EXCITING MASTERCARD FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME AT CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY 2024/2025

Mastercard Foundation Cambridge applications for the 2024/2025 academic year are now open. The programme at the University of Cambridge is designed to provide talented students from Africa with fully funded opportunities to complete their master’s training, grow in transformative leadership, and contribute to climate resilience and sustainability in Africa and the world at large. The programme offers scholarships which span the full range of across disciplines in Cambridge  except for the following business courses: Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Corporate Law (MCL), Master of Finance (MFin).

Mastercard Foundation Cambridge Eligibility

You can only apply to the  Mastercard Foundation Scholars Programme at the University of Cambridge if

• You are a citizen of an African country. You must be ordinarily resident in an African country unless you can demonstrate temporary absence for study or work, with an intention to return to your home country.

• You are applying to pursue an eligible Master’s course. Prospective Scholars can apply across a wide range of disciplines. The Mastercard Foundation scholars programme provides scholarships for  LLM, MAST, MED, MPhil, and MR’ES of up to one year in length.

• The programme does not provide scholarships for  CPGS, Master of Accountancy (MACC), Business Administration (MBA), Master of Corporate Law (MCL), Master of Finance (MFIN), MSTS, PGCert, and  PG Dip.

Mastercard Foundation Cambridge Application Process

 The Application process commences with an application for admission to the University of Cambridge via the course directory, to be completed by the funding deadline of the course. https://www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses

The application for funding is imbedded in the course application process. 

 As part of the application process, prospective scholars will be required to provide a supplementary statement that indicates their personal commitment to contributing to climate-resilient and sustainable futures for Africa.

Here is the application process again

Step one: Apply for admission to the University of Cambridge

Apply for admission to the University of Cambridge via the course directory by the funding deadline. The University of Cambridge has created a very helpful video about applying for postgraduate admission and funding.

The University of Cambridge’s online directory gives details about each course, its requirements, application deadlines, funding deadlines and the supporting documentation you need to provide. We recommend you go through this in detail.

Once you have identified the course you are interested in, you are required to put together the required paperwork and submit your application for admission and funding (Mastercard Foundation Scholarship Program and other funding if applicable) via the University’s Graduate Application Portal. 

Step Two: The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Programme Statement. 

As part of the application process in the University’s graduate application portal, students are asked to select funding bodies they are interested in applying to. A range of options are presented to the applicant. Once you select the Mastercard foundation scholars programme, you would be required to submit a mandatory  personal  statement.  This is the only part of the application process where applicants are specifically asked about their fit for the Mastercard Foundation Scholarship Program.  You should endeavour to demonstrate how you specifically meet the Program’s criteria. You will  be expected to write about your desire and commitment towards  climate-resilient and sustainable futures for Africa and the world,  and how your chosen course of study at Cambridge contributes towards that goal.

Step three: Choose a College 

 The University is composed of 31 colleges, each offering varied opportunities. It is important that you take time to consider the college you wish to live in. You may want a college near to your department, or any other specific requirement.  Please read up about the college system to enable you make an informed  choice:   https://www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/colleges/choosing-a-college.

 Please be sure to visit  college websites to enable you to make an informed decision.

Step Four: Fee waiver

Master’s applications require a  £50 application fee. However, the fee will be automatically waived for applicants of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars programme. Please note you must submit the scholarship statement to benefit from the automatic waiver. Students who do not get an automatic waiver and are certain they meet all conditions of the Scholars programme are invited to contact the team at [email protected]. 

Mastercard Foundation Cambridge Application Deadline

The deadline for submitting applications for funding is the 5^th of December 2023 for courses with a 5^th of December deadline and 5^th of January 2024 for courses with a 5^th of January deadline. When making an application, pay close attention to the funding deadline.

For any application related inquiries, please check the FAQ section of the website.  If the response to your query is not resolved from the available responses, please email  [email protected].

Apply here

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