Mastercard Foundation Scholarships

Mastercard Foundation Scholarships

The University of Oxford and the Mastercard Foundation have established an innovative and ambitious partnership under the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program and the Africa Oxford Initiative (AfOx) to offer a range of scholarships for African candidates with offers to study eligible full-time one-year taught master's courses at the University of Oxford for 2026/27 entry. The Mastercard Foundation Scholarships cover course fees and a grant for living costs for eligible full-time taught master's students at the UKRI minimum doctoral stipend rate. Awards are made for the full duration of your fee liability for the agreed full-time taught master's course.

Eligible offer holders will be contacted by Student Fees and Funding via email and invited to complete a scholarship application form. To be considered you must meet the following criteria:

• Hold an offer for a full‑time one-year taught master’s course at Oxford and have submitted an application via the graduate admissions portal by the relevant December/January funding deadline for your course. Open field applicants will not be eligible for consideration. 
• Be a citizen of an African country and ordinarily resident there. Necessary residence considerations will be made for students from refugee and displaced backgrounds. If you have a displacement background, please indicate this on your applicant form submitted to the graduate admissions portal by selecting YES to the question titled, "Are you, or have you been, a refugee, stateless person, or asylum seeker, or been otherwise forcibly displaced within or outside your country of origin?"
• Should not have previously completed a graduate degree.
• Must demonstrate a track record of leadership and service within their community.
• Should demonstrate alignment with AfOx values (Collegiality, Empathy, Commitment, Transparency and Inclusivity).
• Should show how their past work or future plans will contribute to addressing Africa’s major challenges including, but not limited to pandemic threats, climate crisis and youth employment.

We particularly welcome applications from people from financially disadvantaged backgrounds, those who identify as women, refugees (or displaced), and/or those with disabilities as we understand that these groups face significant barriers to education.

For more information about these scholarships, including the range of eligible courses, please visit the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program page.

Selection is expected to take place by July 2026.