TETFund Academic Staff Training and Development (AST&D) 2026

The TETFund Academic Staff Training and Development (AST&D) intervention is a staff-development funding scheme run by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) in Nigeria. It is designed to strengthen teaching, research, and academic capacity in eligible Nigerian public tertiary institutions by sponsoring academic staff for higher qualifications and related training.

AST&D is typically used to support postgraduate study, especially Master's and PhD training, for academic staff nominated by their employing institutions. The programme is generally aimed at building institutional capacity in disciplines considered important to national development and the manpower needs of universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. Funding may cover major study costs such as tuition and, depending on the approved training plan and applicable guidelines, support linked to living or research needs.

The scheme is not usually a direct-to-student scholarship open to the general public. Instead, applications are commonly processed through the beneficiary institution, which identifies eligible academic staff and submits nominations to TETFund in line with current AST&D guidelines. Awards may be tenable in Nigeria or abroad, subject to policy priorities, approved programmes, and institutional endorsement.

To be considered, applicants are usually expected to be full-time academic staff of an eligible public tertiary institution in Nigeria, meet admission requirements for the proposed programme, and show that the training aligns with institutional needs. Interested candidates should check with their institution's academic planning, TETFund desk office, or staff development unit for the most up-to-date eligibility rules, documentation requirements, approved destinations, and application timelines.