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Become a Mastercard Foundation Scholar at graduate level
Please note
Detailed information and the application timeline for requesting an application fee waiver as part of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program eligibility process will be published on this page from September 2026.
Applications for the fee waiver will be open from October to mid-December 2026.
We encourage you to read this page carefully and begin gathering the supporting documents required both to request the application fee waiver and to apply for a Master's programme at Sciences Po.
The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Sciences Po is designed for students from the African continent who wish to pursue a two-year Master's degree at Sciences Po. The Program covers the full financial needs of selected Scholars and provides comprehensive support throughout their two years of study at Sciences Po.
To be part of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, applicants must meet all of the following requirements:
- Meet Sciences Po's academic requirements (please consult the table of minimum academic results required according to the country of your home university).
- Meet the eligibility criteria for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program.
- Apply to and be admitted to a two-year Master's programme at Sciences Po (dual degree programmes and one-year Master's programmes are not eligible).
- Be selected by the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Selection Committee.
Application Process
- Learn about the selection criteria and plan ahead
- Verify your eligibility for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program
- Apply for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program and request an application fee waiver
- Admission to a Sciences Po Master's Programme
- Selection Process for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program
- Support for incoming Scholars
Learn about the selection criteria and plan ahead
Learn about the scholarship eligibility and selection process for the Mastercard Foundation
Several online and in-person information sessions will be organised between September and December 2026 to guide you through the application process.
Dates and registration details for these sessions will be announced on the Program's LinkedIn and Instagram account.
You are also encouraged to consult this page regularly, as important information about the Program will be updated throughout the application period.
Learn about the Sciences Po admissions timeline
A virtual Open House will be held on 17 October 2026. In addition, several admissions webinars will take place during the autumn. Dates will be published progressively on the Sciences Po Admissions website.
We strongly advise you to collect and prepare all the required supporting documents well in advance (and at the latest by the deadline for submitting your online application). Obtaining certain documents can take a significant amount of time.
Verify your eligibility for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program
To be eligible for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Sciences Po, applicants must meet all of the following criteria:
- Hold the citizenship of an African country. Applicants holding dual citizenship that includes citizenship of a country outside the African continent are not eligible.
- Be currently completing, or already hold, a Bachelor's degree from one of the universities on this list of institutions.
- Or, be currently completing, or already hold, a Bachelor's degree and have participated in a recognised bridge programme or mentoring programme offered by one of the approved organisations (see the list of institutions).
- Or, be currently completing, or already hold, a Bachelor's degree and currently hold, or have previously held, UNHCR refugee status.
- Be under 35 years of age on 1 September of the year in which the scholarship application is submitted.
- Not already hold, or currently pursuing, a Master's degree.
- Be applying to the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program for the first time.
The following are not eligible:
- Students currently enrolled at Sciences Po.
- Students currently enrolled in, or graduated from, a French higher education institution.
Apply for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program and request an application fee waiver
If you meet the eligibility criteria described above, you will be able to apply for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program and request an application fee waiver according to the procedures that will be published on this page from mid-September 2026.
In both your written scholarship application and during the interview, you will be expected to:
- Demonstrate a clear alignment between your chosen Master's programme at Sciences Po, your personal and academic background, and your future career goals.
- Demonstrate critical thinking and analytical insight into the major contemporary political, economic, and societal challenges facing Africa and the world.
- Demonstrate ambition, originality, and perseverance through entrepreneurial initiatives or public service projects that have the potential to contribute to Africa's socio-economic transformation.
Applicants are encouraged to write authentically and to draw on concrete personal experiences to explain how joining the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program will enable them to become changemakers.
Please note: The use of artificial intelligence is contrary to the purpose of these written assignments, as it tends to generate standardized responses. Since these assignments are intended to assess independent and personal reflection, relying on AI may result in a lower evaluation.
We strongly recommend that you begin preparing them now, along with the documents required for your Sciences Po Master's application.
List of supporting documents will be required at this stage :
- A valid identity document (passport, national identity card, or travel document).
- Proof that you have completed, or are currently completing, a Bachelor's degree (transcript, diploma, or certificate) at one of the recognised partner universities (see the list of partner institutions).
