The University extends a warm welcome to students from Nigeria. Nigeria accounts for the second largest amount of new international students at the University. There are currently 164 Nigerian students at the University following undergraduate and postgraduate courses in a range of subjects.
The University has a number of links with Nigerian universities, schools and sponsors. It is home to the prestigious Centre of West African Studies, the only university department in the world to concentrate specifically on West Africa. Further details about the work it carries out can be found on the Africa Hub.
Entry Requirements
Scholarships
Visits to Nigeria
Student life at Birmingham
Birmingham alumni activities in Nigeria
Contact us
Representatives in your country
Entry requirements
The following information is for guidance only and should be used together with the University's general entrance requirements and any specific degree programme requirements.
Please note: If you have taken exams which are from another country's national education system (eg the Arbitur from Germany or SAT and AP exams from the USA) you should consult the country specific section for that country for qualification equivalence information. If you are unsure about the acceptability of your qualifications for entry to Birmingham please contact us for further details.
Undergraduate
The University will consider students who have taken A Level examinations and the International Baccalaureate (IB) for entrance to undergraduate programmes.
Students who hold the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE), either WAEC or NECO, and who have completed a suitable foundation programme, will be considered for admission to undergraduate programmes. Students will need at least 5 grade 'B's on their SSCE for entry onto the Birmingham Foundation Academy. Alternatively, students will need the joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) with 300+ points and at least 5 subjects at grade C4. For more information please visit the Birmingham Foundation Academy website.
The University has an agreement with The University of Lagos (Unilag) Foundation Programme which provides a pathway for Unilag students completing the programme to undergraduate programmes at Birmingham. Scholarships are available for Engineering, Law, Environmental Sciences and Biosciences undergraduate programmes.
Postgraduate
Students who have completed a Bachelor degree (minimum 4 years) from a recognised institution will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level. Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree with a minimum GPA of at least 3.0/4 or 3.5/5.
Students who hold a good Masters degree will be considered for PhD study.
English Language
English language at grade C or above (or in numerical terms, grade 6 or above) in the WAEC SSCE is sufficient to meet the standard English language requirements.
Minimum requirements vary according to the chosen programme.
See the English language page for specific programme requirements.
Scholarships
The University of Birmingham offers a range of part-fee scholarships for international students at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, a brief description of some of these and external scholarships are detailed below. For full information and to apply, please see the Scholarships section.
UoB Scholarships
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Scholarship Name
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Details
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International Postgraduate Scholarships
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£10,000 award for up to 20 international students classed as ‘overseas’ for fees purposes. Open to all students studying a taught Masters degree programme.
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Subject specific
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Various Schools offer subject specific scholarships, please check their website for further details
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External Scholarships
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Scholarship Name
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Details
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Ford Foundation International Fellowship Programme
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Full scholarships for students studying postgraduate programmes which are related to furthering the Foundation’s goals of strengthening democratic values, reducing poverty and injustice, promoting international cooperation, and advancing human achievement.
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Lagos State Scholarship Board
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The Foreign Scholarship award is designed for students of Lagos State origin admitted for undergraduate or postgraduate programmes in recognised tertiary institutions outside Nigeria. It is applicable to applicants studying subjects such as technological, medical, languages and environmental sciences.
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Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF)
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Scholarship award for Nigerian graduates to travel overseas in order to study postgraduate courses in areas relevant to the Oil, Gas and Solid Minerals industry.
The University of Birmingham has a good relationship with the PTDF and happy to welcome a number of PTDF sponsored students each year. Dr Babatunde Anifowose, a former PhD Chemical Engineering PTDF sponsored student, talks about his experience at Birmingham in the video below:
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Commonwealth Scholarship
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Approximately 200 scholarships on offer each year for students studying in one of the Commonwealth countries.
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NNPC/ESSO International Postgraduate Scholarship Awards
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International Scholarships to outstanding Nigerian graduates wishing to pursue post-graduate studies in Geosciences, Engineering (Petroleum, Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical, Sub-Sea and Marine).
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Chevening Scholarship
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One year postgraduate scholarship.
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DFID Shared Scholarships
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A scholarship to graduate students who want to study in the UK in the economic, social or technological fields.
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Bank PHB UK Education Loan
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This loan is available for undergraduate and postgraduate studies in universities recognised by the British Council.
