Julius Berger Scholarship 2027 for Female Engineering Students: Eligibility, Courses and Deadline

The Julius Berger scholarship is a merit award from Julius Berger Nigeria Plc for female Nigerian undergraduates in engineering, environmental and technology courses at federal or state universities. You apply in your second year (200 level) with a CGPA of at least 3.5 on a 5.0 scale, and the award is renewed every year until you graduate as long as you keep your grades up and stay in the same course.

The 2026 round closed on 16 September 2026, so if you missed it, plan for the 16 September 2027 deadline. Below are the eligible courses, the documents Scholastica’s portal asks for, how selection works, what past rounds paid and what you can do now if you are in 100 level.

What is the Julius Berger scholarship?

Julius Berger Nigeria Plc is the construction and engineering company behind many of Nigeria’s roads, bridges and public buildings. It runs the scholarship as part of its corporate social responsibility work, to bring more women into construction and engineering. The company’s Executive Director for Administration, Zubairu Ibrahim Bayi, described it in 2023 as a scheme for female engineering students picked in their second year at state or federal universities, and said 86 students were selected in that round. By April 2025, the company’s Head of Corporate Communications was quoted in BusinessDay saying the Female Undergraduate Scholarship Scheme had supported more than 150 young women.

Applications are handled by Scholastica, the scholarship management platform the company uses. Each year’s scheme gets its own page on the Scholastica candidate portal (JBN2026 for the 2026 round).

Julius Berger scholarship key dates

(based on this year’s date; confirm on the official page when the call opens). In 2026 the call was published in early September and closed on 16 September, about two weeks later, so start gathering documents before it opens.

Julius Berger scholarship eligibility

You need to meet every one of these conditions in the year you apply.

1. Nationality and gender: Nigerian citizen and female.
2. University: a federal or state university accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC). Private universities, polytechnics and colleges of education are not covered.
3. Level: full-time student in your second year (200 level).
4. Faculty: Engineering, Environmental Sciences or Technology, in one of the listed courses.
5. Grades: a CGPA of at least 3.5 on a 5-point scale from your 100-level results.

Eligible courses

Courses such as Computer, Petroleum, Agricultural or Biomedical Engineering do not appear on the list. If your course has a slightly different name at your university, check the course dropdown on the Scholastica form before you assume you are out.

Eligibility edge cases

• Direct entry students: the form asks for A’Level, OND or NCE results “if you came in by direct entry”, which suggests direct entry students in 200 level can apply. The call also asks for 100-level results, which you will not have. Julius Berger has not published how it handles this, so upload your entry results and your first 200-level semester result if it is out, and read the form carefully.
• CGPA of 3.49: the cut-off is 3.5. Rounding up is not something the call allows, so I would not count on it.
• Universities on a 4.0 or 7.0 scale: the rule is written for the 5-point scale. If your school uses another scale, the form or your HOD’s signature is where the equivalent will be checked.
• Students who changed course: if you moved into an eligible course at 200 level, you meet the course rule now. Keep in mind that renewal depends on staying in the same course from here on.
• Repeating 200 level or with carryovers: not addressed. A carryover usually pulls your CGPA down, which is the bigger problem.
• Missed it in 200 level: the scheme picks students in their second year only. If you are now in 300 level, you are out of this one.

Who should apply, and who shouldn’t

Apply if you are a woman in 200 level at a federal or state university, in one of the listed engineering, environmental or construction courses, with a CGPA of 3.5 or more. Because the grant renews to graduation, winning in 200 level can mean three or four years of support from one application. It also puts a major construction firm’s name on your CV.

Skip it if you are male, at a private university or polytechnic, outside 200 level, or in a course that is not on the list, such as Computer or Petroleum Engineering. Those students should look at the comparison table below.

How much does the Julius Berger scholarship pay?

The company does not print a naira figure in the call. At the 2023 award event, Julius Berger described the award as a cash grant of N100,000 per year. Listings of the 2026 call give ₦200,000 per academic year. Your award letter is the final word on the amount.

The grant continues each year until you graduate if you:

• stay in school and remain in the same course;
• do not fall below the qualifying CGPA of 3.5;
• keep to the academic and conduct standards set out in the award letter.

Costs the grant won’t cover

Whether the figure is ₦100,000 or ₦200,000 a year, it is a cash grant, not full funding. Engineering and architecture students usually still need money for drawing instruments and studio materials, a laptop that can run design software, SIWES placement costs (often in another city), field trips and final-year project materials, plus accommodation. I would stack it with another award where the rules allow.

Documents for the Julius Berger scholarship

If you need to reprint your UTME slip or admission letter, our guides to checking and printing your JAMB result and JAMB CAPS and admission letters show where to get them.

