UK varsity gives £10K scholarships to 85 Int’l postgraduate students

Durham University, in the UK, is offering 85 £10,000 scholarships to international students applying for select postgraduate programmes for the 2025/26 academic year.

The Inspiring Excellence £10K Scholarship seeks to support high-achieving students by reducing tuition fees for eligible Master’s courses.

Durham University has confirmed the availability of 85 scholarships for postgraduate students who meet specific criteria.

The scholarship is open to international, self-funded students who demonstrate strong academic achievements and the potential to make an impact on a global scale after graduation. The £10,000 award will be applied as a reduction in tuition fees.

Eligible programmes for the £10K scholarship 

The scholarship is available for students applying to seven specific one-year Master’s programmes at Durham University. These include:

• MSc Biotechnology
• MSc Advanced Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence)
• MSc Law and Finance
• MSc Public Policy
• MSc Advanced Computer Science
• MSc International Business
• MSc Islamic Finance

Applicants must submit their applications for one of these courses to be considered for the scholarship.

Requirements and criteria for the scholarship 

To qualify for the Inspiring Excellence £10K Scholarship, applicants must meet several criteria. You must:

• Have applied to one of the following seven master’s programmes specified above for September 2025
• Meet or exceed the entry requirements for the programme applied for at Durham University
• Be classed as an overseas student for fee-paying purposes
• Self-funded and not supported by an external sponsor or already in receipt of any other scholarship (from the university or externally)
• Complete the Inspiring Excellence 10K postgraduate scholarships application form by April 30th, 2025 (for 1st Selection) and 08th June 2025 (for 2nd Selection)
• Have received an offer for a Master’s programme at Durham University by May 4th, 2025 (for 1st Selection) and 08th June 8th 2025 (for 2nd Selection)

Application process and key dates 

First, applicants must apply to one of the eligible programmes through Durham University’s online portal, and ensure that they have submitted an academic application, with all supporting documents , via the postgraduate online application portal for one of the eligible programmes.

Details inform that applicants will need to have received an offer (conditional or unconditional) for the programme they applied to at Durham by:

• May 4th, 2025 for 1st round scholarship selection
• June 8th, 2025 for 2nd round scholarship selection

Complete & submit the scholarship form by the deadlines 

In addition to submitting the academic application above, complete the Inspiring Excellence 10K Scholarship Online Application by these 2 deadlines:

• 1st Selection: April 30th, 2025
• 2nd Selection: June 8th, 2025

According to the institution,

“If you fail to receive an academic offer before the deadline for the 1st round selection, or you are unsuccessful in the 1st round selection,  you will be automatically considered for the 2nd round selection. You do not need to submit the scholarship application form again.”

The university also warns that Scholars who suspend their Scholarship Commitments or academic studies will have all future scholarship discounts cancelled. It is stated that only those under exceptional circumstances e.g. medical reasons, and at the sole discretion of the Faculty Executive Dean, approval may be given for discounts to recommence after suspended studies continue.

UK varsity gives £10K scholarships to 85 Int’l postgraduate students

FG proposes extending NYSC to two years

The Nigerian government has put forward a proposal to extend the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme from one year to two, citing the need for enhanced skills development and a boost to youth employment.

This initiative aims to expand the NYSC’s Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme, providing corps members with more hands-on skills for job creation and contributing to national growth.

The proposal was shared during a courtesy visit by the NYSC’s Director General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, to the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, in Abuja. A statement detailing the meeting was issued by Caroline Embu, the Acting Director of Information and Public Relations at the NYSC.

“You have done so well as an organisation. Let NYSC give people more opportunity to become job creators that will meet the needs of the country,” the Minister remarked.

Dr. Alausa also acknowledged the NYSC’s innovative and digitalised approach to the mobilization process, which has helped tackle certificate fraud involving foreign-trained graduates across West Africa. He commended the Scheme for resolving the issue of Ordinary National Diploma (OND) part-time graduates who earned full-time Higher National Diplomas (HND) but had previously been exempted from national service.

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“Efforts are ongoing in the Ministry to digitise the verification of foreign-trained graduates of Nigerian origin,” he added, emphasizing the ongoing collaboration between the Ministry and the NYSC to advance education and national progress. Additionally, Dr. Alausa advocated for increasing the deployment of graduate teachers to rural areas to address staffing shortages in schools.

Earlier, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu reiterated the NYSC’s dedication to aligning with national reforms and policies.

“NYSC is ready to comply with policy guidelines as directed by the Federal Government. We are also trying to reform the Scheme to conform with the present national needs,” he stated.

Nafiu also called for the establishment of a comprehensive database to track Nigerian students abroad. He explained, “This would help the government and stakeholders in the education sector to have detailed records of Nigerian students abroad and eliminate fake graduates.”

The Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mr. Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan, assured continued support for the NYSC’s initiatives, stating, “We are ready to work with NYSC more effectively towards uplifting the standard of education in the country.”

FG proposes extending NYSC to two years

Erudite mass comm lecturer Oscar Odiboh becomes full professor at Delta State University 

Renowned lecturer of Mass Communication, Oscar Odion Odiboh, PhD, has been appointed as full-time professor at the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, Delta State University.

This was made known in an official release and confirmed by the erudite scholar to newstrends.ng on Sunday morning.

This appointment brings Odiboh to the apogee of his academic career, after decades of excellent accomplishments, both at the advertising industry as a thoroughbred professional and equally distinguished academic career.

He has traversed many notable universities lecturing such as the Covenant University and Edo State University.

He now brings his professional and academic excellence to the Delta State University where he will work with other accomplished scholars to take the university to a greater heights.

Odiboh was until his latest appointment an Associate Professor and Head of the Mass Communication Department at Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria.

He also worked jointly on the TetFund-sponsored research on “Intervention Strategies for Sustainable Wealth Creation among Low-income Women in Nigeria.”

He is an acclaimed professional with a strong multidisciplinary academic drive and a lifetime commitment to the advancement of his students all over the world.

He is a Reviewer, Editor, Editor-in-Chief, and member of several high-impact local and international academic journals.

He is an examiner, officer, and member of several professional bodies such as the African Council for Communication Education (ACCE), International Advertising Association (IAA), Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Institute of Management Consultants (IMC).

Professor Odiboh is a multiple awardee, both locally and internationally.

For instance, he was named Nigeria’s Best Lecturer of the Year 2020 at the Future Creative Leaders Academy (FCLA), winner of the Excellence Award as one of the Top 4% of Nigerian Executives in Advertising, Marketing, and Public Relations.

He is a widely travelled researcher.