European Union Scholarship Programmes and Brain Drain in the South-West Nigerian University System

This study examines the relationship between European Union-funded scholarship and mobility programmes, particularly Erasmus Mundus and Horizon Europe, and the brain drain phenomenon affecting universities in South-West Nigeria. The departure of academically trained Nigerians for European institutions has been a persistent development challenge, and EU scholarship programmes have been cited both as facilitating pathways to emigration and as structured mechanisms for knowledge transfer. This descriptive research focuses on the experiences of graduates and postgraduate students from Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Ibadan, and Lagos State University who have received EU-affiliated scholarships between 2018 and 2024. Using structured questionnaires and in-depth interviews, the study investigates participants' motivations for applying to EU programmes, their post-study intentions, and the factors influencing the decision to return to or remain outside Nigeria. Documentary analysis of EU mobility programme guidelines and Nigerian universities' internationalisation policies provides contextual framing. Findings suggest that while EU scholarships have enhanced the academic profiles of beneficiaries, institutional weaknesses in Nigerian universities, including funding constraints and poor research infrastructure, remain the primary drivers of post-scholarship retention failure. The study recommends structured return engagement mechanisms as a policy response to the brain drain challenge. Keywords: EU scholarships, brain drain, South-West Nigeria, academic mobility, Erasmus Mundus.