The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program is one of the largest scholarship programmes for Africans. It funds young people with strong grades and limited money to study at partner universities in Africa and abroad, and it supports them with mentoring and leadership training along the way.
Priority goes to young women, people with disabilities and young people who have been displaced.
What the scholarship pays
- Tuition.
- Accommodation.
- Books and study materials.
- Mentoring and leadership support.
- A return flight, if your university is outside your home country.
Who can apply
- Young Africans from any African country, including Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia.
- For undergraduate study you should be 29 or younger, and for a master’s 35 or younger.
- You need strong academic results and evidence of financial need.
There are no PhD places.
How to apply
There is no single Mastercard Foundation application. You apply to a partner university, and the university runs the selection. Each partner sets its own requirements and deadline.
When we checked the Foundation’s partner pages, these were shown as open:
| University | Country | Level |
|---|---|---|
| KNUST | Ghana | Undergraduate |
| University of Edinburgh | UK | Postgraduate |
| University of Cambridge | UK | Postgraduate |
| Arizona State University | USA | Postgraduate |
The University of Pretoria and USIU-Africa were shown as closed. Statuses change through the year, so check the Foundation’s list of where to apply and the university’s own page.
Tips
- Read each university’s page carefully. Some partners only accept certain fields or certain countries.
- Show both your grades and your financial need. You’ll usually need documents for both.
- Write about how you plan to give back to your community. It’s central to how the programme selects scholars.
See what else is open in our 2027 scholarship calendar.