What is the Mastercard Foundation Scholarship?
The Mastercard Foundation Scholarship is the funding offered through the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program. It pays for the education of young Africans who have the grades but not the money to study. The Foundation runs the programme with partner universities and non-governmental organisations across several regions.
It is not one application with one deadline. Each partner manages its own admissions, its own eligibility rules and its own timeline. That is why two students searching for the same scholarship may be looking at completely different forms on different dates. Our MasterCard Foundation Scholarship Program for Africans listing holds the current details.
The programme covers secondary school, undergraduate and master's study. PhD candidates are not currently supported.
What does the scholarship pay for?
The Scholars Program describes three layers of support: financial, psychosocial and academic.
- Financial support: tuition fees, accommodation, books and other academic materials, and a return air ticket to the scholar's country of origin if necessary.
- Mentoring and counselling: academic and personal support while you study.
- Leadership development: structured training alongside your degree.
- 21st century skill building: critical thinking, communications and entrepreneurship, the skills that matter for finding work.
- Transition support: help moving into secondary school, university or the workforce, through mentoring, career counselling, internships and life skills coaching.
- Give-back component: scholars commit to giving back to their communities and countries of origin through volunteerism, community service and other experiential learning.
- Alumni network: graduates join a network that offers information, resources and opportunities to consult with other graduates.
What is covered in practice depends on the partner. Check the scholarship page of the university you want before you plan your budget.
Open scholarships that match
United States
South AfricaMasterCard Foundation Scholars Program for African Students
MasterCard Foundation
Which universities and institutions take part?
Partners are chosen for their academic standards, supportive environments and programmes tied to growth sectors in Africa such as manufacturing, telecommunications, banking and agriculture. Most are in Africa, with others in North and Central America, Europe and the Middle East.
| Partner institution | Country |
|---|---|
| African Leadership Academy | South Africa |
| Ashesi University | Ghana |
| Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology | Ghana |
| Makerere University | Uganda |
| Brac | Uganda |
| Forum for African Women Educationalists | Kenya |
| University of Pretoria | South Africa |
| University of Cape Town | South Africa |
| American University of Beirut | Lebanon |
| McGill University | Canada |
| University of British Columbia | Canada |
| University of Toronto | Canada |
| Arizona State University | USA |
| Duke University | USA |
| Michigan State University | USA |
| Stanford University | USA |
| University of California, Berkeley | USA |
| Wellesley College | USA |
| Camfed | USA |
| Earth University | Costa Rica |
If you are searching for a specific campus, the same programme appears under different names: the University of Edinburgh Mastercard scholarship, the ASU Mastercard scholarship, the McGill Mastercard Foundation scholarship, the University of Toronto Mastercard scholarship, the AUB Mastercard Foundation scholarship, the Sciences Po Mastercard Foundation scholarship, the KNUST Mastercard scholarship and the UP Mastercard scholarship all follow the same model. Confirm on the institution's own page whether it is a current partner and what it offers.
Who is eligible for the Mastercard Foundation Scholarship?
The programme supports young Africans, with a focus on young women and marginalised groups. Each host institution adds its own criteria on top of that, so the list below is the general shape, not a guarantee for any one campus.
- You are a young African.
- You have the academic grades for the course but not the financial means to pay for it.
- You are applying at secondary school, undergraduate or master's level. PhD candidates are not currently supported.
- You meet the specific eligibility criteria of the host institution you choose, which may include academic thresholds, age guidance or a language test.
- You are willing to take part in the give-back component and commit to your community and country of origin.
Young women are a stated priority group, and the Foundation reports that most of its scholars are young women. If you belong to a marginalised group, say so clearly in your application where the form allows it.
Deadlines and timeline: when do applications open?
There is no single Mastercard Foundation Scholarship deadline. Each partner in the Scholars Program sets its own, and course start dates vary by institution too. Some partners align with the normal university admission cycle, others run a separate scholarship round.
Treat the application as a project with stages rather than a single date:
| Stage | What to do |
|---|---|
| Choose your partners | Pick the institutions whose courses and country fit you, and note each one's scholarship page |
| Read the official guidelines | Each partner sets its own rules, so read that institution's page first |
| Gather documents | Transcripts, certificates and identity documents early |
| Book a language test | Only if the university requires one, and in good time |
| Ask referees | Request recommendation letters well before the deadline |
| Submit | Send your application directly to the partner institution |
Because dates move each round, the official page of your chosen partner carries the current deadline. Our filtered list for this page shows which partner rounds are open now.
