The Scholars Program at the University of Edinburgh will provide 1 year postgraduate on campus scholarships to students living or working in Africa with great academic and leadership potential but few educational opportunities.
On top of the full scholarship (tuition fees, accommodation, travel and living costs stipend), the Scholars Program facilitates a transformative leadership programme to inspire and support Scholars in making change in their communities and countries on their return home.
Scholarships are available for the following on-campus postgraduate programmes only:
- Africa and International Development
- Food Security
- Sustainable Energy Systems
- Entrepreneurship and Innovation
- Data, Inequality and Society (on campus only)
Eligibility
You must meet the eligibility criteria to apply:
- Applicants must qualify academically for admission to the University of Edinburgh for a relevant degree programme listed above. You will generally need to have achieved the equivalent of a UK Second Class (Upper) Bachelor’s (Hons) degree or higher. Find out more about the postgraduate entry requirements for your country
- Applicants must have graduated from undergraduate study before December 2022 and must be in possession of a degree certificate and official, final transcript to upload alongside their application
- Applicants must be residents and citizens of a Sub-Saharan African country
- Applicants must be without the financial means to study oversees independently
- We particularly welcome applications from female scholars, scholars from refugee and displaced backgrounds, and scholars with disabilities (see FAQs below for further information)
- Applicants must demonstrate a track record of leadership and service within their community
- Applicants should not have previously completed a postgraduate degree and should not be enrolled at a separate university while on scholarship
- Applicants must be 35 or younger on the 1 September 2023
How to apply
You must qualify academically for admission to the University of Edinburgh. We prefer that applicants apply to this scholarship before applying to the University.
If you believe you meet all the eligibility criteria please apply.
Applications for our 2023 online Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, for postgraduate degrees only, will open on Thursday 15 December at 10am UK time and will close on Friday 27 January at 5pm UK time.
Please review our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section for further details. If you have any queries regarding the Mastercard Foundation Scholarships which are not answered in the FAQs, please contact us at: [email protected]
We will also host online Information Sessions on 11 and 16 January from 4-5pm UK time for those interested in finding out more about the program and application process. If you would like to attend please sign up to the session using this form. We will provide a recording of the 11 January session on this page on 12 January.