The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at the University of Cambridge supports outstanding African students to complete a full-time one-year master’s course. The programme is run by the University of Cambridge in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and focuses on themes of climate resilience and sustainability. Applications for the 2027/2028 academic year are open.
Deadline note: Submit your course application by the funding deadline of your chosen course (usually early December or early January). The application fee waiver form, if required, closes on 18 November 2026. Outstanding documents are due by 31 July.
Who can apply and which courses count
You must hold a bachelor’s degree and meet the academic entry requirements of the specific master’s course you choose. Some courses ask for the equivalent of a UK first-class honours degree; others accept an upper second-class degree. Check the postgraduate course directory for the exact standard of your preferred course.
You must be a citizen of an African country and live in an African country. Temporary absence for study or work is allowed. Internally displaced persons and those with refugee status may also qualify under the stated exception. Nigeria is not named separately and is not excluded; the requirement is framed for African countries as a whole.
Any full-time master’s is eligible except these four programmes: Master of Accountancy (MACC), Business Administration (MBA), Master of Corporate Law (MCL) and Master of Finance (MFIN).
Applicants are also expected to show a clear commitment to giving back to their community, home country or Africa more broadly, and to the programme themes of sustainability and climate resilience. The programme encourages applications from women, refugees, internally displaced persons and people with disabilities.
What the award provides
The scholarship is described as covering everything students need to thrive in Cambridge. Explicitly listed items are:
- Course fee
- Monthly living allowance
- Return flight
- Laptop
The provider states that the aim is to cover full tuition costs and a monthly maintenance allowance. Insurance, visa costs and accommodation are not listed in the available information.
Application fee and how to request a waiver
All Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program applicants who meet the academic entry requirements of their chosen course are eligible for an application fee waiver. If your country appears on the automatic-waiver list, the fee is waived without further action. Nigeria does not appear on that list, so you must submit the application fee request form and attach copies of your transcript and passport. The form deadline is 18 November 2026.
Step-by-step application route
The scholarship application sits inside the standard Cambridge course application. There is no separate scholarship portal.
- Use the postgraduate course directory (www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses) to choose an eligible full-time master’s, note its entry requirements, funding deadline and required supporting documents. Use the international qualifications checker on the Requirements tab to confirm whether your bachelor’s degree meets Cambridge standards.
- Open the course profile and click “Apply Now”. Create an account so you can save and return later.
- If a fee waiver is needed, complete the Google form linked on the official how-to-apply page and attach the required transcript and passport copies before 18 November 2026.
- Inside the course application, opt in for funding. If you meet the course entry requirements you will be able to select the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program. Write the scholarship statement covering your career and education history, leadership potential, how the scholarship will help you reach your goals, and how you hope to contribute to sustainable futures in Africa.
- Complete every section, choose a College, and submit by the course’s funding deadline (early December or early January depending on the course).
- Departments review applications on a rolling basis and make offers between December and February. Some departments interview shortlisted candidates. Selection for the course place is based on the course application, not the scholarship statement.
- The Mastercard Foundation team then reviews applicants who already hold a course offer and selects scholars using both the course application and the scholarship statement. Offer letters are normally sent in late March or early April.
- If successful, submit any outstanding documents (commonly IELTS results) by 31 July. You may apply without IELTS; a successful application receives a conditional offer.
Full instructions are on the official how-to-apply page: https://www.mastercardfoundation.fund.cam.ac.uk/apply/how-apply
Selection timeline in brief
- Departmental decisions: December–February
- Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program selection: late February / early March
- Scholarships offered: March / April
The programme began in 2022 and aims to enable 500 students from across Africa to enrol in a Cambridge master’s course by 2030.
AlertNaija247 Guidance
Who this award is realistically suited for
Applicants who already hold a completed bachelor’s degree that meets Cambridge’s entry standard for their chosen course, who are citizens of and ordinarily resident in an African country (or meet the temporary-absence or displacement exception), and who can write a concrete scholarship statement linking their past work to climate resilience or sustainability and to future contribution in Africa. It is less realistic for candidates whose only available programmes fall into the four excluded master’s (MACC, MBA, MCL, MFIN), for those who cannot demonstrate any community or Africa-focused commitment, or for those whose academic record falls short of the specific course threshold.
What to prepare early
Confirm course entry requirements and the exact funding deadline first. Prepare a clear scan of your passport and full academic transcript. Draft the scholarship statement around the four required themes rather than a generic personal statement. If your country is not on the automatic fee-waiver list, complete the Google form and attach the transcript and passport before 18 November 2026. Nigerian applicants may need to check how their grading scale converts against the UK first-class or upper-second standard using the Cambridge international qualifications checker; tools such as the CGPA calculator on this site can help you understand your own scale before you consult the official checker.
Common mistakes specific to this programme
- Selecting one of the four excluded master’s and then discovering the scholarship option does not appear.
- Missing the earlier funding deadline of the course and submitting only by the later general deadline.
- Writing a scholarship statement that focuses only on personal ambition and omits the required link to sustainability, climate resilience or contribution to Africa.
- Assuming Nigeria is on the automatic fee-waiver list and therefore not submitting the Google form and supporting documents by 18 November 2026.
- Treating the scholarship statement as the main selection document for the course place; departments decide first on academic fit.
Scam note
Never pay anyone to apply or to “guarantee” selection. The only fee that may arise is the standard Cambridge application fee, and even that can be waived for eligible applicants. Use only the official University of Cambridge domain mastercardfoundation.fund.cam.ac.uk. The fee-waiver form is a Google Form linked from the official page; check the domain carefully before entering personal data.
For a clearer picture of what “tuition and maintenance” language usually leaves uncovered for Nigerian students, see the practical guide on understanding fully funded, partially funded, tuition waiver and stipend language.