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Visits to Nigeria
Staff from the University of Birmingham visit different countries throughout the year to meet with students, schools and universities. The University aims to visit Nigeria at least twice a year; once in February to attend the British Council exhibitions in Abuja and Lagos and once in spring to meet with offer holders and hold independent events. For full details of visits, please see the Meet us in your country section.
Nigeria Country Office and Country Officer
The University now has a Country Office in Lagos (Ikeja) staffed by a full-time Country Officer who can provide free help with making an application, certifying supporting documents and providing visa advice. To book an appointment please use the contact details below.
Ajiduah Enweazu ("AJ")
UKEAS Nigeria, 76 Opebi Road, Ikeja, Lagos,
(L): +234 1 8427256
(M): +234 815 8868617
(E): birmingham@ukeas.com.ng
Student life at Birmingham
There is a thriving student community at Birmingham and we very much look forward to you being part of it. To hear what student life is like for our students, have a look at what our students say. Also, if you are unable to travel to campus yourself, visit our You Tube Channel to watch films of our beautiful campus.
Olusola, a Scholar from Nigeria, shares his experiences in the video below.
Student societies
Many nationality groups form student societies during their time at the University of Birmingham and we have a lively Nigerian Society called the Nigerian Students' Society (NISS) . This is an excellent way to keep in contact with home and also provides an opportunity to highlight your culture and customs in the UK.
Student societies are also a useful point of contact for prospective students to Birmingham who may want to contact current students for information.
For a full list of student societies please visit the Birmingham Guild of Students website at www.guildofstudents.com.
Student experiences
Auwal Farouk Abdussalam, PhD Geography and Environmental Science, 2011/12
"Currently, I am undertaking my PhD research, looking at the future impact of climate change on climate-sensitive diseases in North-western Nigeria, in the School of Geography and Environmental Sciences.
The neutrality and multicultural nature of Birmingham city made my life as a student in the University of Birmingham easy and marvellous; my needs are adequately supported in terms of food, faith, culture and leisure.
Although I have not encountered any difficulty since my arrival, I always felt secure in the knowledge that the International Relations/ISAS team are around to support me."
Abarasi Hart, MSc Advanced Chemical Engineering 2009/10, PhD Chemical Engineering, 2010/11
"Having obtained an MSc in Advanced Chemical Engineering at the University of Birmingham, I chose to continue for my PhD in Birmingham for various reasons.
First, it’s ranking both in the world and UK in relation to the tuition fees charged. The high quality of teaching and learning supports available to students especially physically challenged students. The University of Birmingham is a research rich university with academic staff who are global experts in their field. Additionally, funding supports are available for students of high academic calibre and to those whose research interest is aimed at solving world problem. Furthermore, the University of Birmingham is situated in Birmingham city, an environment different from the busy city life of London, Manchester, and Liverpool which is necessary to help me focus on my studies in the UK. Besides, comparing the University to other institutions that I applied to, Birmingham always respond to all my enquiries directly within 24 hours and was supportive in providing visa advice.
At the University of Birmingham, different social events have been arranged for international students on arrival to help them integrate and settle into student life. The cultural diversity at the University of Birmingham because of the large number of international students from numerous countries make it easy for new students to mix up and interact effectively with other students. Also, there are personal tutor assigned for each student to discuss any problems regarding academic difficulty. These organisations and support has made student life easy for me at the University of Birmingham.
The International Student Advisory Service (ISAS) is available for international students. They provided me valuable information regarding visa application and extension and working in the UK while studying. I am really enjoying my time in Birmingham, studying as well as engaging in extra-curriculum activities."
Birmingham alumni activities in Nigeria
The University of Birmingham has many strong alumni groups all over the world. Alumni groups are an excellent way of keeping in contact with the University and with other graduates from Birmingham who live in your country. Some alumni groups meet on a regular basis for social and professional events.
The University has over 500 alumni in Nigeria dating as far back as 1960s and including a number of alumni in prominent and influential positions in government, education and leading companies.
There are three active regional alumni groups in Nigeria - Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt - which run regular alumni events including managers meetings, professional networking events, welcome back receptions for returning graduates and pre-departure talks for offer holders. For more information please email or join the Nigeria alumni facebook page.
Contact us
The University of Birmingham contact for Nigeria is James Minhas and he visits Lagos and Abuja two to three times a year where you can meet with him. To contact James with your questions, please email international@bham.ac.uk. You can also speak to James during one of our Skype sessions.
