Mastercard Foundation Scholarship Program (2024)
Mastercard Foundation Scholarship Program (2024) – Every year, the MasterCard Foundation gives out the Mastercard Foundation Scholarship Program to talented students across Africa the opportunity to pursue their Masters and Undergraduate academic dreams.
Mastercard Foundation Scholarship Program
The University of the Western Cape (UWC) oversees the execution of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program.
The Program, which was started in 2012, is an international endeavor to create the next generation of transformative leaders by giving exceptionally gifted and motivated young people—mainly African American youth—the opportunity to pursue higher education and develop their leadership potential.
The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program is designed especially for young people who face social and economic challenges that prevent them from pursuing higher education.
Young women, youth who have been forcefully displaced or who are refugees, and young people with disabilities are the program’s target demographics, and they are encouraged to apply.
Funding is available for academically talented youth from South Africa and other African nations through the UWC Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program.
The UWC Program will offer fully-funded opportunities for young Mastercard Foundation Scholars to pursue either an undergraduate or master’s degree during the 2025 academic year.
For Masters Scholarship:
Benefits of Mastercard Foundation Masters Scholarship
Besides covering tuition fees, UWC’s Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program offers specialized services to assist Mastercard Foundation Scholars in easing the move into respectable and meaningful employment. Mastercard Foundation Scholars will specifically receive:
1. Assistance before arrival and a formal welcoming program upon onboarding;
2. Living on campus at a UWC housing hall;
3. Individualized guidance during their academic career, guaranteeing that each Mastercard Foundation Scholar receives the greatest education at UWC;
4. A laptop, study materials allowance, medical assistance, monthly stipend and lunch allowance, and comprehensive wrap-around support programs.
After being accepted and enrolling in the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, Mastercard Foundation Scholars must sign a scholarship agreement.
Only Mastercard Foundation Scholars enrolled full-time at UWC for a minimum of two years, either undergraduate or master’s degrees, will be funded by the program.
It is not authorized for Mastercard Foundation Scholars to hold another UWC scholarship or internal bursary in addition to the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program.
If you get a partial external bursary, the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program will supplement the award as needed.
A Mastercard Foundation Scholar is not eligible to receive full-cost bursaries or scholarships in addition to the Mastercard Foundation grant.
To better prepare Mastercard Foundation Scholars for the workforce, they take part in wraparound support programs (WASP) that focus on their academic, professional, and personal growth.
These programs include training in entrepreneurship, community-engaged learning, and leadership development. All Mastercard Foundation Scholars are required to participate in WASP.
Masters degree Mastercard Foundation Scholars are only permitted to work a maximum of 20 hours per month as part of the university’s work-study program.
Requirements for Mastercard Foundation Masters Scholarship
1. Fields of Study
Law (Governance and Human Rights); Community & Health Sciences (Public Health); Economic & Management Sciences (Development Studies, Information Sciences, and Migration Studies);
Applied Linguistics, Migration Studies, History, Gender Justice, and Sociology for Development
Natural Sciences (Biological, Computational, Mathematical, and Physical Sciences).
2. Eligibility
To apply, an applicant must fulfill the following four conditions:
Be pursuing a master’s degree and no older than 30;
Fulfill the minimal entrance requirements set by the university (see www.uwc.ac.za for information particular to a given degree or subject) and have applied for academic admission for the year 2025;
Be ready to start their first year of full-time master’s degree registration in January 2025;
Provide proof that social and economic barriers prevent some people from attending universities.
Selection Process
All applications must be submitted by Friday, August 30, 2024. We are unable to provide applicants with individualized comments due to the volume of applications we receive.
Please consider your application unsuccessful if, by Friday, November 15, 2024, you have not heard from the university.
Application Documents
The following files should be included in a completed application in PDF format:
A cover letter with the following contents, saved under the name Initial.Surname_Cover_Letter:
a) Personal history, including the financial situation of the family.
b) Why did you select UWC?
c) How you envision yourself following graduation.
