ASMAF Scholarship 2027 for Female Students in Professional Courses: Eligibility and How to Apply

The ASMAF Scholarship is a need-based award from the Ajesola Solarin Majekodunmi Foundation for young Nigerian women studying a professional course at a public university. It supports tuition, board and upkeep for up to six years, depending on the course. Applications open on 1 August 2027 and the deadline is 15 September 2027.

To qualify you must be female, Nigerian, from a low-income home and in tertiary education for the first time, admitted to or studying a course such as Medicine, Law, Engineering, Accountancy, Architecture or Actuarial Science. ASMAF sets the amount each year and tells finalists what they will receive. Scholars also get mentoring and leadership training.

ASMAF Scholarship at a glance

Item	Details
Sponsor	Ajesola Solarin Majekodunmi Foundation (ASMAF)
Who it is for	Female Nigerian citizens with real financial need
Courses	Medicine, Law, Actuarial Science, Engineering, Accountancy, Architecture and other professional courses
Institution	Public (federal or state) universities in Nigeria
Value	Set yearly by ASMAF; covers tuition, board and upkeep
Duration	Up to 6 years, renewed each year
Payment	Usually in instalments each semester
Applications open	1 August 2027
Deadline	15 September 2027
Where to apply	ASMAF online application portal

ASMAF Scholarship deadline and key dates

Stage	Date
Applications open	1 August 2027
Deadline	15 September 2027
Shortlist contact	By email after review

Deadline: 15 September 2027 (based on this year’s date; confirm on the official page when the call opens). The 2026 round ran from 1 August to 15 September 2026. ASMAF does not accept late applications.

Who can apply for the ASMAF Scholarship

1. Gender and nationality: female Nigerian citizen.
2. Financial need: you come from an indigent home. ASMAF looks at family income, assets, family size and what your family can contribute.
3. First degree: you are starting tertiary education for the first time. If you already hold a tertiary qualification, you do not qualify.
4. Admission: admitted to, or already enrolled full time in, an accredited undergraduate programme at a public Nigerian university.
5. Course: a professional course such as Medicine, Law, Actuarial Science, Engineering, Accountancy or Architecture.
6. Character: commitment to academic and professional excellence, and leadership potential.

Students already in school can apply as well as new entrants, provided this is their first time in tertiary education.

Documents for the ASMAF Scholarship

If you are newly admitted	If you are already enrolled
JAMB admission letter	Evidence of current university registration
O’Level credits in the required subjects (WAEC, NECO, GCE or another approved exam)	O’Level credits in the required subjects
Evidence that you passed the post-UTME, interview or other admission screening	Official transcript certified by the Registrar or a delegate

You also name recommenders who can speak to your character, ability and financial need. Relatives cannot act as recommenders, and ASMAF may contact them. Send them our scholarship recommendation letter samples so they know what to cover. If you were admitted through JAMB this year, accept the offer on JAMB CAPS before you print your admission letter.

How to apply for the ASMAF Scholarship

1. Check the guidelines: read the eligibility rules on the ASMAF scholarships page when the 2027 round opens.
2. Open the portal: the application form is at scholarship.asmaf.org.
3. Fill your details: personal, academic, course and household income information. False or missing information makes you ineligible.
4. Add recommenders: non-relatives who know you well.
5. Upload documents: admission or registration evidence, O’Level results and transcript if enrolled.
6. Submit before 15 September: then watch your email for the shortlist.

Applying is free. Never pay anyone who offers to submit, “fast track” or guarantee your application.

How ASMAF selects scholars

ASMAF checks every eligibility claim and may call your recommenders. It then ranks applicants provisionally by course of study, state of origin and the geopolitical zone of the admitting university. The final list depends on the funds available that year. If you receive an offer, reply within the time given in the offer letter.

Conditions for ASMAF scholars

• Keep a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, certified by the Registrar, to renew each year.
• Take part fully in ASMAF programmes, including mentoring and leadership training.
• Send a one-page progress report every year.
• No full-time work. Limited part-time work is allowed if it does not affect your studies.
• No other scholarship or bursary, and no change of course, without ASMAF’s written approval.
• The award cannot be transferred to another student or university.

If you are a woman in engineering, also look at the Julius Berger Scholarship for female engineering students and the Female Scholars Foundation Scholarship.

Step-by-step: preparing your ASMAF application

The window is six weeks, from 1 August to 15 September. Two of the documents (a certified transcript and recommenders’ details) depend on other people, so begin in July.

1. July: sort out your admission papers. New entrants should accept admission on CAPS, print the JAMB admission letter and keep the post-UTME or screening result slip. Enrolled students should request a transcript certified by the Registrar or a delegate, which can take weeks.
2. July: get your O’Level result ready. Have the scratch card or a clear copy of the WAEC, NECO or GCE statement showing credits in your course’s required subjects.
3. Late July: choose recommenders. A teacher, lecturer, religious leader or community figure who knows you and your family’s situation. No relatives. Confirm their phone numbers and emails, since ASMAF may contact them.
4. Late July: write down your household finances. Who earns money at home, roughly how much, how many people depend on that income, and what your family can pay towards school. You will need these figures for the form.
5. 1 August onwards: complete the form at scholarship.asmaf.org. Fill each section, upload clear scans and check that names match across every document.
6. Before the end of August: submit. Do not leave it to 15 September. Incomplete applications are not considered.
7. After submission: watch your email. Shortlisted applicants are contacted by email, so use an address you check daily.

