Scholarship Overview
The Mastercard Foundation, in partnership with Arizona State University (ASU), will provide graduate scholarships to train 120 young African professionals at the master’s level for various programs over 5 years (2025 – 2030). This is a fully immersive and traditional on-campus 2-year master’s program with an emphasis on technology and innovation. Recognizing the rapid evolution of the global digital economy, this program aims to equip African youth with the skills and knowledge necessary to lead in areas such as technology and sustainable innovation.
30 Scholarships are available for students admitted for the 2025/2026 academic year, which will cover the full tuition fees, expenses for accommodation, and comprehensive support for the 2-year graduate program. On top of financial support, Scholars will participate in activities as part of the wider Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at ASU, including leadership curriculum, individual mentorship, and other events and programming. While classes are in session, Scholars have the opportunity to work part-time in on-campus positions, either with the Baobab Platform team or in the broader ASU community. Between the first and second year, Scholars will be supported to participate in a 2-month Africa-based internship that aligns with their program of study.
A strong expectation of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program is that participants return to their home countries to invest their gained skills and education in their country’s social and economic growth. Women, refugees and displaced persons, and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. ASU is committed to enhancing the quality of students’ educational experience by ensuring accessibility for all programs and services.
Scholarships are available for the following full-time, on-campus graduate programs:
MS Global Technology and Development
MS Human Systems Engineering – Intelligent Systems
MS Data Science Analytics & Engineering
MS Robotics and Autonomous Systems
MS Civil, Environmental & Sustainable Engineering
MS Data Science, Analytics and Engineering
MS Modern Energy Production and Sustainable Use
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must qualify academically for admission to the degree of their choice, including English proficiency.
- Applicants must be a citizens of an African country committed to ethical leadership and demonstrated engagement in their community.
- Applicants must be between 18 and 33 on or before the application deadline.
- Applicants must demonstrate a track record of leadership and service in their community.
- Applicants must demonstrate academic excellence and ambitions that exceed one’s financial resources.
- Applicants must have earned an undergraduate degree conferred by July 2025.
- Applicants must not have started or completed other graduate or masters degrees before August 2025.
- Applicants must be able to live in Phoenix, Arizona for the duration of the program.
Value of the Scholarship
The Scholarship will cover the following:
- Costs incurred for visa application processing
- Costs incurred for English language tests
- Costs incurred for program application
- Airfare to and from Phoenix, Arizona
- Full tuition, books, and fees
- Medical expenses
- On-campus housing
- Participation in Scholarship programming
Awards are tenable for the duration of the graduate program of study.
The deadline for all applications will be 23:59 GMT on Sunday, 3 November. All applicants must apply for the scholarship first and, if successful, will be assisted in the process of applying for admission to Arizona State University. Scholarship interviews via video or phone call will be held in November 2024, with final decisions made by late January 2025. All successful applicants will travel to Phoenix, Arizona to join the Program in August 2025.
Once Registered, all applicants, should have read and understood the application guidance and eligibility criteria before applying to the Program to avoid any errors or incorrect information. Arizona State University and the Mastercard Foundation reserve the right to cancel incomplete and/or late applications, to effect changes to the conditions of the scholarship or to make no awards at all. Admission to the academic program does not guarantee being awarded the scholarship.
Please see our Frequently Asked Questions here and direct any questions to mastercardfdnscholars@asu.edu.
There are 2 ways to submit your application:
We encourage applicants to submit an online application. To proceed to the online application, please click NEXT.
OR
If you have limited internet access, complete a downloadable application version. Click HERE to access the form, This link will open a Word document. Please do not request edit access. Click “Open With” to download to your platform of choice. Or click the Download icon on the top right to download the file directly. Submit the completed form by emailing mastercardfndnscholars@asu.edu with all required attachments.
Application Deadline: Sunday, 3 November, 23:59 GMT
