Every year, thousands of high-performing African students lose a scholarship they were qualified for—not because they lacked talent, but because they treated the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program like a single application form. It is not. It is a network of partner universities, each with its own deadline, course list, and selection process. Understanding that difference is often what separates a funded degree from another rejection email.
This guide explains what the program actually is, who it is for, what it pays for, and how to apply through the official partner route.
Scholarship Summary
- Host Country: Multiple countries across Africa, plus partners in North America, Europe, and the Middle East
- Host University: 62 partner institutions worldwide (you apply to a specific university, not to the Foundation directly)
- Scholarship Type: Undergraduate Scholarships/MSC Scholarships/
- Eligible Countries: Citizens of African countries, including applicants with refugee or forcibly displaced status on the African continent (partner rules on dual citizenship vary)
- Scholarship Benefits: Full or comprehensive tuition coverage, accommodation, living stipend, books and academic materials, mentoring, counselling, leadership development, health cover where applicable, and a return air ticket when needed
- Application Deadline: Varies by partner university. There is no single global deadline. Check the institution you want to attend.
What the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Really Is
Launched in 2012, the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program is Africa’s largest scholarship and leadership initiative of its kind. It is designed to help academically strong, service-oriented young people—especially young women and students who have faced serious barriers to education—complete higher education and grow as leaders who return value to their communities.
The Foundation does not run a central “apply here” portal for individuals. Partner universities and selected NGOs recruit, select, and support scholars. That model is why one applicant can be eligible at Makerere or the University of Cape Town and ineligible at Cambridge or UC Berkeley in the same year.
By the Foundation’s latest published figures, the program has committed more than 58,000 scholarships, about 71 percent of scholars are young women, and more than 20,000 alumni are already in the network. The stated goal is 100,000 scholarships by 2030. The Foundation reports about USD 6.5 billion disbursed toward education and transitions work in Africa.
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This sits inside the Foundation’s wider Young Africa Works strategy: education is treated as a pathway into dignified work, not as an end in itself.
Why The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Is Different From a Tuition Waiver
Many “fully funded” awards stop at fees. This program is built as a wraparound package. Typical support includes:
- Tuition and university fees for the full length of the approved degree
- On-campus housing or a housing allowance
- A living stipend for food and daily costs
- Books, a laptop in many partner packages, and study materials
- Mentoring, academic counselling, and psychosocial support
- Leadership, entrepreneurship, and career programming
- Return airfare to the scholar’s country of origin when required
- Visa and health-related costs at several international partners
Cambridge, for example, also covers course fees, a monthly living allowance, a return flight, student visa costs, and the UK Immigration Health Surcharge, plus orientation, mentoring, and a leadership programme. UCT packages commonly include tuition, a laptop, campus accommodation, living expenses, medical aid, and annual travel. Exact items still depend on the partner.
The program also emphasizes transition into work: internships, placements with Africa-based organizations, alumni networks, and social-venture support. That is why selection panels look for leadership and community service, not only grades.
See Also:
- Churchill College Brinded Studentship 2027: Fully Funded Scholarship at Cambridge in UK
- Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program 2027: Fully Funded Opportunity
- Marshall Scholarship 2027 for US Students in UK: Winning Guide To This Fully Funded Scholarship
Who Is Eligible for Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program
Core criteria are consistent across most partners, even when local rules differ.
Nationality and residence
- You should be a citizen of an African country.
- Many partners also consider Africans who are refugees or forcibly displaced within Africa.
- Dual citizenship, asylee, refugee, or permanent-resident status in the US, Canada, UK, or EU can make you ineligible at some partners, including UC Berkeley. Always read that partner’s page.
Age (Foundation guidance)
- Undergraduate (bachelor’s): 29 or under at the time of application
- Master’s: 35 or under at the time of application
Some universities set tighter limits (for example 28, or 32 for refugees and students with disabilities). Follow the partner’s number if it is stricter.
Academic and personal profile
- Meet the university’s admission standard first. The scholarship cannot override entry requirements.
- Show academic talent and a record of service or leadership.
- Demonstrate that you have faced significant barriers to quality higher education—financial, social, personal, practical, or health-related.
- Priority is often given to young women, people with disabilities, refugees, and displaced students.
- Many graduate partners prefer applicants who do not already hold a master’s degree and who completed undergraduate study at an African university.
What is not covered Official FAQs state that scholarships are available at secondary, undergraduate, and master’s levels, but not currently for PhD candidates.
