The Give Back Commitment — What It Actually Means
Every MCF partner expects scholars to give back to Africa after graduating. It is not a legal contract with penalties — but it is not an empty phrase either. It runs through the whole scholarship, from the selection criteria to Oxford's mandatory Ubuntu period.
ScholarshipUnion Editorial
5 min read
Updated Oct 6, 2026
Is the Return Commitment Legally Binding?
No — it is not a legal contract.
There is no legally binding return obligation in the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program — unlike scholarships such as the Islamic Development Bank's surety bond or some government scholarship programmes. No scholar has been sued or financially penalised for not returning to Africa. There is no legal document you sign that requires return.
But the commitment is real, even if it is not legal. Selection explicitly favours candidates with credible give-back plans. The curriculum includes structured service in African organisations. The programme's entire purpose is developing transformative leaders who contribute to Africa. Candidates who use the scholarship as a stepping stone to permanent settlement in the UK, US, or Canada are at odds with everything the programme stands for — and this is visible to committees during selection.
"Give back" is an ethical commitment, even if it is not a legal one.
Oxford's Ubuntu Period — A Real Structural Requirement
At Oxford, the give-back commitment is not just an essay theme — it is built into the two-year academic structure as a formal programme component.
- Y1Year one
Leadership and Impact Programme alongside the taught academic degree. Structured leadership development, mentorship, and peer learning run concurrently with coursework.
- Y2Year two — Ubuntu period
A 4 to 6 month placement in an African organisation, working on issues related to the scholar's field of study. This is a formal programme component, not an optional activity.
What counts as an Ubuntu placement: governments, NGOs, international development bodies, research institutions, and social enterprises working in Africa. Scholars are expected to secure their own placements in organisations relevant to their field. The costs are covered by the scholarship.
Berkeley's Africa-Based Internship
For master's students in programmes longer than two semesters at Berkeley, an Africa-based internship is a required component of the scholarship — not an optional enrichment activity. The scholarship covers:
- Round-trip airfare from Berkeley to the internship location in Africa and back
- Living stipend for the full duration of the internship period
What "Give Back" Means at Other Partners
| Partner | What give-back means there |
|---|---|
| Cambridge | Scholars are expected to return to Africa after graduating; this is part of the selection criteria assessment and alumni network engagement. The scholarship statement asks how you hope to contribute to sustainable futures in Africa, so it needs a credible post-study plan. |
| Edinburgh | Scholars participate in leadership curriculum and Africa-focused learning throughout; expectation to return and work in development areas after graduating. |
| Sciences Po | Post-study plans for African development are explicitly required in essays and interviews. The programme focuses on public policy and governance — graduates are expected to return to these roles in Africa. |
| Makerere / African partners | Community service is embedded throughout the degree. Give-back is expressed through local engagement during the programme itself — scholars are already in Africa and already contributing. |
| KNUST / UCT / U Rwanda | Community engagement during study is a formal programme requirement. Scholars build careers in their home countries and regions as a natural outcome of studying there. |
Does It Have to Be Your Home Country?
No. "Give back to Africa" does not mean returning specifically to your home country. Working in any African country in a field relevant to your training qualifies. From Berkeley's FAQ: "Some, while adhering to immigration policies, may work in other African countries on issues related to their areas of training and, in so doing, 'give back' to the continent of Africa."
The continent is the unit, not the specific nation.
Takes a role at the African Union in Addis Ababa.
Works at ECOWAS in Abuja.
Joins the East African Community secretariat.
What Alumni Actually Do
Careers →Government and public sector
The most documented path. Alumni return to national ministries, planning departments, civil service, and public health systems. Sciences Po alumni return to foreign service and economic policy. Edinburgh and Cambridge climate scholars return to environment and climate ministries. KNUST alumni feed into Ghana's engineering, agriculture, and health infrastructure.
International development organisations
A large share of alumni at international partner cohorts — especially Berkeley, Cambridge, Oxford — enter development sector roles: World Bank Group, UN agencies, AfDB, regional development banks, large international NGOs. The programme's alumni network and the institutions' own networks open these doors.
Entrepreneurship and social enterprise
A growing cohort. MCF alumni have founded social enterprises, technology companies, health platforms, and agricultural businesses in their home countries. Ashesi and ALU in particular have strong entrepreneurship cultures. This is entirely compatible with the give-back commitment.
Academic and research careers
PhD graduates — especially from AUB — and research-focused alumni return to academic and research roles. Building teaching and research capacity at African universities is an explicit goal of several MCF partnerships. AIMS focuses on training the next generation of mathematical scientists for Africa.
The Gap Between Expectation and Reality
The MCF give-back expectation is stronger in some parts of the network than others. African partner alumni — Makerere, KNUST, UCT, University of Rwanda — naturally stay in Africa because they studied there. For international partner alumni at Cambridge, Berkeley, and Oxford, the gap between expectation and reality is harder to measure because the Foundation does not publish retention data.
What is known: alumni from Western partners do sometimes remain in Western countries for optional practical training periods, and some transition to roles in international development organisations based in Geneva, Washington, or London — but working on African issues. The Foundation's position, stated in Berkeley's FAQ, is that working on African development from any location "in so doing, gives back to the continent."
If you apply with genuine intent to return, write about it genuinely. If you are applying with a plan to settle abroad, the scholarship is not the right fit.