Apply for Mastercard Foundation Scholarships for Undergraduate Study

Stage 1: Application to the Scholarship (Eligibility)

Applications for the scholarship take place between the months of October and January. Applications for eligibility must be received no later than midnight (Paris time) on 29 January 29 2020.

Eligible applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

• You must be a resident and citizen of a Sub-Saharan African country;
• You must be in your final year of high school and not yet have started a post-secondary education;
• You must have a very good level of French and English - minimum level B2 (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 Europe-Africa programme  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 undergraduate admissions procedure.

Please note: complete applications (references included) must be submitted at least 6 weeks before the interview session you have chosen. The time limit for admissions is between January and April, according to the interview session.

Stage 3: Scholarship award

5 scholarships will be offered in 2020 to eligible candidates and admitted to Sciences Po. 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.