The David Oyedepo Foundation Scholarship covers full academic fees for up to five years at two of Nigeria’s most prestigious private universities. It is open to Nigerian students between the ages of 16 and 25, and applications are open right now.
There are scholarships that cover a portion of your fees. There are scholarships that give you a one-time grant and wish you luck. And then there is the David Oyedepo Foundation Scholarship, which covers everything, every academic fee, for every year of your undergraduate programme, at either Covenant University or Landmark University, two of the most respected private universities in Nigeria and on the African continent.
If you are a Nigerian student between 16 and 25 with strong academic records from secondary school and a genuine desire to lead and make a difference, this scholarship was designed with your future in mind. No deadline has been publicly specified for this cycle, which means the window is open right now, but that also means it could close at any time. The smartest move you can make today is to apply immediately.
Who Is Behind This Scholarship and Why Does It Matter?
Bishop David Oyedepo is one of Nigeria’s most recognised faith leaders, educators, and institution builders. Beyond his work in ministry, he has built two of Nigeria’s most consistently high-performing universities in Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, and Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara State. Both institutions have recorded some of the highest first-class graduation rates and JAMB performances in the country year after year.
The David Oyedepo Foundation was established as the major platform for promoting a specific and deeply intentional vision: to raise a new generation of Nigerian and African youth leaders who are equipped, principled, and ready to transform their communities, organisations, and countries from the inside out.
This scholarship is the foundation’s flagship investment in that vision. It is not just paying for your education. It is selecting the kind of people it believes will go on to lead Nigeria’s next chapter.
What Does the Scholarship Cover?
The David Oyedepo Foundation Scholarship is a full-ride award. That phrase gets used loosely in some circles, but here it means exactly what it says.
The scholarship covers your full academic fees for a maximum of five years, in line with the stipulated duration of your chosen undergraduate course at either Covenant University or Landmark University. You do not pay tuition. You do not pay academic levies. The Foundation covers the complete cost of your degree for the entire duration of your programme.
This is one of the most financially comprehensive undergraduate scholarships available to Nigerian students studying within Nigeria, and the fact that it places you inside two internationally recognised, faith-based institutions with world-class facilities and consistently excellent academic outcomes makes it even more valuable.
Where Will You Study?
The scholarship grants you a place at either Covenant University or Landmark University, and both choices are serious academic environments.
Covenant University in Ota, Ogun State, is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in Africa. It has placed more students in first-class degree categories than almost any institution of comparable size on the continent. Its campus infrastructure, faculty quality, and industry partnerships make it genuinely competitive on a global scale.
Landmark University in Omu-Aran, Kwara State, is an agrarian and technology focused institution with a strong emphasis on sustainable development, entrepreneurship, and practical education. It has built a reputation for producing graduates who are not just academically strong but operationally ready to contribute to real-world problems.
Getting a full scholarship to study at either of these institutions is an opportunity that many Nigerian students aspire to and that very few actually secure.
Who Can Apply?
The David Oyedepo Foundation Scholarship is open to citizens and permanent residents of African nations, with a particular focus on Nigerians. You must be between the ages of 16 and 25 at the time of submitting your application. You must be eligible to receive a Nigerian student visa if you are applying from outside Nigeria. And you must be proficient in reading, writing, and speaking English.
On the academic side, the requirements are specific and reflect the merit-based nature of this award. You need to have scored at least 50 points above the JAMB cut-off points for your chosen course, if you are a Nigerian applicant. You must have recorded an average of 80% or a GPA of 4.0 out of 5.0 in your secondary school transcript. And you must have already begun the admissions application process to either Covenant University or Landmark University.
The combination of these requirements tells you clearly what the Foundation is looking for. They want students who have already demonstrated exceptional academic performance and who are actively taking steps toward their own future, not waiting to be discovered.
What Documents Do You Need?
The application requires a full set of documents, and the essays in particular deserve your real attention because they carry significant weight in the selection process.
You will need a completed application form, your secondary school transcripts, your WAEC result, one academic letter of recommendation, and one religious letter of recommendation.
You will also be required to submit four separate essays, each of 500 words. The first asks you to explain why you need this scholarship. The second asks why you want to pursue your chosen course of study. The third asks about your leadership experience. And the fourth asks a question that speaks directly to the Foundation’s values: do you love your country?
These are not throwaway essay prompts. They are a window into who you are, what drives you, and what you intend to do with the opportunity you are being given. Write them with honesty, depth, and genuine conviction. A well-written essay from a student who truly believes in what they are saying will always outperform a technically polished one that sounds hollow.
How the Selection Process Works
The David Oyedepo Foundation Scholarship selection process is a need-dependent, merit-based open competition. That combination is important to understand. Merit means your grades and academic record are taken seriously. Need-dependent means the Foundation also considers your financial circumstances, so you are not competing only against students from more privileged backgrounds.
After the application deadline, all eligible submissions are reviewed by a selection panel. Shortlisted finalists are then invited to an interview conducted via online video conferencing with the David Oyedepo Foundation team. If you are shortlisted, prepare for that interview with the same seriousness you brought to your essays. It is your opportunity to bring your application to life in person.
A Word to Every Nigerian Student Reading This
Nigeria has millions of brilliant, ambitious young people who deserve access to the kind of education that sets them up to lead. Financial constraints should not be the reason a generation of exceptional students never gets that chance. The David Oyedepo Foundation Scholarship exists because someone decided that argument was worth doing something about.
If you have the grades, the vision, the leadership record, and the hunger to build something meaningful with your education, this scholarship is not just an opportunity. It is an invitation to step into the version of your future that you have been working toward.
Apply today. Write those essays with everything you have. And give yourself the chance to be among the next cohort of DOF scholars.
Do Not Wait on This One
The David Oyedepo Foundation Scholarship offers full academic fees for up to five years at Covenant University or Landmark University. It is open to Nigerian students between 16 and 25 with outstanding secondary school results and a drive to lead. No public deadline has been announced for this cycle, which means the application window is open right now, and closing dates for rolling scholarships like this one can be announced without much notice.
The best time to apply was yesterday. The next best time is right now.
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