Mastercard Foundation Scholars scholarship: partner universities, criteria and how to apply in 2027

Information checked on 2 November 2026.

The Mastercard Foundation Scholars scholarship funds full bachelor's and master's studies for talented young Africans who cannot afford their education, in a network of partner universities. One rule changes everything: you never apply to the Mastercard Foundation. You apply to a partner university, which runs its own selection, calendar and criteria. This guide explains the programme, lists the partner universities we have verified (Cape Town, Makerere, ALU, Ashesi, Cambridge, Edinburgh, McGill, Toronto, and French-speaking options), and shows how to build a file. The programme's general page is in our scholarship directory (in French).

The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program in figures

According to the foundation, the programme has existed since August 2012. It has committed more than 58,000 scholarships, has more than 20,000 alumni, 71% of them young women, and aims for 100,000 young people by 2030. It relies on 62 partners worldwide. Scholarships exist at secondary, bachelor's and master's level. Doctorates are not covered for now.

What the Mastercard Foundation scholarship covers

The foundation describes financial support and guidance:

Details vary by university: Ashesi, in Ghana, covers all fees, room and board and learning resources; Cambridge mentions full tuition and a monthly maintenance allowance. Always read the page of the university you are targeting.

Who can apply

According to the foundation's FAQ, selection rests on four criteria: academic excellence, leadership, financial need and the intention to give back to society. The programme emphasises young women, people with disabilities and forcibly displaced young people. In its French-language guide, the foundation gives age limits: 29 or under for a bachelor's, 35 or under for a master's.

Each university adds its own rules. Three verified examples:

• McGill requires applicants to be citizens of an African country and live there, never to have started a master's, and excludes dual nationals and holders of permanent resident or refugee status in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom or the European Union;
• Edinburgh asks that you have faced significant barriers (social, financial, health) in your studies or early career, and have an ambition related to the climate crisis;
• Makerere sets quotas: at least 70% women, 25% refugees and displaced people, 10% people with disabilities.

The key point: being admitted to the university does not guarantee the scholarship. Selection is highly competitive.

Partner universities in our directory

The pages in this table are in French.

University of Cape Town

Two separate applications: first the academic admission to UCT, then the programme application. Only applicants who receive an admission offer can get the scholarship. Bachelor's applications for 2027 are closed; for postgraduate studies, check the date of the faculty you are targeting.

Makerere

For 2026-2027, Makerere offered 13 master's and 245 bachelor's scholarships, with a deadline of 5 June 2026. You must have applied for admission to the main campus, be 35 or under (40 for refugees, displaced people and people with disabilities) and fill in the free form on the portal. Only shortlisted applicants are contacted.

African Leadership University

ALU, in Rwanda, offers a full scholarship to promising young Africans facing financial hardship, with priority for young women, refugees and displaced people, and people with disabilities. You apply to ALU, which does not publish a deadline on its programme page.

Cambridge

The programme funds a one-year full-time master's, any course except the MBA, MCL, MFin and MAcc, around the themes of climate resilience and sustainability. You must be a citizen of an African country and live there. The scholarship application is part of the course application, with a scholarship statement. Offers arrive in March or April.

Edinburgh

The 2027-2028 calendar is almost over: mandatory information sessions from 15 to 24 September 2026, then the main application until 19 November 2026 at 5 pm (UK time), for invited applicants only. Age: born on or after 1 January 1992. Remember the sequence for next year: without an information session in September, there is no application.

McGill and Toronto

At McGill, the fall 2027 cohort is closed and the next cycle opens in spring 2027, with a mandatory information session. Eligible master's programmes cover sustainable agriculture, food and nutrition, bioresource engineering, biostatistics, biotechnology, public health and public policy. At Toronto, the programme targets graduate studies in health; criteria and calendar will be published in May 2027 for entry in 2028-2029.

Other partners, including French-speaking options

Our directory does not cover every partner. Three official sources show others:

• Ashesi University (Ghana), a partner since 2012: you do not choose this scholarship, you fill in Ashesi's general aid application and the admissions office decides on the award;
• Université Gaston Berger (Saint-Louis, Senegal), presented by the foundation: a postgraduate programme that aims to reach 1,000 young people from Senegal and French-speaking Africa, in digital, health, agriculture and engineering, with 70% young women, 10% refugees and displaced people and 9% young people with disabilities. Admissions are currently closed;
• the page of the University of California, Berkeley, itself a partner, lists 23 members of the network, including the International Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering (2iE) in Burkina Faso, the University of Abomey-Calavi in Benin, Sciences Po, KNUST in Ghana, AIMS, Carnegie Mellon Africa, USIU-Africa, Pretoria, UBC, Arizona State, the American University of Beirut and EARTH University.

For these partners, we have not verified any current call: check their website before preparing a file.

How to apply, step by step

What makes the difference in your file

Universities look for three things, and your file must prove them with facts:

• financial need, documented honestly: household income, expenses, family situation;
• commitment to your community and to Africa: a concrete action (club, association, project, helping younger students) is worth more than an intention;
• leadership: having taken on a responsibility, led a project, brought others along.

Letters count as much as grades. Our guides on the motivation letter for a scholarship and the recommendation letter explain how to write them. If you are still in secondary school, read our article on scholarships open straight after secondary school and the one on preparing your file from the penultimate year.

Beware of fake calls

The foundation states it clearly: it never solicits funding, issues credit cards or requests payments from individuals. A message promising you a Mastercard scholarship in exchange for application fees is a scam. Our article on scholarship scams lists the other warning signs.

Preparing your application with Compatri

Each partner university has its page in our directory: click "Candidater" to open an application tracker (in French) that lays out your steps and reminds you of your deadline. Turn on scholarship alerts (in French) to be notified when a confirmed date approaches. Former scholars and diaspora members volunteer as mentors: a connection request with a message is enough to have your project reviewed. To place this scholarship among the others, see our guide to fully funded scholarships for African students, and for women in science, our article on scholarships for women in science.

Compatri awards no scholarship and is not affiliated with the Mastercard Foundation: only the partner universities' pages are authoritative.

Sources

• Mastercard Foundation: Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program
• Mastercard Foundation: frequently asked questions
• Mastercard Foundation: becoming a Mastercard Foundation scholar (in French)
• Mastercard Foundation: Université Gaston Berger
• University of Cape Town: how to apply
• Makerere University: 2026-2027 call
• African Leadership University: Mastercard Foundation programme
• Ashesi University: Mastercard Foundation programme
• University of Cambridge: 2027 applications open
• University of Cambridge: process and timeline
• University of Edinburgh: 2027-2028 timeline
• University of Edinburgh: eligibility
• McGill University: apply
• McGill University: eligibility
• University of Toronto: Mastercard Foundation programme
• University of California, Berkeley: network partner universities