ASMAF has not published file formats or size limits. Clear PDF scans are the safest choice; if the portal asks for something else, follow the portal.

How to present your financial need

Listings of the 2026 call do not mention a set essay or interview. The deciding factor is need, assessed from family income, assets, family size and what your family can contribute. So the way you describe your situation matters even in short form fields.

• Be specific: “My mother sells provisions and earns about ₦60,000 a month; she supports four children” says more than “my family is poor”.
• Be consistent: the figures you give must match what your recommenders say if ASMAF calls them.
• Show what you have done: part-time work, a deferred fee, help from a church or relative. It shows commitment.
• Link it to your course: professional courses run five or six years and cost more in materials. Say why you chose Medicine, Law or Engineering and what the support would make possible.

If the form gives you a free-text box, an opening like this works:

“I was admitted to study Law at the University of Ibadan with 268 in UTME. My father died in 2023 and my mother, a seamstress, now supports five of us on less than ₦80,000 a month. I paid my acceptance fee with savings from a holiday job.”

That is an illustration only. Use your own facts, and never inflate them: ASMAF verifies eligibility claims, and false information disqualifies you.

Eligibility edge cases

• Private university students: not eligible. The award is for public (federal or state) universities.
• Polytechnic or college of education students: the listings only mention universities, so they do not qualify.
• Holders of an ND, NCE or earlier degree: not eligible, because ASMAF is for students in tertiary education for the first time. A direct entry student with an ND would fall into this group.
• Courses outside the named list: ASMAF says “such as” before its course list, so other professional courses (for example Pharmacy, Nursing or Quantity Surveying) may count. The portal guidelines decide; check them when the call opens.
• Already on another scholarship: scholars cannot hold another award without ASMAF’s written approval, so declare any current award on the form.
• Male students: not eligible. The award is for women only.

Common mistakes

• Listing an aunt or cousin as a recommender. Relatives are not allowed.
• Uploading a transcript that has not been certified by the Registrar.
• Guessing household figures, then giving different numbers if ASMAF calls.
• Leaving optional fields blank when they give room to explain need.
• Applying from a private university or with a previous tertiary qualification and hoping it is overlooked.
• Missing the offer reply window. ASMAF can reallocate places if you do not respond in time.

What happens after you apply

After the deadline, ASMAF checks each claim and may phone your recommenders. Applicants are then ranked provisionally by course, state of origin and the geopolitical zone of the admitting university, so it is not a single national merit list. The number of awards depends on the funds ASMAF has that year, and the foundation has not published how many scholars it takes per round. Shortlisted applicants hear by email. Finalists are told the amount they will receive, and decisions are final with no appeals.

Once you accept, payment usually comes in semester instalments. To keep it, you send a certified CGPA of 3.0 or above and a one-page progress report each year, and you attend ASMAF’s mentoring and leadership programmes.

Costs you may still need to plan for

ASMAF covers tuition, board and upkeep, but it sets the amount yearly, and a figure set for the whole cohort may not match every cost on your campus. Keep a small budget for:

• Acceptance fees and first semester charges due before any instalment arrives
• Course materials that cost more in professional programmes, such as medical textbooks, dissection kits, law reports or engineering drawing tools
• Clinical postings, SIWES, field trips and Law School later on (Law School is a separate stage after your degree)
• Transport to ASMAF mentoring events, if they are held in person

ASMAF compared with similar scholarships for women

Scholarship	What it pays	Who it is for	Deadline
ASMAF Scholarship	Tuition, board and upkeep, up to 6 years	Women in professional courses at public universities, first degree, financial need	15 September 2027
Julius Berger Scholarship	Scholarship for female engineering students	200 level women in engineering, environmental and technology courses, CGPA 3.5	16 September 2027
Female Scholars Foundation Scholarship	Tuition, books and living costs	Young women at public universities, 240 in UTME	31 December 2026
Afro-Tech Girls Undergraduate Scholarship	₦100,000 once	Female STEM students at public universities and polytechnics	25 September 2027

Who should apply, and who should not

Apply if you are a Nigerian woman in your first tertiary programme, studying or admitted to a professional course at a federal or state university, and your family genuinely struggles to pay. This is one of the few Nigerian awards that can run for the whole length of a six-year course such as Medicine, so it is worth the effort.

Do not apply if you attend a private university or polytechnic, already hold a tertiary qualification, or your family can meet your fees without strain. Need is checked, and recommenders may be called.

FAQ

Who is eligible for the ASMAF Scholarship?

Female Nigerian citizens from low-income homes, in tertiary education for the first time, studying a professional course such as Medicine, Law or Engineering at a public university.

How much does the ASMAF Scholarship pay?

ASMAF sets the amount each year and tells finalists. It covers tuition, board and upkeep for up to six years.

Can students already in 200 level or above apply for ASMAF?

Yes, if it is your first time in tertiary education. Enrolled students submit proof of registration and a certified transcript.

When is the ASMAF Scholarship deadline?

The deadline is 15 September 2027, and applications open on 1 August 2027.

Sources and updates

This post uses the ASMAF 2026 call as listed by ScholarshipAir (eligibility, documents, conditions and selection), ICAN Student (opening date and the financial need assessment), and CrispNG and Success Tonics (payment by semester and recommender rules). The guidelines on the ASMAF portal are final. Last checked 24 October 2026.