
According to details published on the portal, the programme is designed to promote academic excellence and improve the skills of young Nigerians.
The organisers said female candidates were strongly encouraged to apply.
Eligibility requirements
To qualify for the scholarship, applicants must:
• Be Nigerian citizens.
• Be in their second year of full-time study in a public Nigerian university accredited by the National Universities Commission.
• Have a minimum CGPA of 3.5 on a five-point grading system or its equivalent in other grading systems.
• Not be beneficiaries of any other scholarship from an organisation in the oil and gas industry, whether national or international.
Documents required
According to the application guidelines on Scholastica, applicants are required to prepare scanned copies of the following documents:
1. A recent passport-sized photograph in JPEG format, not exceeding 200 kilobytes.
2. University or Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board admission letter.
3. Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination result.
4. O’Level results and A-Level, Ordinary National Diploma or National Certificate in Education results, where applicable.
5. A letter of identification from the applicant’s state of origin indicating their local government area.
6. Academic results showing the applicant’s CGPA after completing 100-level.
7. A completed government official declaration form, available for download through the link provided on the scholarship portal.
How to apply
Interested and eligible candidates are required to follow these steps:
1. Visit the official application portal at https://candidate.scholastica.ng/schemes/NNPCLTDSNEPCo26.
2. Click on the ‘Apply Now’ tab and select ‘Register Now’ to create an account.
3. Check your email inbox and activate the account through the confirmation link.
4. Return to the scholarship portal and log in with your registered email address and password.
5. Fill in the required personal, educational and other information, including your National Identification Number, if available.
6. Upload scanned copies of the required documents, including your admission letter, UTME result, O’Level results, state of origin identification letter and academic records.
7. Download the government official declaration form, complete it correctly and upload it alongside the other required documents.
8. Ensure that the names on your application correspond with those on your supporting documents. Applicants with differences in their names are required to provide an affidavit or certificate.
9. Review all uploaded documents to ensure they are clear and correct. The passport photograph must have a white background.
10. Return to the ‘Active Scholarships’ section, select the NNPC-SNEPCo scholarship and click ‘Apply Now’ to submit the application.
11. Check for the confirmation notification displayed on the screen and sent to your email to establish that the application was successful.
12. Log in to your Scholastica account, download your application profile, have it signed by your Head of Department and upload a scanned copy for verification.
Applicants who do not have a National Identification Number are required to complete the NIN enrolment process through the National Identity Management Commission before updating their scholarship applications with the number.
Selection process and deadline
The organisers said only applicants who meet the eligibility requirements would be invited for a monitored computer-based test.
They added that the top 10 candidates from each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory would be shortlisted for academic verification before scholarship offers were made.
Candidates found to have submitted falsified documents would be disqualified, while successful beneficiaries must maintain a minimum CGPA of 3.5 on a five-point grading system, or its equivalent, in every academic session to retain the award.
Applications must be submitted online through the official Scholastica portal on or before November 30, 2026.
The organisers stressed that the application was free, warning candidates against fraudulent websites and individuals demanding payment to facilitate the process.
They also clarified that applications by email would not be accepted and that SNEPCo had not appointed agents or representatives to assist applicants.
Only shortlisted candidates would be invited for the computer-based test, while scholarship offers would not be transferable to another university or course of study.
