Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Sciences Po (Fully-funded) 2025-2027

Published: 24 Sep 2024

The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program strives to provide access to quality and inclusive education to young people from Sub-Saharan Africa. By 2030, as part of an ambitious new strategy (Young Africa Works), the Foundation aims to enable 30 million young Africans to secure dignified and fulfilling employment.

Since 2017, Sciences Po is the only institution in continental Europe to partner with the Mastercard Foundation. Since then, it has been an instrumental member of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, offering a world-class education in the humanities and social sciences that pairs rigorous academic standards with proven expertise in preparing students for the globalised job market.

For its second strategic phase (2024 – 2034), the goal of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Sciences Po is to support 1,450 students and young professionals who demonstrate academic excellence, strong leadership potential and a commitment to achieving change in Africa, but who face significant financial barriers to higher education.

Mastercard Foundation Graduate Trainee Program

Application Deadline	October 30, 2024
Country to study	France
School to study	Sciences Po
Type	Masters
Sponsor	Mastercard Foundation
Gender	Men and Women

Benefits of Mastercard Foundation Graduate Trainee Program

In addition to funding tuition, Sciences Po provides Scholars with a range of tailored resources to support their studies and facilitate their transition into employment. Specifically, Scholars have access to:

• Support in the run-up to leaving for France, tailored support when they arrive, and an official welcome programme to help them integrate in their first few weeks.
• Housing in Paris reserved for Mastercard Foundation Scholars.
• Personalised support throughout their studies, ensuring 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; opportunities to attend careers support workshops, conferences, etc.
• A mentoring programme co-run with the Africa Division of Sciences Po Alumni.
• Access to the wide range of general resources Sciences Po provides to guide students through every step of their studies.

Requirements for Mastercard Foundation Graduate Trainee Program

• Hold citizenship in a country within Sub-Saharan Africa. Candidates who hold a second citizenship from the European Economic Area are not eligible.
• Have completed or be currently enrolled in a Bachelor’s degree programme at one of Sciences Po’s institutions of reference (see the list of institutions).
• Or have completed or are currently enrolled in a training foundation or mentoring programme offered by a bridging programme organisation partnering with the Mastercard Foundation (see the list of institutions).
• Be in genuine need of funding for your higher education (please note: documents proving your financial situation will be required for your application).
• Show a commitment to achieving change in Africa, particularly in the areas of public policy and major political, environmental and societal transitions.
• Be under  35 when you begin your Master’s programme.
• Not already hold or be completing a Master’s degree. 
• Be applying for a two-year Master’s programme at one of Sciences Po’s seven Graduate Schools. Applicants for one-year Master’s, dual degrees or joint Master’s programmes are not eligible for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars  Program.

Selection Process

The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program is highly selective and the scholarship is awarded on the basis of the following criteria:

• Demonstrable adequation between the degree held, the choice of Master’s programme at Sciences Po, the personal and academic background and the future professional plans.
• Ability to demonstrate critical thinking and perceptiveness in understanding and analysis of major contemporary political, economic and societal challenges facing Africa and the rest of the world.
• Ambition, originality and tenacity in pursuing entrepreneurial or social impact projects aimed at achieving socio-economic change in Africa.

Application Timeline:

• Application platform opens: September 2024
• Application deadline for Master’s programmes and the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program: end of October 2024
• Sciences Po admissions decisions released: mid-February 2025
• Scholarship allocation decisions released: from March 2025
• Master’s programmes begin: end of August 2025

Application Deadline

October 30, 2024

How to Apply

Interested and qualified? Go to Mastercard Foundation on sciencespo.smapply.io to apply