APPLY FOR MASTERCARD FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS FOR GRADUATE STUDY AT Sciences Po

The Mastercard Foundation works to provide access to inclusive and quality education to young people in Sub-Saharan Africa, and to enable as many of them as possible to secure dignified and fulfilling employment.

As part of an ambitious new strategy (Young Africa Works), the Foundation aims to enable 30 million young people in Africa to enter employment and entrepreneurship by 2030. The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, of which Sciences Po is a partner, is to play a central role in this strategy through university partnerships that give young people in Africa access to a top education.

The Mastercard Foundation Scholarships are designed for students who demonstrate academic excellence and strong leadership potential, but who face difficulties or do not have the funds to access higher education. They are particularly aimed at students who aspire to make a real and lasting impact in tackling some of the foremost issues facing the continent, particularly in the fields of public policy and major political, environmental and societal transitions.

The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program has three major strategic objectives: providing specialised support for students, developing their soft skills outside of the student experience and, lastly, building a strong alumni network.

Since 2017, Sciences Po is part of the four European universities (with the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Edinburgh) in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program. Since then, the partnership has enabled 138 students from Sub-Saharan Africa to enroll in a degree programme in the social sciences at Sciences Po, with the aim of training a new generation of change-makers in their home countries.

FINANCIAL AID & SPECIALISED SUPPORT

FINANCIAL AID

Scholarships cover the full cost of tuition and living expenses in France throughout the period of study at Sciences Po.

SPECIALISED SUPPORT

In addition to funding scholars’ studies, Sciences Po provides a range of specialised resources to support them during the process, and to facilitate their transition into the working world. In particular, scholarship students have access to:

Support in the run-up to their departure, specialist support on arrival and an official welcome programme.
Housing in Paris reserved for scholarship holders.
Personalised support throughout their studies, ensuring that every student has the best possible experience at Sciences Po.
Careers support: guidance to help students identify their professional aspirations; a careers fair focusing on employment and internship opportunities in Africa; access to the university’s business incubator (FR) and its network of employers and alumni working in Africa; careers support workshops; participation in conferences, etc.
A mentoring programme co-run with the Africa Division of Sciences Po Alumni.
Access to the wide range of general resources that Sciences Po provides to guide students through every step of their studies.

HOW TO APPLY?

Get more information about the application and admissions procedure for scholarships:

Applications for Master’s scholarships
Applications for Summer School scholarships

Students receive the scholarships and financial aid throughout the two years of their Master’s programme.

You can apply to any of the Master’s degree programmes offered at Sciences Po’s seven Graduate Schools.

SOME USEFUL TERMS FOR THE SCIENCES PO ADMISSIONS PROCEDURE:

Scholarship eligibility: you are eligible for the scholarship when your scholarship application is complete and meets the specified criteria.

Application processing fee waiver: if you have been declared eligible for the scholarship, your application processing fee will be waived.

Sciences Po admissions: your application is submitted online and assessed by the Sciences Po Admissions Department, who will inform you whether or not you have been admitted to the university. If you are admitted, your application will then be referred to the scholarship’s own allocation committee.

Scholarship allocated: this means your application has been assessed and accepted by the scholarship allocation committee. Your tuition fees will be waived and you will receive a full scholarship and financial aid from the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program.

ADMISSIONS TIMELINE FOR 2024-2025 ACADEMIC YEAR

Applications open: mid-October 2023
Deadline for requesting eligibility for the Mastercard Foundation Scholarship: 23:59 (Paris time) on 26 November 2023
Deadline for applying to Sciences Po: 3 December 2023
Admissions outcome released: between the 10 and 22 February 2024
Scholarship allocation outcome released: from 8 March 2024

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

To be eligible for the Mastercard Foundation scholarship, applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

Be a citizen of a country in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Show a willingness to commit to bringing about change in Africa and making a genuine impact on the region in the areas of public policy and major political, environmental and societal transitions.
Have a demonstrable need for higher education funding (please note that proof of your financial circumstances will be required as part of your application).
Provide a recommendation from your university.
Have obtained a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree (or international equivalent) by the following academic year.
Be applying for a two-year Master’s programme at one of Sciences Po’s seven Graduate Schools. Applicants to one-year Master’s programmes, dual degree programmes or joint Master’s programmes are not eligible for the scholarship.
Have attained a minimum of C1 level in French or English, depending on the programme you are applying for (see the language requirements for each programme). Please note that programmes are either taught entirely in French, entirely in English, or in both languages.
Not have obtained or be working towards a prior Master’s degree.
Be under 35 at the start of the graduate academic year.

PROCEDURE FOR GRADUATE APPLICANTS

STEP 1: REQUESTING ELIGIBILITY FOR THE SCHOLARSHIP

You must first check that you are eligible for the scholarship by providing the required information on the scholarship website. Once your application has been submitted and examined by our staff, you will be informed of whether or not you are eligible for the scholarship.

If you are declared eligible for the Mastercard Foundation Scholarship, you will not have to pay the processing fee for your application to Sciences Po.

On the scholarship site, you will need to provide:

Personal details
A letter of recommendation from the academic advisor at your university to support your application. For this, you will need to ask the person to complete and sign this form (Word).
Full information and evidence regarding your financial circumstances.
Information regarding your academic record and extra-curricular attainments.
A statement detailing your varied experiences of and view on issues specifically affecting Africa, and explaining how you plan to achieve change on the continent. The quality of this statement will be a deciding factor for the panel in charge of allocating the scholarships.

You must have completed this step by 26 November 2023 in order to receive your approval of eligibility for the scholarship, and to waive the processing fee for your application to Sciences Po (the deadline for which is 3 December 2023).

STEP 2: APPLYING TO SCIENCES PO (MAIN ADMISSIONS PROCEDURE)

To apply to Sciences Po, you will need to follow the international graduate admissions procedure.

If you think you meet all of the above eligibility criteria, you should start your application to Sciences Po (step 2) at the same time as your request for eligibility for the Mastercard Foundation Scholarship (step 1).

However, you must wait to receive approval of your eligibility for the Mastercard Foundation Scholarship, together with confirmation that your application processing fee has been waived, before submitting your application to Sciences Po (end of step 2). This will mean you can submit your application without paying the fee.

You must submit your application to Sciences Po by 3 December 2023.

Please note that if you are not eligible for the scholarship, you may still apply to Sciences Po. In this case, you will be required to pay an application processing fee at the end of the online application process.

We recommend also applying for the Émile Boutmy Scholarship.

STEP 3: ADMISSION TO SCIENCES PO AND ALLOCATION OF THE SCHOLARSHIP

You will be informed of the outcome of your application to Sciences Po between 10 and 22 February 2024, and of the outcome of your scholarship application from 8 March 2024.

Please note:

Admission to Sciences Po does not guarantee allocation of the scholarship.
If you decide to defer your admission to Sciences until the following year, you will forfeit your Mastercard Foundation Scholarship.