The KPMG Seyi Bickersteth Scholarship gives a yearly grant to 100 level students from low-income homes who are studying Accounting, Business Administration, Economics, Actuarial Science, Insurance or Finance at a Federal University in Nigeria. You need at least 230 in UTME and five distinctions in WASSCE, including English and Mathematics. The deadline is 13 August 2027.
The grant runs for the whole four-year course and comes with holiday internships, mentoring and a possible job at KPMG, Leadway Assurance or Andersen if you graduate with a First Class or Second Class Upper. If you are writing UTME in 2027 and want one of these courses, the 230 cut-off is the number to plan around now.
Seyi Bickersteth Scholarship at a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Seyi Bickersteth Scholarship Programme (SBSP) |
| Run by | The Seyi Bickersteth Scholarship Fund with KPMG, Leadway Assurance and Andersen |
| Named after | Seyi Bickersteth, Senior Partner of KPMG Nigeria from 2002 to 2016 and Chairman of KPMG Africa from 2014 to 2016 |
| Value | A yearly grant for the four years of your course; listings say it covers tuition and a living stipend |
| Extras | Holiday or SIWES internships, mentoring, possible graduate job |
| Who it is for | Indigent Nigerian students in 100 level at a Federal University |
| Application portal | KPMG’s recruitment portal on seamlesshiring.com |
| Cost of applying | Free |
Seyi Bickersteth Scholarship 2027 deadline
| Item | Date |
|---|---|
| Deadline | 13 August 2027 |
| Where the call is posted | KPMG’s seamlesshiring.com portal |
(based on this year’s date; confirm on the official page when the call opens)
The window is short. In 2026 the call appeared in early August and closed about ten days later, and the round before that closed in February 2025, so the timing can shift. Have your documents scanned before the call opens.
Who can apply for the KPMG Seyi Bickersteth Scholarship
- School: you have a provisional admission letter from a Federal University in Nigeria. State and private universities are not listed.
- Course: a four-year course in Accounting, Business Administration, Economics, Actuarial Science, Insurance or Finance.
- Level: you are in 100 level when you apply.
- UTME: a score of 230 or higher.
- WASSCE: at least five distinctions, including English Language and Mathematics.
- Secondary school: you attended a public secondary school, or a private one where you were on a scholarship.
- Need: the fund targets students from low-income families.
A distinction in WASSCE means an A1, B2 or B3. Five of them is a high bar for many students. The UTME line of 230 is also above the cut-off many federal universities use for these courses.
Eligibility edge cases
Most of the questions I get about this scholarship come from students who meet four of the rules and are unsure about the fifth. Here is how the published call reads on the common grey areas.
- Direct Entry students: the call asks for students in 100 level. Direct Entry candidates usually start in 200 level, so they fall outside the rule as written.
- NECO instead of WASSCE: the call names WASSCE only. It does not say whether NECO or NABTEB results are accepted, so if NECO is all you have, ask through the portal before you rely on it.
- Two sittings: the call does not say whether the five distinctions must come from one sitting. Upload what you have and be honest on the form.
- Related but unlisted courses: Banking and Finance, Marketing or Statistics are not on the published list. Only the six named courses are mentioned.
- Private secondary school without a scholarship: excluded by the call, even if your family’s money ran out later.
- Older UTME result: nothing in the call limits which year you wrote UTME. What counts is being a 100 level student at a federal university with 230 or more.
Benefits of the scholarship
| Benefit | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Yearly financial grant | Paid each year until you finish the four-year course |
| Internships | Placement during holidays or your industrial attachment |
| Mentorship | Contact with professionals in the sponsoring firms |
| Graduate job consideration | At KPMG, Leadway Assurance or Andersen, if you finish with a First Class or Second Class Upper |
The fund does not publish the naira value of the grant or how many scholars it takes. After School Africa says several students are picked each year.
Costs you may still have to cover
Because the grant amount is not published, plan as if some costs will stay with your family, at least in the first months. The application closes after many federal universities have already asked fresh students to pay acceptance fees and register, so the grant cannot help with those early bills.
- Acceptance fee and first registration charges, usually due before any scholarship result
- Medical tests, ID card and departmental dues at resumption
- Transport to and from internship placements, unless the firm states otherwise
- Professional exam fees (ICAN, CIBN, CIIN) if you start them while still in school; the call does not mention them
Documents to prepare
- Provisional admission letter from your federal university
- UTME result slip showing 230 or more
- WASSCE result with five distinctions
- Evidence of your secondary school (and of your scholarship, if it was private)
- Personal details for the online form
Print your admission letter from JAMB early. Our JAMB CAPS guide walks through accepting the offer, and our JAMB result guide covers reprinting the slip.
Scan each document on its own, in colour, and name the files clearly (for example “UTME-result-yourname.pdf”). The portal’s file limits were not published with the call, so keep each file small; a PDF under 1MB is a safe habit. If your WASSCE certificate has not been issued, the online result printout from the WAEC portal is what most students upload.
How to apply for the KPMG Seyi Bickersteth Scholarship
- Watch for the call: it is posted on KPMG’s portal at kpmg.seamlesshiring.com; the 2026 call was job 247.
- Create an account: register on the portal with a working email.
- Fill the form: personal details, school, course and results.
- Upload documents: admission letter, UTME and WASSCE results.
- Submit: before 13 August 2027.
