The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) was established and tasked with the responsibility of imposing, managing, and disbursing tax to public tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) under the TETFund Scholarship for Academic Staff (TSAS) programme provides university lecturers in Nigeria the necessary funds to do their master’s or doctorate programmes in an approved Nigerian university or a university abroad.
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The TSAS programme, which was established by TETFUND in 2008, offers full tuition and living expenses to lecturers in Nigerian universities to do their Master’s or Doctorate programme without having to worry about where the funds will come from.
The beneficiaries of these scholarships are nominated by their Institution of employment. The Beneficiary Institutions are expected to nominate scholars for sponsorship to study for a Master’s degree (MA, MEd, MSc.) or a doctorate (PhD) at any university, whether in Nigeria or outside Nigeria. Institutions can also recommend for sponsorship a scholar pursuing a doctorate in Nigeria who wishes to travel abroad for research work in the science field for twelve (12) months and not less than three (3) months.
Submissions for this sponsorship must represent 60% of Science and technology-based courses, while 40% represent arts and social science courses.
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All prospective scholars who wish to be sponsored by the Fund and who would be commencing their study programmes by September are mandatorily required to submit their applications for sponsorship to the Fund not later than 31st May, and for those commencing studies in January of the new year, applications should have been submitted to the Fund for processing, latest by 31st
While applying for the TETFUND SCHOLARSHIP, certain guidelines should be followed by beneficiary institutions as well as prospective TETFund scholars. In this article, I will explain everything you need about the TETFUND Scholarship for University Lecturers.
Benefits of the Tetfund Scholarship
The TETFUND scholarship award offers the following grant to successful lecturers who study through the TSAS program.
Sponsorship for a Ph.D. in a science-based discipline is N1,500,000.00 per annum, while other disciplines get N1,200,000.00 per annum. Sponsorship for Master’s degree programmes for Science-based disciplines is N1,500,000.00, while other disciplines are N1,200,000.00.
The funds are allocated thus.
- 30% of the allocation is to be spent on Postdoctoral Fellowship;
- 30% of the allocation is to be spent on foreign scholarships.
- Meanwhile, 30% of the allocation will be spent on sponsoring scholars at Nigerian universities.
- A maximum of 10% of the allocation will be spent on bench work.
Tetfund Scholarship Requirements
The TETFUND Programmes supported under the TSAS do not offer scholarships for online or part-time Masters and PhD degree programmes. Only universities under the National Universities Commission (NUC) offering the approved graduate courses would be accepted in Nigeria.
Also, scholars cannot study at the university where they work, as inbreeding is prohibited.
Applicants seeking sponsorship to study abroad must note the following:
- You must seek admission to countries with universities that are better than the universities in Nigeria.
- You should be guided by the University league tables of the countries to ensure that they are seeking placement in the top-of-the-league Universities.
- You cannot change Institution or course of study after the scholarship award. Failure to adhere to this means that the scholarship grant will be refunded, and the scholar will be barred from enjoying the Fund’s support.
Tetfund Scholarship for MSc
The TETFUND Scholarship allows university lecturers to get funds to embark on their master’s program at a Nigerian university or a chosen university outside Nigeria.
Institutions will submit their recommendations/nominations for the Masters program alongside the Minutes of the meeting of the selection Committee. The scholar will submit the relevant documents alongside. Once the board approves the scholarship, their tuition fee will be sent directly to their Institution, which will then disburse the funds appropriately.
Sponsorship for Masters degree programmes for Science-based disciplines is N1,500,000.00, while other disciplines are N1,200,000.00.
All Masters programmes will not exceed two years in Nigeria and one year in Europe. However, Master’s degree programmes in Malaysia, India, Taiwan, Thailand, North America and the United Arab Emirates could be for a maximum of 2 years;
Tetfund Scholarship for PhD
The TETFUND Scholarship program also caters To PhD scholars. The beneficial Institution has to submit the names of nominees for the PhD programs in an institution, either in Nigeria or abroad, that follows the guidelines of the Fund.
Once the scholarship is approved, scholars pursuing a PhD in a Science-based discipline will be paid N1,500,000.00 annually. In contrast, other disciplines will get N1,200,000.00 annually to cover their tuition and living expenses. The tuition fees will be paid directly by the Fund to the Institution.
PhD scholars are also paid their living expenses annually after the Fund has received a satisfactory progress report showing that the scholar is doing well academically.
PhD dissertations of successful returnee scholars are usually submitted to the Fund by the beneficiary institution in soft and hard copies. The Fund’s Book Development Committee will consider their dissertation for publication.
Also, sponsorship for PhD courses by the Fund is now for 4 years.
Tetfund Scholarship for Undergraduate
The TETFUND Scholarship program caters only for University Lecturers who are expected to get a Master’s degree and a Doctoral degree to forge ahead in their academic career.
Therefore, this scholarship program is not open to undergraduates.
How to Apply for the Tetfund Scholarship
To apply for the TETFUND Scholarship, beneficiary institutions will submit their recommendations alongside the minutes of the selection committee meeting. The committee could be the TETFund Interventions Implementation Committee, the Academic Board Committee, or the Committee of Deans & Directors.
