Back to Scholarships
Mastercard Foundation

Mastercard Foundation

Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program

Check providerFull RideMerit-BasedNeed-BasedHigh SchoolBachelor'sMaster's

About the Scholarship

This is not one scholarship with one form. The Foundation funds 62 partner institutions, and each of them recruits, selects and funds its own Scholars. There is no central application, no central deadline and no way to be considered without going through a partner.

That shapes how to use it. Pick the institution first, on the strength of the programme and the country you want to study in, then apply to that institution's own Scholars intake. Partners span Africa, where most of them sit, including Morocco, alongside Canada, Costa Rica, France, Lebanon, the United Kingdom and the United States, so the same programme can mean studying at home or abroad.

What arrives is comprehensive rather than partial: tuition, accommodation, books and academic materials, mentoring and counselling, leadership development, and a return air ticket home where it is needed. No figure is published, since each partner funds against its own costs.

Level matters. Support runs at secondary, undergraduate and master's level, and the Foundation says plainly that PhD candidates are not currently funded, so a doctoral applicant should look elsewhere.

One practical protection worth knowing before applying. Some partners charge an application fee as part of admission, and the Foundation reimburses that fee if the student is selected. The Foundation itself never asks individuals for money, and it warns that social media groups advertising recruitment in exchange for a fee have nothing to do with it.

The scale is unusual for a private programme: more than 58,000 scholarships committed, 71 per cent of them to young women, with a goal of 100,000 by 2030.

The programme page and the partner institution list were checked on 16 September 2026.

What It Covers

  • Tuition
  • Housing
  • Books & materials
  • Travel
  • Other

The Foundation states that financial support includes, but is not limited to, tuition fees, accommodation, books and other academic materials, mentoring, counselling, leadership development, and a return air ticket to the scholar's country of origin where needed. No amount is published, because each partner institution funds its scholars against its own costs. Scholars also receive psychosocial and academic support alongside the money, and join an alumni network of more than 20,000 people after finishing.

Eligibility

Apply to and be admitted by one of the partner institutions, since selection is made by the partner rather than by the Foundation. The Foundation lists academic excellence, leadership, financial need, and an intention to give back to society as its admissions criteria, and partners serve students from underrepresented backgrounds. Support runs at secondary, undergraduate and master's level; the Foundation states that scholarships are not currently available to PhD candidates. The Foundation provides no funding to anyone outside the programme, so there is no route to support without a partner institution.

Eligible Countries

The programme funds young people from Africa, and partner institutions set their own eligibility on top of that. Some partners run intakes specifically for refugees and displaced people or for students with disabilities, so the route in varies by institution rather than being set centrally.

🌍 Africa

How to Apply

Apply directly to a partner institution rather than to the Foundation. Each of the 62 partners runs its own application process, deadlines and admission fees, and makes its own decisions, so the institution's own page is the source for how and when to apply. Where a partner charges an application fee, the Foundation reimburses it if the student is selected as a Scholar. The Foundation never solicits funding or requests payment from individuals, and warns that groups advertising recruitment in exchange for an application fee are not associated with it.

Application Routes and Dates

Partner institution application

Check provider

Each partner institution sets its own deadline

Timing source · Checked 2026-09-16