New scholarships for students from Sub-Saharan Africa

The MasterCard Foundation has just announced a six-year, USD$8.2 million (around €7.6 million) partnership with Sciences Po, to offer 120 bright, next-generation leaders from African countries a world-class social sciences education at one of Europe’s leading universities.

Open to both English-speaking and French-speaking candidates, the partnership will increase the options available to students from Francophone Africa to study in their language of choice through The MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program.

Full scholarships for undergraduate, graduate and Summer School study at Sciences Po

The MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program at Sciences Po will benefit talented students from Sub-Saharan Africa facing significant entry barriers to higher education. Full scholarships will be awarded for study in the Europe-Africa Program at the Sciences Po Undergraduate College (20 scholarships) as of September 2017, and in a Master’s program at one of Sciences Po’s seven graduate schools (40 scholarships) as of September 2018. 60 scholarships will also be offered to MasterCard Foundation Scholars from other universities who want to enrol in the Sciences Po Summer School.

Resources to help Scholars launch meaningful careers

Sciences Po will also provide a new suite of resources for Scholars transitioning from education to employment. The suite will include an online African careers fair and access to the University Entrepreneurship Incubator, allowing Scholars to take advantage of its substantial network of employers and alumni working in African countries and of Sciences Po’s own entrepreneurial landscape. This will complement and build on the work of the Africa Careers Network, a job-matching service and platform implemented by African Leadership Academy and seeded by the MasterCard Foundation.

A new stage in the Sciences Po-Africa relationship

Africa-related activities at Sciences Po bring together a community of 800 students, 80 faculty and teaching professionals, 20 scholars and PhD students, and over 600 alumni working in Africa. Sciences Po has over 20 partnerships with African universities, and has already begun adding to these with other institutions in the Scholars Program network.

As a new partner in The MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program, Sciences Po has committed to more than doubling the number of African high schools reached by its recruiters – from 30 in 2015 to over 70 by 2017 – and will focus on countries currently underrepresented in the MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program, particularly Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and Madagascar.

With the MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program, Sciences Po joins a global network of 28 partner organisations committed to ensuring that all young people, no matter their starting point in life, have an equal chance to obtain a quality education and pursue their aspirations. The Program provides education and leadership development for nearly 35,000 bright, young leaders with a deep personal commitment to changing the world around them. These young people will create change that matters within their communities and will usher in a new era of inclusive prosperity in Africa and beyond.

Applications to the MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program

The first undergraduate scholarships will be awarded in September 2017. More information on eligibility, how to apply, and the selection process is available on the Sciences Po Financial Aid website. Sciences Po will hold information sessions in South Africa and Kenya in March 2017, and in Senegal, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire in May 2017. Sciences Po will announce the dates on its website.

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