About the opportunity
What this programme is offering
University of Edinburgh Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program 2027/2028 – Fully Funded Scholarships for Young Africans
The University of Edinburgh Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program 2027/2028 offers fully funded on-campus postgraduate scholarships and online postgraduate study opportunities for eligible young Africans. The programme supports talented individuals who have faced significant barriers to education and are committed to leadership, community service and addressing the climate crisis.
Scholarship Benefits
On-campus scholarship
Full approved tuition fees.
Accommodation, travel expenses, living-cost stipend and study materials.
Climate Leadership Programme and sustainable entrepreneurship training.
Transition support and additional support for scholars with disabilities, based on assessed needs.
Online scholarship
Full approved tuition fees.
Academic stipend to support access to a laptop and reliable, high-quality internet.
Online workshops, coaching and transition support.
Opportunity to attend an in-person gathering.
Climate leadership and sustainable entrepreneurship training.
Dedicated online coordinator and additional disability support based on assessed needs.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicants must:
Be citizens and residents of an African country or hold refugee status in an African country.
Be aged 35 or younger when the programme begins. For 2027/2028, applicants must have been born on or after 1 January 1992.
Demonstrate significant barriers faced in education or early career development.
Show leadership and community service experience.
Demonstrate experience or ambition to make a meaningful contribution to addressing the climate crisis.
Have graduated from an undergraduate programme and provide a degree certificate and official final transcript by 19 November 2026.
Additional requirements:
On-campus Master's applicants: Must not have previously completed a postgraduate degree or be enrolled in, or applying to enrol in, another university while receiving the scholarship.
Online postgraduate diploma applicants: May apply with an undergraduate or Master's degree from an African university, subject to the programme's graduation and documentation requirements.
Available Study Programmes
On-campus Master's programmes: Food Security; Sustainable Energy Systems; Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Data, Inequality and Society; Operational Research; Environmental Sustainability; Climate Change Finance and Investment; Environment and Development; International Development; and Public Health (MPH).
Online programmes: International Development, Global Food Security and Nutrition, Climate Change Management, One Health, Social Justice and Community Action, Biodiversity, Wildlife and Ecosystem Health, Global Health and Infectious Diseases, Data-Driven Breeding and Genetics, Digital Education, Data Science Technologies, Family Medicine (MFM), Conservation Medicine, and the Climate Leadership Programme. Availability varies by programme, with some offering Master's and postgraduate diploma routes.
Application Deadlines
26 October 2026, 5:00 p.m.: Applicant Declaration Form deadline. The form may close earlier if the application limit is reached.
19 November 2026, 5:00 p.m.: Main postgraduate assessment and scholarship application deadline.
September 2027: Academic programmes begin.
Interviews and final selection outcomes are expected between February and March 2027.
How to Apply
Review the eligibility criteria, available programmes and application instructions on the official University of Edinburgh scholarship website. Complete the required declaration and submit the main application with the necessary academic documents before the respective deadlines.
How to apply