Bridge Scholarship Program 2027/2028 for Nigerian Public University Students: Requirements and Deadline

The Bridge Scholarship Program funds students at Nigerian public universities who have good grades and critical financial need, from Year 1 to the year before their final year. Once you are selected, the scholarship supports you until you graduate, with mentorship and career and leadership development on top of the money. You need a CGPA of at least 3.5 on a 5.0 scale (or 3.0 on a 4.0 scale).

The 2026/2027 round closed on 12 September 2026. The deadline for the 2027/2028 round is 12 September 2027. The Bridge Scholarship is strict about format: every document goes into one PDF, in a fixed order, and applications that break the rules are disqualified without a chance to correct them.

Bridge Scholarship Program summary

(based on this year’s date; confirm on the official page when the call opens). Listings describe the benefits differently. The organiser’s form is final on what the award pays.

The programme is small. Studentship reported in 2024 that it had funded 43 scholars over its first two years, so expect a competitive pool and a careful reading of every file.

Who can apply for the Bridge Scholarship

1. University: fully enrolled in a public (federal or state) university in Nigeria. Private universities, polytechnics and colleges of education are not listed.
2. Year: Year 1 to your penultimate year. Final-year students cannot apply.
3. Grades: CGPA of 3.5/5.0 or 3.0/4.0 or higher. Year 1 students are judged on JAMB and WAEC or NECO results.
4. Need: you face critical financial need.
5. Character: you show integrity and have pushed through hardship.
6. Involvement: you take part in co-curricular or community service activities.

Eligibility edge cases

• Medical, law and other long courses: “penultimate year” depends on your course length. A 600 level MBBS student is in the final year; a 500 level one is penultimate and can apply. Medical students add every MBBS exam result to the transcript section.
• CGPA just under the line: 3.49 on a 5.0 scale does not meet a 3.5 minimum. Round nothing up.
• Direct Entry students: nothing in the call excludes them, as long as they are fully enrolled and not in final year. They have no university CGPA in their first session, so they should expect the same treatment as Year 1 applicants and include their entry results.
• Year 1 students without a transcript: the transcript is optional for you. Your JAMB and WAEC or NECO results carry the academic case.
• Students on another scholarship: the call does not mention a rule. “Critical financial need” is hard to show if another award already pays your fees, so be honest in your statement.

Bridge Scholarship documents, in the required order

Put these into one PDF in exactly this order:

1. Valid photo ID: NIN slip or voter’s card, for example.
2. University admission letter: from JAMB or your university.
3. Personal statement: 500 words maximum, about an adversity you faced and how you overcame it or how it beat you, with the names and phone numbers of two people who can verify the story.
4. JAMB result: Year 1 only.
5. WAEC or NECO result: Year 1 only.
6. Academic record or transcript: showing your overall CGPA. Optional for Year 1, compulsory for everyone else. Medical students add the results of every MBBS exam written so far.
7. HOD letter: a letter of identification and academic standing from your Head of Department, signed and stamped, on university letterhead.
8. Two recommendation letters: one page each at most, signed, with the referees’ names and phone numbers.
9. CV.
10. Proof of leadership (if you have it): a one-page list of past and present positions with title and duties, plus two verifiers’ names and phone numbers.

Formatting rules that get applicants disqualified

• Address every letter to “The Bridge Scholarship Board”.
• Letters must be typed on a computer and signed.
• Phone numbers are compulsory wherever contact details are asked for; email addresses are a bonus.
• Merge everything into one PDF (a free tool like iLovePDF merge works) and name the file with your first and last name.
• Keep the order above. You cannot correct anything after you submit.

Your two recommendation letters carry a lot of weight here. Our recommendation letter guide has three sample letters you can give your referees as a model.

For the CV, one or two pages is enough for an undergraduate: contact details, school and course, CGPA, any prizes, positions held, volunteering and skills. List leadership roles the same way on the CV and on the proof of leadership page so the two match.

How to write the Bridge Scholarship personal statement

The prompt is unusual. It asks about an adversity and lets you write about one that beat you, not only one you overcame. It also asks for two people who can confirm the story, which tells you the board checks. Honesty matters more than drama here.