Copies of your academic records, preserved as in the Academic Records sample above. Copies of all academic records, including high school diplomas and certified copies of any degrees from universities, must be submitted by applicants.
A reference letter from your supervisor or the head of your department or school, saved as mentioned above: reference Letter. The letter needs to be signed, official, and up to date.
One current photo the size of a passport (Photograph).
A certified copy of your passport or national identity document (saved as described above), with the visa page and/or refugee/asylum seeker permission attached, if relevant.
Mastercard Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship
For Undergraduate:
Benefits of Mastercard Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship
Besides covering tuition fees, UWC’s Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program offers specialized services to assist Mastercard Foundation Scholars in easing the move into respectable and meaningful employment. Mastercard Foundation Scholars will specifically receive:
1. Assistance before arrival and a formal welcoming program upon onboarding;
2. Living on campus at a UWC housing hall;
3. Individualized guidance during their academic career, guaranteeing that each Mastercard Foundation Scholar receives the greatest education at UWC;
4. A laptop, study materials allowance, medical assistance, monthly stipend and lunch allowance, and comprehensive wrap-around support programs.
After being accepted and enrolling in the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, Mastercard Foundation Scholars must sign a scholarship agreement.
Only Mastercard Foundation Scholars enrolled full-time at UWC for a minimum of two years, either undergraduate or master’s degrees, will be funded by the program.
It is not authorized for Mastercard Foundation Scholars to hold another UWC scholarship or internal bursary in addition to the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program.
If you get a partial external bursary, the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program will supplement the award as needed.
A Mastercard Foundation Scholar is not eligible to receive full-cost bursaries or scholarships in addition to the Mastercard Foundation grant.
In order to better prepare Mastercard Foundation Scholars for the workforce, they take part in wraparound support programs (WASP) that focus on their academic, professional, and personal growth.
These programs include training in entrepreneurship, community-engaged learning, and leadership development. All Mastercard Foundation Scholars are required to participate in WASP.
Mastercard Foundation master’s degree Students who want to participate in the university’s work-study program can only work a maximum of 20 hours per month.
Requirements for Mastercard Foundation Scholarship
1. Fields of Study
Humanities and Arts (History, Linguistics, Sociology, Women’s and Gender Studies); Management and Economics (Public Administration, Information Sciences, Economics);
Natural Sciences (Biological, Computational, Mathematical, and Physical Sciences); Education (Mathematics and Science, Foundation Phase).
2. Eligibility
When applying, a candidate needs to meet the following four requirements:
Be no more than 26 years old when enrolled in undergraduate programs;
Fulfill the minimal entrance requirements set by the university (see www.uwc.ac.za for information particular to a given degree or subject) and have applied for academic admission for the year 2025;
Get ready to enroll in January 2025 as a full-time undergraduate student;
Provide proof that social and economic barriers prevent some people from attending universities.
Selection Process
All applications must be submitted by Friday, August 30, 2024. We are unable to provide applicants with individualized comments due to the volume of applications we receive.
Please consider your application unsuccessful if, by Friday, November 15, 2024, you have not heard from the university.
Application Documents
The following files should be included in a completed application in PDF format:
A cover letter with the following contents, saved under the name Initial.Surname_Cover_Letter:
a) Personal history, including the financial situation of the family.
b) Why did you select UWC?
c) How you envision yourself following graduation.
Copies of your academic records, preserved as in the Academic Records sample above. Copies of all academic records, including high school diplomas and certified copies of any degrees from universities, must be submitted by applicants.
A reference letter from your supervisor or the head of your department or school, saved as mentioned above: reference Letter. The letter needs to be signed, official, and up to date.
One current photo the size of a passport (Photograph).
A certified copy of your passport or national identity document (saved as described above), with the visa page and/or refugee/asylum seeker permission attached, if relevant.
Application Deadline
August 30, 2024.