How to apply step by step
The application process and decision-making are managed by the partners, not by a central office. That changes how you apply.
- Pick your partner institutions. Use the table above and shortlist two or three that match your level and subject.
- Open each institution's Mastercard Foundation scholarship page. Read the eligibility rules and the deadline for that campus.
- Check the course. You can study the approved fields offered by the participating university, so confirm your subject is available.
- Prepare your documents. Transcripts, certificates and identity documents first, since these take longest to replace.
- Book any required language test. Do this early enough that the result arrives before the deadline.
- Ask your referees. Give them your CV, your course choice and the deadline in writing.
- Write your community service and leadership section carefully. Giving back is part of the programme, so show what you have actually done.
- Submit directly to the institution. Follow its instructions and any separate scholarship form it requires.
- Track your inbox. Partners contact shortlisted applicants directly, sometimes for interviews or extra documents.
Documents and selection: what carries weight
Most partners ask for the same core set. Exact requirements differ, so treat this as a checklist to prepare, not a fixed list.
- Academic transcripts and certificates
- Identity documents
- Recommendation letters from referees
- Evidence of financial need where the form asks for it
- A language test result if the university requires one
- A personal statement or motivation letter
- A record of community service and leadership experience
Selection is run by each partner, so the weighting differs. Two things appear across the programme: academic readiness for the course, and a credible commitment to giving back. A strong grades record with no evidence of community involvement is a weaker file than it looks. A moving story with grades that do not meet the course threshold will not pass either.
What the motivation letter should do
Explain why this course, at this institution, now. Connect your past community work to what you plan to study and to what you intend to do at home afterwards. Keep it specific and short.
Who it suits and who should look elsewhere
It suits you if you are a young African with the grades for a partner institution but not the funds, you are applying at secondary, undergraduate or master's level, and you can show real community involvement. It also suits students who want mentoring and leadership training alongside the money, not just a fee waiver.
Look elsewhere if you are applying for a PhD, since PhD candidates are not currently supported. Look elsewhere too if you are not African, if you need funding for a course the partner institutions do not offer, or if you cannot commit to the give-back component. Students who need a single central application with one deadline will find the partner-by-partner model frustrating and should check our scholarship finder for awards with one application route.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Waiting for a central application. There is none. Apply to the partner institution.
- Assuming one deadline covers all campuses. Each partner sets its own.
- Using another university's rules. Read the guidelines for the specific university you want.
- Leaving documents late. Transcripts and certificates delay more applications than essays do.
- Booking a language test too late. If the university requires one, book it in good time.
- Asking referees at the last minute. Request letters well before the deadline.
- Treating community service as an afterthought. Giving back is part of the programme, so write it clearly.
- Applying for a PhD. The programme does not currently support PhD candidates.
Other Mastercard Foundation programmes and alternatives
The Foundation runs more than the Scholars Program, and searches for these often land on the same page. The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship supports education technology work, the Mastercard Foundation Associates Program is a separate Foundation initiative, and Mastercard internships are run by the company rather than the Foundation. These are not the Scholars Program. Details sit on the official site.
If the Scholars Program does not fit, widen the search by destination or subject. Our guides to scholarships in Canada, scholarships in the United States, scholarships in the United Kingdom and scholarships in Germany cover funded study in the countries where several partners sit. For subject-led funding, start with development studies scholarships, engineering scholarships, health scholarships, agriculture, forestry and fisheries scholarships and any field of study scholarships. Browse all guides if you are still choosing a direction.
How to read the partner list on this page
The live list below shows the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program rounds currently in our database. Read it in three steps.
- Check the level. Confirm the round is for secondary, undergraduate or master's study and not a PhD.
- Check the institution and country. The partner name tells you who runs the process and where you would study.
- Open the listing. It carries that partner's own deadline and instructions, since deadlines differ by institution.
If a partner you want is not listed, go to its own scholarship page. The Foundation's official site lists the current partners, and the institution's page carries the live deadline.