The 2026 NNPC – SNEPCo National University Scholarship closes on Monday, 30 November 2026, and it is currently the biggest undergraduate scholarship window open to students in Nigerian public universities. The Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo) runs the scheme on behalf of itself, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and its co-venture partners. It pays a yearly grant to successful applicants from their second year through to the completion of their undergraduate degree. This guide sets out exactly who can apply, the documents the portal will ask for, and the application steps in the order the official scheme page gives them, so you can submit a complete application well before the deadline.
Last updated: 28 October 2026
Key takeaways
- Deadline: applications must be submitted on or before 30 November 2026, through the Scholastica portal only.
- Who it is for: Nigerian citizens in their second year of full-time study at a NUC-accredited public university, with a CGPA of at least 3.5 on a 5-point scale (or the equivalent).
- Who it excludes: private university students, polytechnic and college students, part-time students, and anyone already holding a scholarship from an oil and gas industry entity.
- Cost: application is completely free. SNEPCo has no agents for this scholarship, and any website or person asking you to pay is a fraud risk.
- Selection: only eligible candidates are invited to a proctored computer-based test, and the top 10 candidates from each state and the FCT go forward to academic verification before offers are made.
- Award value: the official advert describes a yearly grant but does not publish a cash figure, so be wary of amounts quoted on unofficial blogs.
About the NNPC/SNEPCo National University Scholarship
The NNPC – SNEPCo National University Scholarship Programme is a merit-based award created, in the words of the official advert, to promote academic excellence and improve the skills of young Nigerians. The grant starts in the scholar’s second year and continues to the completion of the undergraduate degree programme, provided the scholar keeps meeting the award conditions. It covers students in NUC-accredited courses at public Nigerian universities, federal and state alike.
Two points from the official advert deserve emphasis because they shape everything else in this guide. First, Scholastica is the official application platform for the scheme — the advert names it directly and gives the scheme page where applications are submitted. Second, the advert states no cash amount. It promises a yearly grant, renewed through graduation, but publishes no figure. Some blogs attach specific sums to this scholarship; those sums do not come from the official advert, and one blog’s figure contradicts another’s, so this post does not repeat any of them. If a figure matters to you, wait for the award letter — that is the document that sets the terms.
If you are comparing several schemes at once, our guide “Scholarships for Nigerian Undergraduates: The Complete, Always-Updated List” (publishing on Schoolcrib on 20 November 2026) puts this award alongside the other major undergraduate schemes and their closing dates.
From our editorial team: The pattern we see every scholarship season is that students who start their Scholastica application in the first half of the window finish calmly, while those who begin in the final week hit every avoidable problem at once — slow portal pages, a passport photo that needs resizing, a Head of Department who has travelled. Starting now, with a full month still to run before the deadline, is the easiest advantage you can give yourself.
Who can apply
The eligibility criteria on the official scheme page are short and strict. Applicants must:
- Be a Nigerian citizen. Permanent residents are not eligible.
- Be currently in their second year of full-time study in a public Nigerian university accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
- Have a minimum CGPA of 3.5 in a 5-grade system, or the equivalent in other grading systems.
- Not be a beneficiary of any other scholarship from an entity in the oil and gas industry, whether national or international.
Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. The scheme’s own FAQ adds useful clarifications: there is no age limit; any NUC-recognised public university qualifies, federal or state; and the advert places no restriction on courses of study beyond the requirement that your course sits in an accredited public university programme. You do not need references — the scheme states that references are not considered as part of an application.
Who cannot apply
Just as important is the list of students this scheme does not cover, drawn from the same official page and its FAQ:
- Students of private universities — the scheme is for public universities only.
- Students of polytechnics, colleges of education and other degree-awarding institutions that are not universities, and students in vocational schools.
- Students in 100 level, 300 level or above, and students in a remedial (pre-degree) year — only current second-year students qualify.
- Part-time students — the scholarship is for full-time study only.
- Non-Nigerian citizens, including permanent residents.
- Anyone already receiving a scholarship from an oil and gas industry entity. Note the boundary carefully: a scholarship or financial support from an organisation outside the oil and gas industry does not disqualify you, according to the scheme’s terms.
