Apply for Mastercard Foundation Scholarships for Graduate Study

Stage 1: Application to the Scholarship (Eligibility)

Applications for the scholarship take place between the months of October and December. Applications for eligibility must be received no later than midnight (Paris time) on 5 December 2019.

Eligible applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

• You must be a resident and citizen of a Sub-Saharan African country;
• You must have completed your undergraduate studies at a foreign higher education institution and have at least a Bachelor's degree;
• Minimum C1 level in English or French depending on the programme you are applying to (see language requirements);
• You must be able to show that you lack financial means to pursue higher education.

Candidates must apply online on the dedicated website. Candidates will be asked to:

• Give personal information;
• Attach a letter of recommendation from the institution supporting their application to the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program;
• Provide information and proof concerning their educational and extra-curricular experiences.

As part of their application, candidates for the scholarship will be asked to outline their diverse experiences and their vision of the issues that specifically affect the African continent. The candidates’ answers will be reviewed by the scholarship award committee.

Apply for the scholarship now.

Eligible candidates will receive email notification that they can now apply online to the programme of their choice without having to pay the application fee.

Candidates are encouraged to start their Sciences Po application and their application to the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program simultaneously. They should however only submit their application to Sciences Po after having received a notification that the application fee has been waived.

Please note: Eligibility for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program does not guarantee admission to Sciences Po, which entails a separate application process.

Stage 2: Application to Sciences Po (Admission)

Candidates eligible for the scholarship should then submit their application to Sciences Po according to the international graduate admissions procedure.

Please note: applications must be submitted before 15 December 2019.

Stage 3: Scholarship award

15 full scholarships are offered for 2020 to candidates eligible for the scholarship and admitted to a Master’s Programme. The results of the application process will be released in May 2020.

Please note: admission to Sciences Po does not guarantee a scholarship award. In case of deferral of entry to Sciences Po, the Mastercard Foundation scholarship award will be lost.