Where You Can Study
Partners are concentrated in Africa, with additional universities in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and the Middle East. The Foundation lists 62 global partners. Examples include:
- Africa: Makerere University (Uganda), University of Cape Town and University of the Western Cape (South Africa), KNUST (Ghana), Ashesi University (Ghana), African Leadership University (Rwanda), Carnegie Mellon University Africa (Rwanda), University of Global Health Equity (Rwanda), University of Gondar (Ethiopia), University of Abomey-Calavi (Benin), Pan-Atlantic University (Nigeria), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (Morocco)
- Europe and the UK: University of Cambridge, University of Edinburgh, Sciences Po
- North America: UC Berkeley, University of British Columbia, McGill University, University of Toronto, Arizona State University
- Middle East: American University of Beirut
The live, filterable list—by country, undergraduate or postgraduate, disability or refugee support, and whether applications are open—is on the Foundation’s Where to Apply page. Use that page before you start any form.
Admission to a partner university is necessary but not sufficient. Partners receive far more qualified applications than funded places. See Also: Partner institutions directory
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How to Apply (The Step Most People Get Wrong)
There is no Mastercard Foundation application you submit to Toronto or Kigali. You apply to the partner.
- Open the official institutions directory and filter by country, study level, and open applications.
- Shortlist two or three partners whose eligible courses match your field and career plan for Africa.
- Read that university’s Mastercard Foundation Scholars page for age limits, eligible degrees, required documents, and the funding deadline.
- Apply for admission to an eligible programme. At several partners you must also complete a separate scholarship statement or expression of interest.
- Submit by the funding deadline, which is often earlier than the ordinary admissions deadline.
- If an application fee is charged, keep proof of payment. Partners typically reimburse the fee if you are selected.
Cambridge’s cycle is a useful illustration, not a universal calendar: applications opened 10 September 2025, with course funding deadlines in early December 2025 or early January 2026 and scholarship offers in March or April 2026. UCT has used late September for bachelor’s scholarship applications and late October for many postgraduate tracks. UBC, Sciences Po, Berkeley, and Makerere all run on different clocks.
You may apply to more than one partner. Do it only if you can produce a complete, tailored file for each. Incomplete or late files are discarded.
Helpful official pages:
- Becoming a Mastercard Foundation Scholar
- Application tips from the Foundation
- University of Cambridge Scholars Program
- UC Berkeley Scholars Program
What Strong Applications Usually Show
Selection committees look for a coherent story, not a list of clubs.
- Academic evidence that you can finish the degree at that university
- Leadership that involved other people and produced a result, however local
- A clear link between the chosen course and a problem in Africa you intend to work on
- Honest evidence of barriers, without turning the essay into a catalogue of hardship
- References who can speak to character and contribution, not only exam scores
For graduate statements, Cambridge asks applicants to address education and career history, leadership potential, how the award will help, and how they hope to contribute to sustainable futures in Africa. That structure works well at other partners too.
Start transcripts, passport bio pages, and referee contacts months early. If a partner requires TOEFL, IELTS, or similar tests, book them before the funding deadline. Many Africa-based partners do not require SAT or TOEFL.
Application Deadlines You Should Plan Around
Because deadlines are institution-specific, treat “Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program deadline” as a search phrase you attach to a university name.
Practical planning window for most Northern Hemisphere master’s intakes:
- Research and shortlist: June to August
- Tests, transcripts, and referees: August to October
- Applications: September to January, depending on the partner
- Results: often two to four months after the partner’s deadline
African undergraduate cycles can open earlier or later in the calendar year. Confirm dates on the partner site in the year you intend to start.
After You Graduate
The program’s theory of change is that scholars stay connected to Africa’s development. Alumni networks, entrepreneurship challenges, and transition support exist to make that more than a slogan. The Foundation’s public impact stories and the Scholars Program Alumni Network are the best places to see what graduates actually do next.
Final Advice Before You Apply
If you remember only one operational fact, make it this: apply through a partner university, not to the Mastercard Foundation. Use the official directory, match yourself to eligible courses, write a leadership-and-impact statement that is specific to Africa, and hit that partner’s funding deadline.
The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program is competitive because the funding is comprehensive and the network is large. It is also unusually navigable once you stop looking for a single portal and start treating each partner as its own scholarship.
Start here: mastercardfdn.org Scholars Program and the Where to Apply institution list.