The Yale Young African Scholars Program (YYAS) is an intensive academic and enrichment program designed for African secondary school students planning to pursue tertiary education and who wish to make meaningful impact as young leaders on the continent.
Participants will enhance their academic skills, receive university admission and financial aid application guidance, and join a network of young leaders from across Africa. Following the eight-day program, students will be paired with mentors who will help advise them throughout the university application process. There are no tuition, meal, or lodging costs for students to participate in YYAS.
YYAS is an official program of Yale University.
Eligibility
In order to apply to YYAS, applicants must fulfill all of the following requirements:
- Age: You must be at least 14 years old by application deadline (06 February 2019) in order to be considered. Please note that a typical YYAS student is between the ages of 15 and 18.
- English: You must be able to participate in a rigorous academic curriculum conducted in English.
- Citizenship: You must be a citizen or permanent resident of an African country. YYAS will also accept applications from refugees living in an African country.
- School location: You must currently attend school in an African country.
- Graduation date: If you attend school in the Northern Hemisphere, you must be graduating secondary school by earliest May/June 2020. If you attend school in the Southern Hemisphere, you must be graduating secondary school by earliest November/December 2019. Students who will graduate secondary school before August 2019 are NOT eligible to apply.
If you are currently in your final year or term of secondary school, have already graduated secondary school, or are a university student, then you are NOT eligible to apply.
If you are a YYAS or YYGS alumnus/a, you may NOT apply for YYAS. (*However, if you are a YYAS alumnus/a, you can apply to YYGS if eligible.)
Application Requirements
Deadline to submit all materials: 06 February 2019 at 11:59pm EST
- Completed application form – The application can be found online and must be filled out by the applicant. Students will be asked to complete one 500-word essay and two short responses, and must provide information on their extracurricular activities and the school that they currently attend.
You may preview the application here.
- Official transcript or grade report(s) – A student transcript is an official document provided by the school and includes the applicant’s list of courses and grades received. Students must upload their official transcript or grade report(s) for each year of secondary school. National exam scores, if available, should also be submitted but are not required. If a student has changed secondary schools at any point, they must include records both from their previous AND their current school. Please refrain from uploading certificates or transcripts from primary school.
- One (1) teacher recommendation – The recommendation must be written and submitted by a teacher who knows the student well. They may do so through a link that will be provided by the applicant on the online portal. Alternatively, the teacher may email a letter of recommendation in PDF (.pdf) format to african.scholars@yale.edu and our staff will upload it to the student’s application. Recommendations from parents/guardians, siblings, relatives, family friends, and/or paid private tutors/counselors will NOT be accepted.
We place great importance on these recommendations because we understand that students come from a wide variety of backgrounds and education contexts. We appreciate teachers taking the time to write recommendations for their student(s). To ensure sincerity, we ask that teachers please refrain from sharing their recommendations with students.
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You must click the “SUBMIT” button on the last page for your application to be considered.
YYAS reviews all applications holistically, and there are no minimum grade or standardized exam score requirements. However, a high level of English proficiency will be expected.
Decision Notification: Applicants will be notified electronically of admissions decisions by late March or early April.
Scholarship & Career 