NNPC - SNEPCO Postgraduate Scholarship Programme 2026

Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo), operator of the Oil Mining Lease 118 (OML 118) on behalf of itself and other Co-Venturers consisting of Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria and Nigerian Agip Exploration Company Limited under a Production Sharing Contract (PSC) with Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) is delighted to announce the annual NNPC-SNEPCo Postgraduate Scholarship for applicants from across the 36 states in Nigeria including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

Applications are invited for:

Title: NNPC - SNEPCO Postgraduate Scholarship

Location: Nigeria

Objective

• The objective of the scholarship programme is to provide postgraduate study opportunity in courses that are relevant to the oil and gas industry, for qualifying students.
• For the academic year commencing September 2026, NNPC-SNEPCo in partnership with two universities in the UK - The University of Aberdeen and Newcastle University - will award scholarships for one-year post-graduate M.Sc. studies.

Eligible Courses
The following courses qualify for award of scholarships at the two institutions:

University of Aberdeen

• MSc Geophysics
• MSc Safety & Reliability Engineering for Oil & Gas
• MSc Advanced Chemical Engineering
• MSc Integrated Petroleum Geoscience.

Newcastle University

• MSc Data Science and AI
• MSc Data Science
• MSc Engineering Management
• MSc Sustainable Chemical Engineering
• MSc Artificial Intelligence
• MSc Robotics and AI.
• MSc Marine and Ocean Engineering.

Eligibility Criteria
To qualify for the scholarship, applicants must:

• Display intellectual ability and leadership potential;
• Have an adequate standard of English (at least 6.5 in IELTS) and meet the College's language requirement;
• Have been offered admission to study on one of the Eligible Courses at the college having applied through the normal application process.
• Already hold (or expect to hold by the time of taking up the Scholarship) a degree of an equivalent standard to a UK Upper Second-Class Honours degree
• Must have completed their National Youth Service by September 2026
• Must be a Nigerian residing in Nigeria
• Have not already had the chance of studying in the UK or other developed
• Be aged between 21-28 years by 30/09/2026.
• Have a Nigerian international passport valid till December 2026.
• Employees, employees' relatives (or former employees who have left employment less than 5 years before) of SNEPCO, Royal Dutch SHELL Group of Companies or the College will not be eligible to apply for the Scholarships.

Benefits

• The scholarship will cover tuition, one economy return-flight ticket from Nigeria to the UK and a contribution towards living expenses only.

Application Closing Date
8th June, 2026

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should submit application for admission to any of the participating universities for any of the qualifying courses.

University of Aberdeen

Newcastle University

Application Process

• Application forms for the scholarship will ONLY be available through the websites of the Imperial College London, University of Aberdeen and Newcastle University following a formal offer of admission by the university,
• The universities will process applications and select candidates who will attend interviews with SNEPCo before being considered for final selection.
• Completed scholarship application forms must reach participating universities not later than June 8th, 2026.

Note

• MORE INFORMATION ON SPECIFIC COURSE ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS CAN BE OBTAINED from the websites of the the two individual universities.
• Personal data collected by Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo) on behalf of itself, Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and its Co-venture partners will be used exclusively for the purpose of selection of candidates for scholarship award. The information will not be used for an incompatible purpose.
• NNPC-SNEPCo is the Controller for the processing of your personal data and will not use your personal data for direct marketing purposes.
• In the event the personal data needs to be processed by, transferred to, or exchanged with a third party, appropriate contractual safeguards will be put in place to ensure that the third party will take adequate measures to safeguard the privacy of the data.
• As a data subject, you have the right to object to the processing of your personal data on legitimate compelling grounds except when it is processed in order to comply with a legal obligation is to be used for the purpose for which you have given your implied consent.
• SNEPCo will only retain the data for as long as it is necessary to serve the purpose of collection or to the extent necessary to comply with applicable law or to protect the rights of Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo), its Co-venture partners or the data subject concerned.
• We have implemented technology and policies with the objective of protecting your privacy from unauthorized access and improper use.
• Please note that the stipends (living expenses) are based on the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) published living rates and are limited to this only.
• This is a non-committal scholarship. Note that NEITHER Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo) NOR Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and its Co-venture partners is obligated to offer employment of any sort to any candidate upon graduation, neither are successful candidates bonded to Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo) on behalf of itself, Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and its Co-venture partners for any period on account of the scholarship award.
• Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo) on behalf of itself, Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and its Co-venture partners will only provide a medical insurance in line with UK Student Visa requirements.