2026 MASTERCARD SCHOLARSHIP AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
- TKI
- Oct 6
- 3 min read
DEADLINE: Early Dec to early Jan
The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at the University of Cambridge enables talented young Africans to pursue a master’s degree and grow their leadership potential. The programme aims to cover everything students need to thrive in Cambridge, including tuition costs and a monthly maintenance allowance.
The prestigious Mastercard Foundation Programme at the University of Cambridge was established in 2022 as a collaboration between the University and the Mastercard Foundation. Over 500 Scholars from the African continent will be enrolled in the programme between 2023 and 2030 to undertake a wide range of Masters courses.
The Scholarship programme provides bright students from under-represented communities in Africa with a fully funded opportunity to complete their Master's training, develop transformative leadership skills and contribute to climate resilience and sustainable futures in Africa. Ultimately, the mission of the Mastercard foundation Scholars programme at the University of Cambridge is to contribute to the development of a transformative network of young people, critical to driving sustainable change.
ELIGIBILITY
Prospective Scholars can apply across a wide range of disciplines. Please note that this scholarship funds LLMs, MPhils, and MRes of up to one year in length. Specific business courses such as Master of Accountancy (MAcc), Business Administration (MBA), Master of Corporate Law (MCL) and Master of Finance (MFin) are NOT eligible for this scholarship.
You can only apply to the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Programme at the University of Cambridge if
You are a citizen of an African country. You must be ordinarily resident in an African country unless you can demonstrate temporary absence for study or work, with an intention to return to your home country (except if you identify as an internally displaced person or have refugee status).
You are applying to pursue an eligible Master’s course of up to one year in length and intend to pursue full time study. Prospective Scholars can apply across a wide range of disciplines. The Mastercard Foundation scholars programme provides scholarships for LLM, MAST, MED, MPhil, and MR'ES.
Meet the academic requirement of the course you’re applying for. Most master’s courses require a first-class undergraduate degree, some a 'good' second-class.
Please check the entry requirements for your course in the Course Directory and visit the International qualifications page to find the equivalent qualifications for your country.
SCHOLARSHIP BENEFITS
The Mastercard Foundation Scholar Programme covers the following:
The University's composition / course fee at the appropriate rate
A monthly living / maintenance allowance that takes into consideration yearly inflation
Visa application Fee, IHS surcharge
An economy return ticket from the student’s home country to the United Kingdom and back home at the end of their course.
In addition, Scholars will benefit from:
A cohort-wide induction programme before the start of the course.
Termly Leadership Training, which supports Scholars in thinking about sustainable leadership, and developing collaborative leadership qualities needed to build cross-sector solutions for sustainable development
Support to take up a 3-6-month placements in leading Africa-based organisations. This will enable scholars to develop pathways to building impactful careers in Africa.
Mastercard Foundation Scholars will be able to join both the Cambridge University Alumni group and the Mastercard Foundation Scholars' alumni group, where they can continue to draw on and contribute to the community of African scholars.
Every scholar will benefit from the highest calibre of academic training in their specific discipline, including mentorship support. This will enable them to make the connection between their course of study and the broad action and research agenda, contributing to the overall goal of climate resilience and sustainability in Africa and the world at large.
HOW TO APPLY
The University of Cambridge's online directory gives details about each course, its requirements, application deadlines, funding deadlines and the supporting documentation you need to provide. We recommend you go through this in detail. Once you have identified the course you are interested in, you are required to put together the required paperwork and submit your application for admission and funding (Mastercard Foundation Scholarship Program and other funding if applicable) via the University’s Graduate Application Portal.
The University is composed of 31 colleges, each offering varied opportunities. It is important that you take time to consider the college you wish to live in. You may want a college near your department, or any other specific requirement. Please read up about the college system to enable you make an informed choice: https://www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/colleges/choosing-a-college
Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Application Fee Waiver Request Form. The deadline for the submission of fee waiver request is the 15th of November. You’ll be contacted by email with a decision. If your request is granted, you will not be asked to pay the fee to submit your application.
Students who do not get approval for a waiver and are certain they meet all conditions of the Scholars programme are invited to contact the team at admin@mastercardfoundation.fund.cam.ac.uk.
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