Requirements
The Four Core Eligibility Requirements
African Citizenship
You must be a citizen of one of Africa's 54 countries. This is a citizenship requirement, not a residency requirement. All 54 countries are eligible — including North African countries like Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The older assumption that only Sub-Saharan African countries qualify is wrong; current partner pages including McGill explicitly state all 54 African countries.
If you are temporarily living outside Africa for study or work, you can still apply — you are evaluated based on your home country citizenship, not your current location.
Important: Dual Citizenship
If you hold dual citizenship that includes the USA, Canada, UK, or an EU country, you are NOT eligible at most Western partner institutions. Berkeley, McGill, and Sciences Po explicitly state this exclusion. Always check the specific eligibility page of each partner before investing time in an application.
Financial Need — Demonstrated and Documented
Financial need is required, but no income threshold is published anywhere. The assessment is holistic. What it actually means: your financial situation has "prevented or restricted your educational opportunities." Documenting this requires supporting evidence, and what counts varies by partner.
What is accepted as evidence:
- •Tax documents and income statements from parents or guardians
- •Payslips
- •Social grant letters (e.g., NSFAS, government bursaries)
- •Letters from university financial aid offices about previous support received
- •At University of Gondar: official testimonials from local government administrators
- •Bank statements are NOT accepted at Sciences Po
A Reality Check
Financial need is assessed alongside merit. Being from a very low-income background does not guarantee selection, and not being in extreme poverty does not disqualify you. Among one McGill cohort of 6 scholars, three had completed undergraduate study in the USA and one in the UK. Document your barriers honestly — don't overstate or understate them.
Academic Excellence
A strong academic record throughout prior studies is required. Partner universities have their own minimum GPA or grade requirements — here are the published ones:
Admission to the partner university itself — or competitive shortlisting — is typically a prerequisite for scholarship consideration. If you are not academically competitive for admission at the university, the scholarship question is moot. Check admission requirements first.
Transformative Leadership — Evidence, Not Claims
The Mastercard Foundation defines transformative leadership as "the act of engaging others in an ethical manner to generate positive and lasting change." This is not about holding a title. It is about evidence that you have mobilised others toward community outcomes.
What counts
- ✓Founding or leading a community initiative
- ✓Mentoring others over sustained periods
- ✓Organising events or training with measurable reach
- ✓Consistent volunteering with demonstrated outcomes
- ✓Advocacy work that produced change
- ✓Team leadership in professional or academic settings with clear impact
What does not impress
- ✗Titles without impact stories
- ✗Leadership limited to internal school activities without community reach
- ✗Generic statements about being passionate about leadership
- ✗High school examples when applying for postgraduate programmes
Disqualifiers
Who Is Explicitly Excluded
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Non-African citizens, regardless of African residency or descent
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African citizens holding dual citizenship with the USA, Canada, UK, or EU countries — at most Western partners
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Students already enrolled in the degree programme they are applying to fund — at most partners
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Students who have previously completed the same level of degree — e.g., already hold a master's when applying for master's funding at McGill
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PhD applicants — except at AUB (American University of Beirut)
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Applicants whose studies are not aligned with the specific programme focus of the partner university they are applying through
Special Provision
The Refugee and Displaced Persons Provision
MCFSP is one of very few major global scholarship programmes that actively prioritises displaced persons.
Most scholarships treat displacement as a complication. MCF treats it as a selection criterion. If you are displaced and academically qualified, this programme was specifically designed to include you.
25% Quota
At least 25% of many partner cohorts are reserved for refugees and internally displaced persons. This is a formal commitment embedded in partnership agreements — not a goodwill gesture.
Residency Requirement Is Waived
The requirement to be "resident in an African country" does not apply to applicants with displacement backgrounds. You do not need to currently live in Africa to be eligible through the displaced persons pathway.
UNHCR Partnership
UNHCR maintains an active partnership with MCFSP for routing displaced applicants. If you are registered with UNHCR, this can strengthen your application documentation.
Extended Age Limits
Age limits are relaxed at some partners for refugees. USIU-Africa extended the upper age from 29 to 32 for refugees and displaced persons.
How to Signal Displaced Status
When completing your application, answer "YES" when asked if you have been a refugee, stateless person, asylum seeker, or otherwise forcibly displaced. This does not hurt your application. It opens a separate eligibility pathway with dedicated review and the quota provisions described above.
Age Limits
Age Requirements
Age limits vary by partner. The programme does not publish a single universal age cap — each institution sets its own. These are the known limits:
| Partner / Category | Age Limit |
|---|---|
| USIU-Africa (standard applicants) | 29 years old at admission |
| USIU-Africa (refugee/displaced) | 32 years old at admission |
| Most undergraduate programmes | Recently completed secondary school or early-career |
| Most master's programmes | Under 35 typical; many partners do not publish an explicit cap |
Always confirm age limits directly. Partner pages update frequently, and the limits above reflect known figures as of 2026. Check the current application page of your target partner before drawing conclusions.
Clarification
The North Africa Question
Many sources — including some older MCF materials — use the phrase "Sub-Saharan Africa" when describing who is eligible. This has caused genuine confusion for applicants from Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Sudan.
The Current Position
- ✓Current partner pages at McGill, Cambridge, and Berkeley confirm all 54 African countries are eligible
- ✓Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Sudan are all within scope under the Foundation's current framework
- ✓The Foundation's own official position is 54 countries
If You See "Sub-Saharan Africa" in Application Materials
Contact the specific partner university directly to verify their geographic eligibility scope. The overall Foundation policy is 54 countries, but individual partners may have their own geographic focus that narrows this. Do not assume — confirm.
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