The Impact of Scholarships on Students’ Academic Performance: A Case of Tertiary Institutions in Enugu State, Nigeria

Scholarships are awarded based on various criteria, which usually reflect the values and purposes of the donor or funder of the award. Therefore, in a bid to verify the impact of scholarships on students’ academic performance using tertiary institutions in Enugu State, Nigeria as a case study, the study utilised survey data generated from 540 questionnaires distributed among student in twelve (12) higher institutions in Enugu State, Nigeria. The propensity score matching model was adopted for the study and the results indicated that students’ academic performances significantly increase with an increase in the award of scholarships. The results also suggested that with scholarships academic performance of students in higher institutions in Enugu state would decreases by 13% but will rise by about 87% if the scholarships are given to indigent students’. There is need for increased award of scholarships to students from poor background and not to students from high socio-economic status by the government, Non-governmental organizations, and other philanthropist to alleviate the challenge. Government should revitalize the giving of bursary awards to students from their respective states that are in higher institutions, be it private or public. Essentially, scholarships should be awarded to people who are poor and find it difficult to pay tuition fees, eat at least two times per day, and also who find it difficult to clothe themselves.