Scholarships and Student Funding in Niger

ANAB: Niger's national scholarship agency

The Agence Nationale des Allocations de Bourse (ANAB) is Niger's official body for managing higher education scholarships. It runs an online application platform where students submit files and track their status, and it partners with more than 100 universities across more than 25 countries to place Nigerien scholarship holders. The agency reports more than 1,500 scholarships awarded since 2020. (ANAB)

Who qualifies for a national scholarship

ANAB's general national scholarship targets new Baccalauréat holders. To qualify, you need Nigerien nationality and the current year's BAC. Age limits apply: official candidates, students who sat the exam through a school, must be 23 or younger, and free candidates, independent exam takers, must be 24 or younger. Four categories of national scholarship exist, each with its own conditions, so check the category that matches your situation on ANAB's platform before applying. (ANP)

How to apply

Apply through ANAB's online portal, which authenticates applicants by phone number before opening the application form. Prepare your BAC certificate, national identity documents and academic records ahead of the application window, since incomplete files get rejected. ANAB gives applicants a personal account to track the status of their file in real time instead of waiting on paper responses or in-person visits.

Why tuition matters less than living costs

Public university registration in Niger costs far less than what a scholarship provides: license students pay around 10,000 FCFA a year and master's or doctoral students pay 50,000 FCFA at Abdou Moumouni University, the country's largest public university. (UAM) Because registration fees stay low, a national scholarship or family support mainly needs to cover housing, food, books and transport rather than tuition. Build your budget around living costs first, then treat tuition as a smaller fixed line.

Government-subsidized student services

Beyond individual scholarships, the government supports students through the Centre National des Œuvres Universitaires (CNOU), which runs subsidized restaurants, a food storage warehouse, an infirmary, a bus transport system and residence halls for registered students at Abdou Moumouni University. This support works as indirect funding: it lowers your daily cost of living whether or not you hold an ANAB scholarship. (CNOU)

Regional and continental scholarships

Niger's membership in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) and in CAMES connects Nigerien students to mobility and scholarship arrangements open to citizens of member states, letting some students study at universities elsewhere in the bloc under a shared accreditation framework. The African Union also funds continental programs such as the Pan African University, which hosts thematic institutes in Algeria, Cameroon, Kenya and Nigeria and admits students from across the continent. Quotas, deadlines and available seats for these programs change by cycle, so confirm current openings directly with ANAB or the sending institution rather than planning around older figures.

Practical tips

• Apply for the national scholarship as soon as you have your BAC result, since the age-limit rules mean waiting a year can cost you eligibility.

• Keep certified copies of your birth certificate, nationality certificate and diploma ready. ANAB and university registration both ask for the same core documents.

• Track your ANAB file through your online account rather than relying on phone calls or office visits.

• Combine a scholarship or family support with low public tuition instead of assuming a scholarship needs to cover fees plus a large living stipend.

• Register early enough at Abdou Moumouni University to get a CNOU restaurant and residence allocation, since demand outpaces supply.

• Ask your faculty administration about department-level or partner-university funding, since some opportunities never reach ANAB's general listing.