The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria accepts hundreds of applications from eligible Nigerian candidates for the Shell Scholarship each year.
It has become a norm for Shell to award scholarships to students. A trend it hopes to continue into the foreseeable future.
The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) and the Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) invest approximately billions of naira per annum in school scholarships.
Shell Scholarship Program
Education is a long-term investment with an equally long gestation period, but it is one of the best legacies to bequeath individuals, groups, and society at large.
That has been the belief of Shell Nigeria since 1952. In 2014, the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and the Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) invested $14.8 million in scholarship awards.
In 2018, the oil and gas conglomerate invested approximately $5.9 million (N1.78 billion) in scholarships.
And they do not plan to stop anytime soon.
The Shell Scholarship Scheme makes a quiet but very profound commentary on the company’s interest in the promotion of capacity building and economic development in the country.
As Shell worked to produce and export the first barrel of crude oil for Nigeria, it also had the foresight to think of the future generation of Nigerians who would one day drive the development of the newly-independent nation. A quick way of achieving this was to train the required manpower through scholarship awards.
The Shell scholarship program commenced in the 1950s with awards to qualified Nigerians in various fields of study both within and outside Nigeria. Many of them returned home and some still occupy key positions in public service, commerce, and industry.
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Shell Scholars’ Forum
The Shell Scholars’ Forum, inaugurated in 2013, intends to create an avenue for older beneficiaries to mentor the younger ones. Relatedly, Shell launched a new education portfolio strategy in 2013.
The objective is “to generate the intellectual and creative energy required for sustained economic performance and global competitiveness of Nigeria”. Elements of the strategy include:
- Building Scholars
- Promoting Digital Transformation
- Driving Growth and Development in Nigeria
As a mark of recognition and appreciation of Shell’s effort in supporting quality education in Nigeria from the 1950s to date, the company emerged “Best Company in Education” at the 2013 Social Enterprise Report & Awards (SERAs).
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Available Scholarships for Nigerians
Prospective applicants from all corners of Nigeria can apply for a number of Shell Scholarships. These include:
- Shell Cradle-to-Career Scholarship
- Shell Secondary School Scholarship
- Shell Niger Delta Postgraduate Scholarship
- Shell Undergraduate Scholarship
Cradle-to-Career Scholarship
The Cradle-to-Career Scholarship is an all-inclusive scholarship program that provides opportunities for brilliant pupils of less-privileged backgrounds to attend reputable secondary schools in Nigeria.
The Cradle-to-Career scheme bridges educational inequalities resulting from geographic and socioeconomic differences. The scheme also enhances literacy levels in the Niger Delta and Nigeria in general.
This Scholarship Scheme has two categories;
- The SPDC Cradle-to-Career Scholarship scheme is managed by Shell Petroleum Development Company Limited (SPDC) on behalf of the joint venture. Founded in 2010, candidates are selected from key Niger Delta States of Rivers, Bayelsa, and Delta. Due to this opportunity, three hundred and fifty (350) talented students are already enrolled in quality secondary schools.
- The National Cradle-to-Career Scholarship scheme is managed by Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo) on behalf of itself, its co-venture partners, and the NNPC. Candidates are selected from each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, out of which the best three (3), who also meet all other award criteria are awarded the scholarship. The scheme is in its second year with 60 beneficiaries already placed in very good private secondary schools.
Shell Nigeria Cradle-to-Career scholarship has received several local and international commendations. At the 2011 United Nations (UN) Innovations Fair in Geneva, the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, described the scheme as “a landmark initiative” and acknowledged its impressive contributions to educational development in the Niger Delta and Nigeria.
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Secondary School Scholarship
The Shell Nigeria Secondary School Scholarship Scheme is for host communities in Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Imo, and Rivers states.
Every year, Shell awards an average of 2,600 post-primary scholarships to indigenes from select states. (More information is available below). The Secondary School Scholarship Scheme helps students pay through school, and enhances academic achievement in host communities.
The opportunity provides a welcome relief for many parents and guardians in the education of their children. It is so popular that thousands of parents and children look forward to it annually as a golden opportunity.
Today, it is a prominent addition to educational development, especially in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria.
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Niger Delta Postgraduate Scholarships
The scheme provides an opportunity for qualifying students from any state and the federal capital territory to acquire a Master’s Degree in courses that are relevant to the oil and gas industry, with a specific focus on Geotechnical Engineering and Hydrography at renowned universities in the United Kingdom.
Undergraduate Scholarships
The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (Operator of the NNPC/SHELL /TEPN/AGIP Joint Venture) Scholarship Scheme offers first-year students in all Nigerian universities the opportunity to study with an annual grant from the SPDC JV for the full duration of their course.
The program promotes academic excellence and improves the skills of young Nigerians.
More than 4,000 Nigerian undergraduates write aptitude tests every year in order to join the evergrowing list of students that Shell Nigeria supports in Nigerian Universities.
The organization selects its beneficiaries on the basis of the national SSCE and JAMB examination results. Candidates write aptitude tests at select centres in Port Harcourt, Warri, Enugu, Lagos, and Abuja.
Categories of the Undergraduate Scholarship Scheme
Shell Undergraduate Scholarships for Students in Nigerian Universities fall under two categories
- The National Merit Award (NM). This is open to all Nigerians.
- The Areas of Operation Merit Award (OM). This is for Nigerians who are indigenes of SPDC’s operational areas in Abia, Bayelsa, Delta, Imo, and Rivers State.
Only first-year students are eligible for the awards in both categories.
The shell scholarship 2023/2024 application form for undergraduates is available. Eligible students should submit an online application after providing all the requirements on the scholarship portal.
Criteria for Scholarship Application
You need these requirements to be eligible for any of the listed scholarships.
Requirements:
- You must be a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
- You must be a registered FULL-TIME undergraduate in an accredited and approved University in Nigeria
- You must be a 200 Level student (as of December 2022)
- You must have a minimum CGPA of 2.5
- You must have a minimum of 5 credits, including Mathematics and English in your Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE)
- You must have a minimum of 200 scores in UTME
Visit website via Shell Scholarship Portal to apply
How to Apply for a Scholarship
- All applicants should have a personal valid email account (for consistent communication)
- All applications must be done online
- Applicants for the Operational Area Awards are required to provide scanned copies of letters of identification, (which must be duly stamped and signed) by:
- The Paramount Ruler of the Community; and
- The Chairman of the Community Development or Executive Council (CDC or CEC)
Letters should be addressed to The Manager, Social Performance, Shell Petroleum Development Company, Port Harcourt.
P/S: Each document must not exceed 200KB and the image format must be in JPEG
Note:
- Shell does not demand payment from applicants. The application is entirely FREE of charge
- Shell does not assign ‘Representatives’/‘Agents’ to assist applicants process applications
- Only candidates shortlisted for selection tests will be contacted
- Apply on the Shell Nigeria website only (see link above)
How Much Do Successful Students Gain?
Shell Scholarship pays N150,000 to the Successful Winners. The annual grant from the SPDC JV lasts for the full duration of your course. So 4000 winners receive N150,000 throughout the duration of their school year.
Start/Closing Date for Scholarship Application
To apply for the ongoing shell scholarship, visit the shell scholarship application portal (the link is in the article) and fill out the shell scholarship application form.
If you have any questions or require further clarification, reach out to us in the comment section below
