A young woman with a 2:2 degree creates history by defeating over 50,000 applicants to win scholarships in the UK and Ireland.

A 19-year-old Nigerian student, Oluwafunmilayo Oni, was awarded both a scholarship from the Irish government and the UK government on the same day. Overall, she fared better than more than 50,000 other students.

Only 2% of the 51,840 applicants received the Chevening Scholarship from the United Kingdom in 2022, including Oni. Despite having a lower second-class Bachelor’s degree, she also received the Irish Government Scholarship.

Her recent LinkedIn post, which she shared, showed that she was in a celebratory mood. She had been doubting herself for weeks because of her Bachelor’s degree classification.

“For years, I doubted my ability to bag any scholarship for my Master’s degree because many scholarship granting organizations often stated clearly that they would rather have a minimum of 2:1,” Oni wrote.

She recalls being turned down for a scholarship despite having “superb and excellent” leadership experience because her 2:2 degree did not match the requirements for admission.

She persisted in trying, though, and eventually had considerable success with her several scholarship applications.

“This year, I was awarded the Chevening Scholarship and the Irish Aid scholarship on the same day. See God!” she said, noting that she now had to decide which one to choose.

She hopes that sharing her story would inspire others to persevere in the face of obstacles.

She said, “So, if you have a 2:2 like me, the journey might be slightly tougher but the world is your oyster! Apply!!!!!”