Also, scholarship applications will now be processed for payment en bloc by the Fund at two(2) different times of the year. Those resuming studies in September will have their payment processed in May. Those commencing their study programme in January will have their payments processed in October.
Submissions must be accompanied with the relevant documents. This includes:
- Admission Letter.
- Filled TETFund Nomination Form.
- Applicant’s Academic Resume.
- Schedule of fees from the University.
- Bond Form.
- Medical Certificate.
- Bank Details.
Prospective beneficiaries are required to obtain a tuition fee invoice from the institutions where they will be doing their programme. This invoice will state the total amount payable as tuition for the entire duration of their study programme. The invoice should have the following details:
- Full name of prospective scholar.
- Bank account details of the Institution where the tuition will be paid.
- The total amount payable for the course duration must be shown on the invoice.
- Sort Code.
- ABA Routing No (For USA Institutions)/ SWIFT/BIC Code, IBAN No for European and UK Institutions, Transit code (for Canadian Institutions), and IFSC Number for Indian Institutions.
Submissions will be made in hard copy and accompanied by an Excel sheet containing these details in a memory stick. Any application for a scholarship that does not meet these requirements will not be considered for sponsorship by the Fund. Copies should be sent to the following emails: es@tetfund.gov.ng and ast&ddept@tetfund.gov.ng. Once a scholar successfully gains the scholarship, they must seek the approval of the Fund before commencing the programme.
Also, Note that any expenses incurred by the scholars without approval from the TETFUND will not be reimbursed.
Once the vetting process is completed, the Fund will communicate approval or non-approval to the beneficiary institution and individual scholars. Successful scholars would then be paid their living expenses through their institutions, and the institutions would then release them to commence their study programmes.
In addition, once your scholarship is approved, a scholarship award letter will be issued to the beneficiary through their institutions stating their entitlements, fees and other conditions.
Foreign-based scholars will get their funds through the domiciliary account established by the beneficiary institutions. While the tuition fees would be paid directly to the foreign Institution by the Fund.
The Fund also expects yearly progress reports on each scholar under the scheme from their various institutions based on the approved reporting template. This progress report will determine if the fund disbursements will continue, especially if the scholar is not doing well academically.
FAQS
Who Is Eligible for Tetfund Scholarship?
To be eligible for TETFund scholarship under its TSAS intervention, a nominee must fulfil the following criteria:
i. Be a full-time Nigerian academic staff member working at a Nigerian university.
ii. A beneficiary Institution must nominate you.
iii. You must have secured admission to pursue a full-time programme of study. Either a Masters degree or a Doctoral programme in a University that satisfies the guidelines of the TETFUND scholarship programme.
iiii. You must not be applying to study for a second Masters degree or a second doctorate degree.
v. A nominee for doctorate scholarship who has already benefited from the Fund’s scholarship for their Masters degree must live the bond period of the Masters degree before applying to be sponsored for their doctorate study.
vi. You must not have received any other scholarship.
vii. You must submit evidence of medical fitness from a Public Hospital.
How Do I Apply for Tetfund Grant?
Application for the TETFUND grant is made through institutions. Institutions are to recommend/nominate the scholars who will benefit from the program and submit them to a selection committee. The committee will then approve the list and disburse the required funds.
Submissions must be accompanied with relevant documents. This includes:
- Admission Letter.
- Filled TETFund Nomination Form.
- Applicant’s Academic Resume.
- Schedule of fees from the University.
- Bond Form.
- Medical Certificate.
- Bank Details.
The institutions are required to set up a domiciliary account for their institutions to ease the administration of funds lodged in it for their foreign-based scholars. Evidence of compliance should be forwarded to TETFund once it has been concluded.
How Much Does Tetfund Pay in Nigeria?
TETFUND only funds Masters and Doctoral degree programs. For the masters degree program for Science-based disciplines, TETFUND pays N1,500,000.00 while other disciplines are N1,200,000.00
For the Ph.D programme, Science-based discipline receives N1,500,000.00 per annum while other disciplines get N1,200,000.00 per annum.
How Much Does Tetfund Pay for Masters?
TETFUND pays N1,500,000.00 while other disciplines are N1,200,000.00.
Final Thoughts
Every year, Nigerian university lecturers are sponsored by the TETFUND Scholarship program to do their Masters or Doctorate programme in any university of choice. It is a known fact that Nigerian lecturers are finding it hard to sponsor their Masters and Doctorate program through their salary. With these intervention funds provided by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, a lecturer can easily finish these programmes and advance in their academic career.
As of January, The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) approved a total sum of N761,491,924.80 for 12 Nigerian lecturers from public tertiary institutions to undertake doctoral and PhD studies on science-related disciplines in France. News Telegraph in a news article dated 30th January 2024:
“The TEFund boss stated that the 12 scholars were approved by the management of TETFund from 8 beneficiary institutions and explained that the approval was Cohort 1 and was a sequel to the call for the presentation of eligible prospective scholars earlier communicated to all TETFund beneficiaries institutions”.
This goes on to show how this scholarship opportunity has helped in advancing the academic career of different Nigerian university lecturers.