- Or, proof that you have completed, or are currently completing, a Bachelor's degree (transcript, diploma, or certificate), and a certificate confirming successful completion of a recognised bridge programme (see the list of partner institutions).
- Or, proof that you have completed, or are currently completing, a Bachelor's degree (transcript, diploma, or certificate), and proof of your refugee status (UNHCR registration card).
If you meet the eligibility criteria, you will receive a message explaining the steps you need to follow to complete and submit your application on the Sciences Po application platform, with your application fee waived.
If you do not meet the eligibility criteria, you will not be granted an application fee waiver, and your application will not be considered for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program. However, you may still apply to a Sciences Po Master's programme and submit your application by paying the standard application fee.
Admission to a Sciences Po Master's Programme
The International Graduate Admissions Procedure is the only admissions pathway to a two-year Master's programme at Sciences Po that allows applicants to be considered for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program.
Important:
- Before starting your application, you must consult the table of minimum academic requirements. Applicants who do not meet this mandatory academic threshold will automatically be deemed ineligible.
- Your application will only be reviewed if it is complete. Any missing or non-compliant supporting document (such as missing transcripts or language test results, academic recommendations submitted from a personal email address, etc.) will render your application incomplete and therefore ineligible. You are strongly encouraged to prepare all required documents as early as possible and submit a complete application.
- Particular attention should be paid to the required letters of recommendation, as obtaining them may take time.
- If you wish to apply for more than one scholarship, you must submit your application by the earliest applicable application deadline.
For more information about the Master's admissions process and application timeline, please consult the Sciences Po Admissions website.
Selection Process for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program
If you are admitted to a Master's programme at Sciences Po and have been declared eligible for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, your application will then be considered for the Program.
Please note: Several months may elapse between receiving an offer of admission to Sciences Po and receiving a scholarship decision.
The selection steps
Applications are assessed against a range of selection criteria, including:
- Having faced significant barriers to accessing education, whether economic, social, geographical, or resulting from other circumstances.
- Demonstrating a strong commitment to advancing the development of the African continent and a clear aspiration to become a changemaker, particularly in the fields of public policy and political, environmental, and societal transitions.
- Demonstrating strong potential for transformative leadership, together with the capacity and determination to create a positive, sustainable, and measurable impact within one's community, country, or across the African continent.
In line with the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program's commitment to inclusion, diversity, and equal opportunity, particular consideration will be given throughout the selection process to applications from young women, refugees and displaced persons, and persons with disabilities.
Admitted applicants whose Program applications have been shortlisted will be invited by email to participate in an online interview.
Interviews are conducted via Zoom and last approximately 25 minutes.
Please note:
- Meeting the scholarship eligibility criteria and being admitted to a Sciences Po Master's programme does not guarantee an invitation to interview.
- Receiving an interview invitation does not guarantee the award of a Mastercard Foundation Scholarship.
Following a collective decision by the Scholarship Selection Committee, the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program team will inform you whether or not you have been selected as a Scholar.
Successful applicants will receive an official offer to join the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, outlining the rights and responsibilities of Scholars. You will be asked to review the offer carefully before confirming your acceptance.
Please note:
- An offer to join the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Sciences Po is valid only for the academic year for which it is issued. If you choose to defer your admission to Sciences Po by one year, you will no longer be eligible to join the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program.
- If you are admitted to Sciences Po but are not selected for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, you will be responsible for securing alternative funding to pursue your studies.
Support for incoming Scholars
Support from the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program team at Sciences Po begins as soon as your offer of admission to the Program has been accepted.
Several online information sessions will be organised for incoming Scholars. Participation is strongly encouraged to help you prepare for your arrival in France and your successful integration into Sciences Po.
Contact us
For further questions about the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Sciences Po, please check our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), which will be updated in September 2026.
If you cannot find the answer to your question in the FAQ, you may contact us at: info.mcfsp@sciencespo.fr.
You can also follow our LinkedIn page to stay informed about the latest news and updates from the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Sciences Po.
For further questions about the graduate international admissions, please contact us.
