What the funding covers
- Full funding for a one-year master's at Cambridge: fees and a maintenance allowance.
- Leadership development and a 'Transition Project' linking your studies to work back home.
- Application-fee waivers for eligible applicants.
What you will still pay
| Cost | Who pays |
|---|---|
| Course fee, living (maintenance) allowance and a laptop | The scholarship |
| Student visa, UK immigration health surcharge, flights and a taxi into Cambridge | The scholarship |
| Application fee for one course | Waived for all programme applicants: automatically for 30 African countries, by form for the rest; a second course costs you the normal fee |
| Travel or visas for a spouse or children | Not covered; one-year master's students cannot bring dependants on a UK student visa (since January 2024) |
Who can apply
- Citizens of African countries with a strong academic record and financial need.
- A commitment to contributing to Africa's development; the programme is built around returning to lead change.
- Admission to an eligible Cambridge master's course; read the programme's eligibility page for course and age details.
Which nationalities can apply
Only citizens of African countries can apply.
See all 54
Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Documents you will need
- Your course application in Cambridge's postgraduate portal, with 'opt in for funding' ticked and the scholarship statement: career history, leadership, goals and how you will contribute to Africa
- Academic transcript and passport
- An English test if your course requires one, typically IELTS 7.0 or 7.5 overall, depending on the course
- The application-fee-waiver form by 20 November 2026, with copies of your transcript and passport, if your country is not on the automatic waiver list
- Any outstanding documents by 31 July before you start
How to apply
- Choose an eligible one-year master's course and apply through Cambridge's graduate application portal, selecting the Mastercard Foundation scholarship.
- Applications for 2027–28 opened on 11 September 2026. Your deadline is your course's funding deadline, early December or early January (8 December 2026 or 6 January 2027), which is earlier than the course's standard application deadline.
- If your country is not on the automatic application-fee-waiver list, submit the fee-waiver request form by 20 November 2026.
- Cambridge makes course offers between December and February; scholarship offer letters are sent in late March or early April.
Before you apply: things to know
- Course deadlines can be earlier than the scholarship deadline; check your course page.
- The fee-waiver request (20 November) comes well before the application deadline.
- Your statement should connect your course to a concrete plan for impact in your community.
Common questions
Is there an age limit?
No. There is no upper age limit for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Cambridge.
Can I bring my family?
Not on a one-year master's. Since January 2024 the UK Home Office does not let one-year master's students bring a spouse or children on their visa, so the programme cannot pay for their travel.
When will I know if I have the scholarship?
Departments make course offers on a rolling basis between December and February. The scholarship team then reviews applicants who have a place, and scholarship offers go out in late March or early April.
A working timeline
Counting back from the next deadline (Dec 8, 2026). Steps marked NOW are already due if you start today.