- Anyone who has applied for this scholarship before — the scheme FAQ states that previous applicants cannot apply again this year.
Applications sent by email or fax are not accepted at all, no matter how strong the candidate. The portal is the only door.
Documents to prepare before you start
Scan clear copies of the following before you open the application form. Uploading poor scans is one of the easiest ways to weaken an otherwise strong application.
- Recent passport-sized photograph — JPEG format, not more than 200 kilobytes, with a white background.
- University or JAMB Admission Letter.
- UTME Result.
- O’ Level Result(s), and ‘A’ Level / OND / NCE Result(s) where applicable.
- Letter of Identification from your State of Origin, showing your local government of origin.
- Academic results (CGPA) after completing 100 level — your first-year results are what prove the 3.5 minimum.
- Government Official declaration form — the scheme page provides a download link; download it, fill it correctly and upload the completed form.
Three practical points from the official instructions. First, have your National Identification Number (NIN) ready if you have one; the form asks for it, and the steps explain how to obtain one from NIMC and update your application if you do not. Second, the name on your application must match the names on all your documents, in the same order — if it does not, upload a sworn affidavit or certificate explaining the difference. Third, after uploading each document, view it to confirm it uploaded clearly and correctly; the instructions call this out explicitly.
From our editorial team: The document problem applicants report most is the passport photograph — a casual phone photo against a coloured wall, or a file far above the 200KB limit. Any photo studio can produce a white-background passport photo and compress the file to size in minutes. Sort the photograph before you open the application form, not in the middle of it.
How to apply, step by step
Every applicant needs a valid personal email account and phone number — use an email inbox you can open quickly, because account activation and your submission confirmation both arrive there. Then follow the official steps:
- Go to the scheme page on Scholastica and click the “Apply Now” tab.
- Click “Register Now” to create your account.
- Open your email inbox and activate your account using the message Scholastica sends you.
- Return to the scheme page and log in with your registered email and password.
- Enter your personal information, National Identification Number (if available), educational information and the other information the form requests.
- Upload the scanned documents listed above, including the completed Government Official declaration form.
- Check that the name in your application matches all your documents in the same order; upload an affidavit or certificate if it does not.
- View every uploaded document to make sure each one is clear and correct, and upload your passport photograph with a white background.
- Recheck the whole application for errors before you submit.
- Go to “Active Scholarships”, select the NNPC – SNEPCo scheme and click “Apply Now” to submit. A notification appears on screen and by email; you can also confirm under “My application” in your account.
- After submitting, log back in to Scholastica, download your profile, have your Head of Department sign it, and upload a scanned copy of the signed profile — it is used for verification.
- If you had no NIN at step 5, enrol through NIMC and update your application with the number to complete it.
Do not leave the HOD signature to the final days. Faculty offices work to their own schedules, and the signed profile is part of a complete application, not an optional extra.
Selection process and the proctored computer-based test
Submitting the form is only the first filter. Under the published selection criteria, your application must arrive through the portal before the deadline; only candidates who meet the eligibility criteria are invited to sit a monitored computer-based test, and examination details are communicated to shortlisted candidates only — no test date is published in the advert. After the test, only the top 10 candidates from each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory are shortlisted for academic verification, and only candidates who clear verification are contacted to receive the award.
The scheme page’s test FAQ explains how the test works. It is a proctored online test: a webcam is compulsory because it records and monitors you during the exam, and only a computer can be used — an iPad or tablet will not do. You can check whether your computer meets the requirements in advance using the secure-browser check linked from the scheme page, and you may upload a scanned ID card before starting. If your assessment requires a calculator, one is provided on the test page itself. Practical preparation follows from this: test your laptop, webcam and internet connection days ahead, sit the exam in a well-lit room, and keep your face positioned in front of the camera with limited unnecessary movement, as the FAQ advises.
