United States has awarded scholarships to Nigerian students to the tune of about $40 million, N6.4 billion in the last five years.
The Head of EducationUSA, Jennifer Onyukwu, who disclosed this on Wednesday, however said it is an uphill task selecting the beneficiaries considering the huge number of students jostling for the limited fund.
Nigeria is the leading country in sub-saharan Africa with the largest number of students in the US with 7,028 students studying in over 700 institutions.
The breakdown shows that during the year under review, 45 Nigerian students benefited from the USA colleges and universities aids for undergraduate and graduate studies, covering the entire duration of programme.
On the use of agents in processing admission, Onyukwu, advised prospective students against it, saying “The EducationUSA, kind of demystify the process being alluded to by a lot of agents down the streets and offices around Nigeria”.
She spoke further on this, “The reason why all these people are present is because the students do not know what to do they believe that’s an uphill task to go and study in US.
“So we are here to demystify the process, explain how to take the standardize test, how to research the school, how do you find an appropriate school that is the best for you.”
As part of the programme of EducationUSA, she said over 3,000 Nigerian students are expected in this year’s annual college and careers fair slated for October. The Fair is expected to provide students with the opportunity to explore the vitality and diversity of US colleges and universities.
On his part, Bill Strassberger, who is in charge of USA Cultural Affairs office said America is not against Nigerians schooling in the US, saying “the gain for USA is that we are getting international students who are helping to educate American students.”