None of the listings of the 2026 call mention an essay or personal statement. Your grades, your documents and the test decide this one, so put your effort into clean uploads and test preparation.

How to apply for the Julius Berger scholarship

1. Get ready early: have a personal email address and phone number you check daily, and scan every document clearly.
2. Resize your photo: save your passport photograph as a JPEG under 200 KB before you start, since an oversized photo is the most common upload error.
3. Open the scheme page: go to the Scholastica candidate portal (candidate.scholastica.ng). The 2026 round was at candidate.scholastica.ng/schemes/JBN2026; the 2027 round should follow the same pattern.
4. Register: click Apply Now, then Register Now, and create your account.
5. Activate the account: click the link in the activation email Scholastica sends you. Check your spam folder if it does not arrive.
6. Fill the form: enter personal, NIN, education and course details. Keep your name in the same order as on your certificates.
7. Upload documents: attach each scan, then check that every file opens and is readable.
8. Submit: review your entries and click Apply Now to submit.
9. HOD verification: download your profile from the portal, get your Head of Department to sign it, and upload the signed copy before the deadline.

Apply only once. Multiple applications lead to disqualification. The HOD signature is the step that catches people out: your HOD may be away, in a meeting or busy with exams, so submit in the first week and leave days, not hours, for the signature.

Common mistakes

• Leaving the HOD signature to the last day: without the signed profile your application is incomplete.
• Names in a different order: “Adaeze Chinwe Okeke” on WAEC and “Okeke Adaeze” on JAMB needs an affidavit, or the mismatch can sink you at verification.
• Leaving out an O’Level sitting: if you combined two results, upload both.
• Applying from an ineligible course: check the course list first; the form will not make an exception.
• Creating two accounts: a second account counts as a second application and leads to disqualification.
• Not preparing for the test: shortlisting only gets you as far as the test.

How selection works

Julius Berger shortlists candidates from the online applications. Only shortlisted candidates are told the date of the selection test, which After School Africa’s listing describes as a proctored computer-based test. The company reserves the right to choose who is shortlisted, and successful candidates receive an award letter. Julius Berger has not published how many places there are each year, the test date or when award letters go out.

How to prepare for the aptitude test

The test is the real filter. The company does not publish a syllabus, so I would prepare as for a general graduate-style aptitude paper pitched at your level:

• Quantitative reasoning: percentages, ratios, simple statistics and reading data from tables and charts, done quickly without a calculator.
• Verbal reasoning: short passages followed by true, false or cannot say questions.
• 100-level maths and physics: calculus basics, vectors and mechanics from your first-year courses.
• Timing: practise full timed sets on a laptop, since a proctored online test usually means a webcam, a quiet room and a stable connection.

Our guide on studying for long hours without losing concentration helps if you are fitting test practice around your semester exams.

If you are in 100 level now

• Aim for a first-semester and second-semester GPA that keeps your CGPA at 3.5 or above, because that is the cut-off.
• Get your NIN now if you do not have one, at any NIMC enrolment centre, and make sure the name matches your WAEC and JAMB records.
• Keep soft copies of your admission letter, UTME slip and O’Level result in one folder.
• Ask early how your department releases 100-level results, since the form needs them in August or September.

Similar scholarships for women in engineering and science

Engineering students can also look at the Dangote Cement Engineering Research Competition and the Wole Ogunyemi Foundation undergraduate scholarship.

FAQ on the Julius Berger scholarship

When is the Julius Berger scholarship 2027 deadline?

16 September 2027. The 2026 round closed on 16 September 2026, about two weeks after the call was published.

Can male students apply for the Julius Berger scholarship?

No. The current scheme is only for female undergraduates in engineering, environmental and technology courses.

Can I apply from a private university or in 300 level?

No. You must be in 200 level at a federal or state university accredited by the NUC.

Is there a form fee for the Julius Berger scholarship?

No. Registration on the Scholastica portal is free, so anyone asking you to pay is not acting for Julius Berger.

Sources and updates

The 2026 eligibility rules, course list, documents, steps and the 16 September 2026 deadline come from the JBN2026 call on the Scholastica candidate portal, as published by scholarship listings including Opportunities For Africans and Opportunity Desk. The description of the test as proctored and computer based, and the 200 KB photo limit, come from After School Africa’s listing. The N100,000 yearly grant, renewal conditions and the 86 students selected in 2023 come from Julius Berger’s award event reported by Hallmark News in May 2023, and the figure of more than 150 beneficiaries comes from BusinessDay’s April 2025 report quoting the company. Julius Berger has not published the number of places, the test syllabus, test dates or how direct entry students are assessed. Last checked 24 October 2026; I will update this page when the 2027 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.