Mistakes that get applications rejected or disqualified
Every item below comes straight from the warnings and rules on the official scheme page:
- Paying anyone. Application is free at every stage. Fraudulent websites ask for payments during the process — the advert warns about them directly. SNEPCo has not appointed any agent or representative to help applicants, on any campus or anywhere else.
- Sending your application by email. Emailed and faxed applications and documents are not accepted. Portal only.
- Missing the deadline. The selection criteria require your application to be received through the portal by 30 November 2026. A half-finished form in your account is not an application.
- Applying below the CGPA line. Below 3.5 on a 5-point scale (or its equivalent), you do not meet the criteria and will not be invited to the test.
- Holding another oil and gas scholarship. If you already benefit from any oil and gas industry entity’s scholarship, national or international, you are excluded.
- Name mismatches across documents without an affidavit or certificate to explain them.
- A photograph that breaks the rules — over 200KB, not JPEG, or not the required white background.
- Skipping the HOD-signed profile upload. The signed profile is used for verification; leaving it out leaves your application incomplete.
- False documents. The advert is blunt: any candidate found to have presented false documents will be disqualified or withdrawn at any level of the process — including after an award has been made. Falsified results mean disqualification.
- Planning to move the award. If you win, the offer cannot be transferred to another university or course of study, and the scholarship cannot be deferred. Apply from the programme you actually intend to finish.
What happens after you apply
Immediately after submission you should see an on-screen notification and receive a confirmation email; “My application” in your Scholastica account shows the same confirmation. Complete the remaining steps promptly — download your profile, get it signed by your Head of Department and upload the signed copy. After that, the timeline is in the organisers’ hands: shortlisted candidates are contacted with examination details, sit the proctored test, and the top performers per state go through academic verification before offers are made. The scheme contacts successful candidates directly; if you hear nothing, no separate rejection message is promised.
If you receive the award, understand the terms you are accepting. The scholarship is renewable through graduation, but scholars must remain full-time students, make satisfactory academic progress, meet their institution’s conduct standards and maintain a minimum CGPA of 3.5 per session to sustain it — an award lost for any reason cannot be re-awarded. It is paid for every year of your programme, even for programmes longer than four years, provided you do not repeat a year, and it expires when you complete the course it was awarded for.
From our editorial team: The waiting period catches students out in a simple way — the shortlist message lands in an inbox they have stopped checking, or sits in a spam folder. Keep the email address you applied with active, check the spam folder regularly, and keep the phone number on your application switched on.
Frequently asked questions
When is the closing date for the NNPC/SNEPCo Scholarship 2026?
Applications must be submitted on or before 30 November 2026, through the Scholastica portal only. Emailed applications are not accepted.
How much does the NNPC/SNEPCo Scholarship pay?
The official advert does not publish a cash figure. It describes the award as a yearly grant paid from your second year to the completion of your undergraduate degree, renewable each session while you maintain at least a 3.5 CGPA. Figures quoted on unofficial blogs are not confirmed by the organisers and contradict each other, so treat them with caution.
I am in 100 level (or 300 level). Can I apply?
No. The scheme is open only to students currently in their second year (200 level) of full-time study. Students in a remedial year are also not eligible.
I attend a private university or a polytechnic. Am I eligible?
No. Only students of public Nigerian universities accredited by the NUC qualify. Polytechnics, colleges and other degree-awarding institutions that are not universities are outside the scheme.
Is there an application fee, and can an agent help me apply?
There is no fee at any stage of the process, and SNEPCo has not authorised any agent or representative to assist applicants. Anyone asking you to pay to apply is not connected to the scheme.
Can I hold this scholarship alongside another one?
Only if the other scholarship is not from an oil and gas industry entity. If you already benefit from any oil and gas company’s scholarship, national or international, you cannot hold the NNPC – SNEPCo award.
Sources
Sources: 2026 NNPC – SNEPCo National University Scholarship Award — official scheme page (advert, eligibility and selection criteria, application steps, scheme FAQ, computer-based test FAQ and terms of award), Scholastica, https://candidate.scholastica.ng/schemes/NNPCLTDSNEPCo26 — accessed 28 October 2026. The award’s cash value is not stated on the official page and is therefore not quoted in this article.