University of Birmingham Representatives in Nigeria
One of our representatives in Nigeria, UKEAS or Preparation for Life (PFL) can provide advice on studying in the UK and, more specifically, at the University of Birmingham. Our representative will also be able to assist you with your application and visa. PFL have offices located in Lagos (VI, Ikeja), Abuja, Port Harcourt and Ibadan whilst UKEAS have offices in Lagos, Abuja and Ibadan. Please note that we have a dedicated Country Officer based in the UKEAS Lagos office (see the relevant section above for details).
UKEAS Nigeria
3rd Floor, 76 Opebi Road
Ikeja
Lagos
Nigeria
Tel: +234 1 7419173
Email: ikeja@ukeas.com.ng
www.ukeas.com.ng
PFL Ikeja
49 Sobo Arobiodu Street
GRA, Ikeja
Lagos
Nigeria
Tel: 01-7940133, 01-453787
Email: ikeja@preparationforlife.com
www.preparationforlife.com
Bridge House Counselling (for Undergraduate courses only)
Bridge House College
1/3, Olagunsoye Oyinlola Street,
2nd Avenue Estate,
Ikoyi, Lagos
Tel: +234 1 8728297
Email: info@bridgehousecounselling.com
British Council offices in Nigeria
The British Council has offices in many countries throughout the world which are able to provide you with advice about studying in the UK. Most offices also have an education library and Internet facilities where you can consult university material. The British Council can also provide advice about funding opportunities.
For more information visit www.britishcouncil.org/nigeria.
Take part in our monthly Skype sessions where we will be on hand to answer your questions about studying at Birmingham.
Student Profiles
Omolade Adebisi, BSc Economics 2010/11
“I chose to attend The University of Birmingham mainly because of the reputation of the University, especially in Economics.
Another influence was the high level of ethnic minority recognition at the University which is reflected in the group of student representatives here.
The facilities are fantastic especially the various study centres such as the library. Other great facilities that always come in handy range from various societies to the sporting facilities.”
Inya Egbe, MSc International Accounting and Finance 2009/10 and PhD Accounting and Finance 2010/14
“The aspect I liked most about The University of Birmingham was the blend of people from different cultural backgrounds. I would recommend The University to my friends; it is just the right place to be.”
Omolola Alabi, MSc Computer Security 2008/09
"Birmingham city is a lovely multi-cultural city. There are lots of warm people and the shopping centres are a delight. The city of Birmingham appeals to people who don’t want the fast pace setting of London but want the other qualities that come with a very large city.”
Munachiso Andrea Uchegbu, MSc Public and Environmental Health Sciences, 2010/11
"The University of Birmingham has always been my dream University. I looked for not just an institution that offered the course which I wanted but also had a reputation for indisputable excellence and intellectual development of students and the university of Birmingham fit into that description.
To a large extent, I can say that I have enjoyed my time both within and without the campus. Birmingham generally is characterised by so much fun and big beautiful buildings which I have taken some time out to notice. Most importantly, there is a system of government that is effectual and effective in dispensing their duties as well as a sense of equality among people unlike in most developing countries of the world. I have taken out time to explore the campus as a whole as well as the city centre and still hope to visit other places of interest."
Jacob B. Omajali, PhD Bioenergy, Bioremediation and Biocatalysis, 2010/11
“Student life in Birmingham is quite interesting as there are so many things that a student could do with their spare time. As a student, you are at liberty to be a member of the ‘Guild of Students’ where you could vote and be voted for – for the politically minded students. You could be a member of any society, as diversity is one of its slogans. For students coming from Africa, it might interest you to know that there is an Afro-Caribbean Society which you could be an active member. You can enjoy sports, the restaurants and pubs within the University environment. The International Relations/ISAS is quite supportive of international students. Whenever you have problems do not hesitate to let them know. They are always there to help you sort out things. I have been enjoying their services.
My stay in Birmingham has been a great one so far. You might want to take a trip to the city centre and enjoy the beautiful city: the Bull Ring; the Victoria Square; the Birmingham museum; movies in Broadstreet; the chocolate factory in Bournville; and lots of other mind-blowing places. I have been enjoying all these and bet you will not regret choosing the University of Birmingham for your study. Be part of this experience!”