1. The situation (about 100 words): what happened, when, and who it affected. Plain facts.
2. What you did (about 150 words): the decisions you made, the work you took on, the help you asked for.
3. The result (about 100 words): where it left you, including any part that did not work out.
4. What it taught you and where you are going (about 100 words): link it to your course, your grades and how the scholarship and mentoring would help.
5. Verifiers: two names and phone numbers at the end, people who actually saw what you describe.

A sample opening: “In my second semester at UNN, my mother’s shop in Ogbete market was pulled down in a demolition, and the money for my fees went with it. For the next four months I ran a small printing service from my hostel room and slept in a classmate’s room when I could not pay for my bedspace.” Specific places, specific numbers, no adjectives doing the work. Write your own; your verifiers will be asked about the details.

Keep to 500 words. Address the statement, like the letters, to “The Bridge Scholarship Board”, type it, and sign it.

How to apply for the Bridge Scholarship Program

1. Start with the HOD letter: it needs a signature, a stamp and letterhead, which usually takes the longest.
2. Brief your referees and verifiers: tell them they may be called and confirm their phone numbers.
3. Write the 500-word statement: tell one true story of hardship and what you did about it.
4. Merge and name the PDF: follow the order exactly and use your first and last name as the file name.
5. Submit on the form: use the Bridge Scholarship Google Form before 12 September 2027, 11:59 pm WAT.

Merging the PDF on a phone

Most students build this file on a phone. Scan each page with a scanner app so it comes out flat and readable, save each document as its own PDF, then open a merge tool, add the files in the required order and download the single PDF. Open the merged file and scroll through every page before you upload it, checking the order, signatures and that nothing is cut off. Name it “Firstname-Lastname.pdf”.

Google Forms with file uploads need you to be signed in to a Google account. Do this before the last day, since the 11:59 pm WAT cut-off is when connections are slowest.

What happens after you apply

The organiser has not published a selection timeline or interview format. The application itself points to the stages: files that break the formatting rules are dropped, then the board reads statements and letters, and the verifier and referee phone numbers suggest calls to confirm what you wrote. Make sure everyone you named knows to expect a call and will answer an unknown number.

Once selected, the scholarship continues until graduation. The organiser has not published a minimum CGPA to keep it, but since you entered with 3.5 or above, keeping close to that is the safe assumption.

Costs to plan for

Because listings disagree on whether the award covers accommodation and living costs or only educational expenses, plan as if some of your hostel, feeding and transport costs will stay with you until the board confirms in writing what it pays. The organiser has not published an amount or payment schedule.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Uploading several files instead of one merged PDF.
• Putting the documents out of order.
• Handwritten or unsigned letters, or letters addressed “To whom it may concern”.
• Recommendation letters longer than one page.
• Missing phone numbers for referees and verifiers.
• Applying in final year.

Similar scholarships for public university students

Women in STEM can also look at the Afro-Tech Girls Undergraduate Scholarship.

Who should apply, and who should not

Apply if you are at a federal or state university, not yet in final year, your CGPA is 3.5/5.0 or better (or your JAMB and O’Level results are strong if you are in Year 1), you have a real hardship story that two people can confirm, and you are willing to follow detailed instructions. Students who have held positions or done community work will find the leadership page helps them.

Skip it if you are in a private university, polytechnic or college of education, you are in final year, your CGPA is below the line, or you cannot get a stamped HOD letter before the deadline.

FAQ

Can final-year students apply for the Bridge Scholarship?

No. You must be between Year 1 and your penultimate year when you apply.

What CGPA do I need for the Bridge Scholarship?

At least 3.5 on a 5.0 scale or 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Year 1 students submit JAMB and WAEC or NECO results in place of a CGPA.

Can 100 level students apply for the Bridge Scholarship?

Yes. Year 1 students add their JAMB result and WAEC or NECO result, and the transcript is optional for them.

When is the Bridge Scholarship deadline?

The deadline is 12 September 2027 at 11:59 pm WAT.

Sources and updates

This post follows the 2026/2027 Bridge Scholarship call as listed by ScholarshipAir, After School Africa and Studentship, which give the eligibility rules, document order, formatting rules, application form and dates. The figure of 43 scholars in two years comes from Studentship’s 2024 listing. The organiser has not published the award amount, the number of places for 2027/2028, a selection timeline or a renewal CGPA. Last checked 24 October 2026. I will update the dates when the 2027/2028 call opens.

Jude Chinecherem

I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.