- Prepare for the test: After School Africa reports that shortlisted candidates sit an aptitude test, and the final pick weighs merit, need and test score.
Applying is free; never pay anyone.
A closer walkthrough of the portal
The portal is KPMG’s normal recruitment system, the same one graduates use for job applications. That matters because it behaves like a job portal: you sign up, confirm your email, then open the scholarship listing and click to apply. Expect the form to ask for your contact details, date of birth, the name of your university and course, your UTME score and your WASSCE grades subject by subject.
Use an email you check every day, because shortlist and test invitations from recruitment portals come by email and can land in spam or promotions folders. Type your name exactly as it appears on your JAMB and WAEC records. A mismatch between “Oluwaseun” on one document and “Seun” on another is the kind of thing that slows down verification.
Do not leave the form to the last two days. With a ten-day window, the final evening is when the site is busiest and when power or data problems hurt most.
How to write about your financial need and goals
The 2026 call did not publish a set essay question. Recruitment forms like this one often include short text boxes, and the fund is explicit that it is looking for indigent students, so be ready to explain your situation and your plans in a few clear paragraphs if you are asked.
A simple structure works best:
- Your situation in facts: who pays your fees now, what they earn or do, and how many children depend on them. Numbers help more than adjectives.
- What you have done with little: the results you got from a public school, any jobs or responsibilities you carried.
- Why this course: a real reason you chose Accounting, Actuarial Science or Finance, tied to something you saw or did.
- What you will do with the internships: the sponsors are an audit and advisory firm, an insurer and a tax firm, so show you understand what they do.
A sample opening: “My mother sells provisions in Oja Oba market and pays school fees for four of us from what she makes in a good month. I finished at a public school in Akure with A1 in Mathematics and Economics, and I want to study Actuarial Science because I watched her lose her stall after a fire with no insurance.” It is specific, honest and links need to course. Write your own version; selectors read many of these and copied openings stand out for the wrong reason.
What happens after you apply
- Screening: applications are checked against the published rules (federal university, course, 100 level, UTME 230, five distinctions, school type).
- Aptitude test: shortlisted candidates are invited to a test, according to After School Africa. The format and pass mark are not published. Practise basic numerical and verbal reasoning questions so the test style does not surprise you.
- Final selection: the fund weighs merit, need and test performance. Whether there is an interview stage has not been published.
- Award and renewal: the grant is described as yearly for four years. The fund has not published a minimum CGPA to keep it, but the job offer at the end is tied to a First Class or Second Class Upper, so treat 2:1 standing as your floor.
No results date is published. If you hear nothing within a few weeks of the test, assume you were not selected this round and keep applying elsewhere.
Common mistakes that cost applicants
- Applying from a state university because the course matches. The call is limited to federal universities.
- Waiting for the admission letter to be “final” before applying. A provisional admission letter is what the call asks for.
- Missing the call entirely because it opens and closes within about ten days. Check the portal from late July.
- Ignoring the test invitation email because it went to spam.
- Paying “agents” who promise to submit for you or guarantee selection.
Similar scholarships to compare
If you miss one of the rules, or want a second option running alongside, these awards target a similar group of students.
| Scholarship | Who it targets | Main rule | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| KPMG Seyi Bickersteth | 100 level, federal universities, six business courses | UTME 230+, five WASSCE distinctions | 13 August 2027 |
| Carewave Aspire Scholarship | Federal university students | ₦500,000 a year to 20 students | 9 November 2026 |
| Rebecca Charles Trust Scholarship | Freshers at federal and state universities | UTME 200+, full tuition and stipend | 31 August 2027 |
| Decagon Undergraduate Scholarship | New students with financial need | UTME 250+, partner universities | 15 October 2027 |
Check each linked guide for the full rules before you apply; the deadlines above come from those pages.
Who should apply, and who should not
You should apply if you are a 100 level student at a federal university in one of the six courses, you scored 230 or more, you have five WASSCE distinctions, you came from a public school (or a private one on scholarship) and your family genuinely struggles with fees. If you also want a career in audit, tax, advisory or insurance, the internships and job route make this one of the more valuable awards in Nigeria for business students.
You should skip it if you are at a state or private university, in 200 level or above, studying a course outside the list, or from a fee-paying private school without a scholarship. Your time is better spent on the alternatives in the table above.
FAQs about the Seyi Bickersteth Scholarship
What is the JAMB cut-off mark for the KPMG scholarship?
You need at least 230 in UTME. You also need five WASSCE distinctions, including English and Mathematics.
Can 200 level students apply for the Seyi Bickersteth Scholarship?
No. Only students in 100 level at the time of applying are considered, which also leaves out most Direct Entry students.
Is the KPMG scholarship for state university students?
No. It is for students admitted to a Federal University in Nigeria.
When is the Seyi Bickersteth Scholarship deadline?
The deadline is 13 August 2027. The window has been short in past rounds, so start checking KPMG’s portal from late July.
Sources and updates
Eligibility comes from the 2026 call on KPMG’s seamlesshiring.com portal. The 2026 closing date and the benefits come from Opportunities for Africans and After School Africa, which also describes the aptitude test. The February 2025 round and Seyi Bickersteth’s career come from Opportunities for Africans’ 2025 listing. ScholarshipAir lists the same 2026 deadline. The fund has not published the grant value, the number of awards, the test format or a results date. Checked on 24 October 2026; I will update this page when the 2027 call opens.
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.
