Application deadlines: 1 December 2022 or 5 January 2023
The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Cambridge is designed to provide talented students from economically marginalised and hard-to-reach communities in Africa with fully-funded opportunities to complete their Master’s training, grow in transformative leadership, and contribute to climate resilience and sustainability in Africa. The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program covers the cost of travel and visas, accommodation, meals, allowance for a laptop, health cover, and a living stipend – as well as tuition costs. It also provides an allowance for dependant children who may accompany a Scholar.
Prospective Mastercard Foundation Scholars can apply to the majority of courses available at the University* – see available programmes – since addressing the climate crisis requires a range of expertise across both scientific/STEM disciplines and the arts, humanities and social sciences. The Program trains these scholars in a range of academic disciplines – from the creative arts and writing, through the social sciences, to more scientific and technical disciplines: because a multidisciplinary approach to climate action and response is critical.
In addition to full funding (fees and maintenance), the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Cambridge will provide scholars with support for travel to and from the UK (including visas, if needed). In addition, Scholars will benefit from a cohort-wide induction programme, likely to require early arrival in Cambridge before the start of the course.
As part of the application process, prospective Scholars will be required to provide a supplementary statement which indicates their personal commitment to contributing to climate-resilient and sustainable futures for Africa.
* exceptions are the Master of Accountancy, Business Administration, Master of Corporate Law, Master of Finance, MASt, MSts.
We are looking to support students with academic talent and a commitment to giving back to their community, in particular a desire and commitment to contribute to climate-resilient and sustainable futures for Africa and the world. African women, refugees and internally displaced people, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply. The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
Eligibility criteria
- Must be a citizen of an African country* and demonstrate that they are from an economically marginalised, or economically disadvantaged, background.
- Must be ordinarily resident * in an African country unless you can show temporary absence for study/work with an intention to return or unless you have been displaced.**
- Must be applying for a Master’s course of up to one year in length at the University of Cambridge.
- Prospective Scholars can apply across a wide range of disciplines.***
* evidence will be required at a later stage of the Scholarship selection process.
** see for further information about support available to refugees at Cambridge University.
*** exceptions are the Master of Accountancy, Business Administration, Master of Corporate Law, Master of Finance, MASt, MSts.
Award details and application process
This is a full-cost award available to Master’s students, covering tuition fees, maintenance and expenses (for e.g. travel, visa costs and the immigration health surcharge). An allowance for dependant children joining a student in Cambridge is available.
How to apply:
Step one:
(a) Apply for admission to the University via the course directory by the funding deadline for your chosen course of study and indicate that you wish to apply for funding (the deadline will either be 1 December 2022 or 5 Jan 2023 – check the course directory for the relevant funding deadline.
(b) Applying for a Master’s course requires payment of a £50 fee before you can submit your application. However, the fee is automatically waived for many African countries – refer to the list in Section 3 – Overseas applicants. If you are from a country that does not automatically receive a fee waiver and the fee would present a financial barrier for you, you can apply for a manual waiver of this fee – please complete the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Fee Waiver Form and return it, with the required evidence attached to mastercardfdnscholars@admin.cam.ac.uk You should complete this step before you submit your application through the Applicant Portal.
Deadlines:
- For applicants with a 1 December 2022 funding deadline, you need to submit your fee waiver form at least five working days before the funding deadline (by 25 November 2022);
- For applicants with a 5 January 2023 funding deadline, you need to submit your fee waiver form by 19 December 2022;
- For applicants applying for a reimbursement of their application fee, you need to have completed the form by 5 January 2023.
Step two:
Anyone who wishes to apply for the Mastercard Foundation funding needs to complete the separate Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program application form stating how you meet the eligibility criteria as soon as possible and by 5 January 2023 at the latest. You will need to have first submitted your course application via the Applicant Portal above to receive a unique ‘Application Number’ that you will need to enter on the scholarship application form.
Please note that applicants will have to be made a conditional offer of admission from the University in order to be considered for a Scholarship. For any queries, please write to mastercardfdnscholars@admin.cam.ac.uk
Data relating to your application/place on the Program will be retained and anonymised for use in evaluation of the Program’s outcomes and effectiveness.