Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program for Africans 2025-2026 at University of British Columbia | Deadline 12 Sep 2025

About MasterCard Foundation

The Mastercard Foundation seeks a world where everyone has the opportunity to learn and prosper. All people, no matter where their starting point in life, should have an equal chance to succeed. We believe that with access to education, financial services, and skills training, people can have that chance. Our focus is helping economically disadvantaged young people in Africa to find opportunities to move themselves, their families, and their communities out of poverty to a better life…. read more..

Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program

Aim and Benefits of Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program

• Tuition & Books
• Flights & Immigration support
• Room and Board
• Stipends for living expenses
• Health Insurance
• Career services & Support
• Access to a global Mastercard Foundation alumni network
• **Social Entrepreneurship Fund (Initiative for scholars who are enterprising and want to start a venture back on the continent)

Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Courses

• Data Science
• Food Science
• Food and Resource Economics
• Forestry
• Geomatics for Environmental Management
• International Forestry
• Land and Water Systems
• Sustainable Forest Management

Requirements for Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Qualification

To be eligible for consideration for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Masters’ Degree Program at UBC, the applicant must:

• have completed a Bachelor’s degree;
• not already have a Master’s degree;
• be 35 years old or younger at the time of application (i.e. born in 1990 or after);
• be a citizen or a refugee of an African country;
• be applying for a Master’s degree in one of the eligible programs listed below;
• meet the minimum academic requirements of the program they are applying to
• Consult the link below identifying the Minimum Academic Requirements/International Credentials for Graduate Students, listed by country to determine your academic eligibility for the degree program and the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program.
• If your Bachelor’s degree was not taught in English, make arrangements to take an English Proficiency Exam (TOEFL or IELTS) and have the results sent to UBC. Please visit this website to confirm whether you meet UBC’s English requirement.

Interview date, Process and Venue for Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program

The selection process for applications is based on the following criteria:

• Academic merit of the candidate that qualifies for admissions to the program of choice
• Track record as a transformative leader and service within their community.
• Quality of application in line with the Program theme.
• Potential impact on the development of the applicant’s home country.

Documents Required for Application

Your fully completed application should include (all in one application form online):

1. Complete the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Application Form.
   Note: for the personal statements, succinctly answer each question.
2. Submit a CV/resume.
3. Provide two reference letters on official letterhead. Attach these to the application. DO NOT email them
4. Transcripts.

Application Deadline

September 12, 2025

How to Apply

Apply to the Mastercard Scholar online application.

Once your Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program application is complete, successful applicants will receive an email with instructions to submit an online application to UBC. Review the instructions for faculty applications

You may be eligible for a fee waiver if your citizenship and correspondence address is located in one of the world’s 50 least developed countries, according to the United Nations. Please visit this website to check which countries are on the list: If your country is not listed above, please request a fee waiver when you are submitting your Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program application package. If you are invited to move to the Faculty Application step, we will provide instruction on how to use a fee waiver during the program application process.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE AND APPLY