Mastercard Foundation Scholars Programme at the University of Cambridge is
pleased to announce that applications for the 2024–2025 academic year are now open.
About Us
The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Programme at the University of Cambridge was
established in 2022 as a collaboration between the University and the Mastercard
Foundation.
The programme is designed to provide talented students from economically
marginalised communities in Africa with fully funded opportunities to complete their
Master’s training, grow in transformative leadership, and contribute to climate resilience
and sustainability in Africa and the world at large.
The Programme offers scholarships in a range of academic disciplines, from Social
Sciences, Arts and Humanities to more scientific and technical disciplines like engineering
or biochemistry.
Prospective Mastercard Foundation scholars can apply to most full-time
one-year postgraduate courses available at the University except these specific business
courses: –
Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Corporate Law (MCL), and Master of
Finance (MFin).
Eligibility Criteria
To qualify for the scholarship, candidates:
- Must be a citizen of an African country and must be ordinarily resident in an African country unless you can show temporary
- Absence for study or work with an intention to return, or unless you have been displaced
- Must be applying for a Master’s course of up to one year in length at the University of Cambridge
What we Offer
The programme covers full tuition costs, a monthly maintenance allowance, visa, travel
costs and an allowance for a laptop. In addition, scholars will benefit from a cohort-wide
induction programme, which would require an early arrival in Cambridge before the start
of the course.
Scholars will also benefit from a mentorship and support programme
during their time at Cambridge and will be members of the programme’s alumni
network.
Application Process
To be eligible for a scholarship offer, students are first required to secure an admission from
the relevant department. The Application process commences with an application for
admission to the University of Cambridge via the course directory, to be completed by the
funding deadline of the course. https://www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses
As part of the application process, prospective scholars will be required to provide a
supplementary statement that indicates their personal commitment to contributing to
climate-resilient and sustainable futures for Africa.
Detailed information about the application process is available on the programme website
which can be accessed via the link https://www.mastercardfoundation.fund.cam.ac.uk/.
Deadline
The deadline for submitting applications for funding is the 5th of December 2023 for
courses with a 5th of December deadline and 5th of January 2024 for courses with a 5th of
January deadline.
When making an application, pay close attention to the funding deadline.
Please note that no emails attachments will be accepted.
For any application related inquiries, please check the FAQ section of the website. If the
response to your query is not resolved from the available responses, please email
admin@mastercardfoundation.
The programme supports diversity in all its forms and actively encourages women, refugees,
internally displaced people, and people with disabilities to apply.