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Become a Mastercard Foundation Scholar at graduate level
Students receive the scholarships and financial aid throughout the two years of their Master’s programme.
You can apply to any of the Master’s degree programmes offered at Sciences Po’s seven Graduate Schools.
Admissions timeline for the 2025-2027 Program
- 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
Eligibility criteria for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program
You must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars 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 and the Mastercard Foundation’s partner universities on the African continent or an institution 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 Program.
Applying for the Program
To be selected for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, you must first be accepted onto a Master’s programme at one of Sciences Po’s seven Graduate Schools.
From September 2024, applications for Sciences Po Master’s programmes and for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program will be handled through a single procedure and platform. You will need to apply for your chosen Master’s programme and the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program via the international graduate admissions procedure.
Further information and a guide to applying for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program will be published online ahead of the 2024 admissions season.
Application process
If you meet the eligibility criteria for the scholarship, you will be exempt from paying the Sciences Po application fee and may submit your overall application online for free.
Your overall application is evaluated via the international graduate admissions procedure (review each step of the procedure). At the end of this evaluation process, the Admissions Department will inform you of the outcome of your application. If you are applying for the scholarship and are accepted onto a programme, your application will proceed to the following steps.
Once you have been accepted to Sciences Po, your application for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program will be evaluated against the Program’s own criteria. Sciences Po’s Scholarship Selection Committee decides collegially on which applicants are awarded scholarships.
Please note: eligible Mastercard Foundation Program’s applicants who are accepted to Sciences Po may be invited to attend a remote interview.
The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Sciences Po Team will inform you whether the selection committee has decided to award you the scholarship. Before you can receive your funding, you must carefully review the rights and obligations set out in your award letter and confirm your acceptance.
The process of supporting and assisting new Scholars begins as soon as the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Sciences Po Team receives your acceptance of the offer. You will receive funding for the duration of your Master’s programme at Sciences Po (i.e. two years).
Preparing your application
Before you begin your application, please check you meet the eligibility criteria for Sciences Po's graduate programmes and the specific language requirements for each programme. Sciences Po offers English, French and bilingual programmes.
We strongly advise you to begin preparing and assembling the supporting documents you need for your application well in advance (before the application platform opens):
- All supporting documents required for international graduate admissions to Sciences Po.
- Valid photo ID.
- Proof of income (or lack thereof) demonstrating your financial circumstances: tax documents and/or income statements; scholarship certificates; or any other legal document attesting to your financial situation. You must submit at least one document with your application. Bank statements will not be accepted. If you are currently receiving a scholarship (from the Mastercard Foundation or another funding body), or have received one in the past, please also attach the scholarship certificate.
- Proof of current or past enrolment at one of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Sciences Po’s institutions of reference
Program’s admission criteria
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.
Students are encouraged to express themselves authentically in their motivation letters and to draw on specific experiences to explain how joining the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program will enable them to achieve change. Misuse of Artificial Intelligence to answer the questions will prove a disadvantage to the application.
In line with the values of inclusion, diversity and equal opportunities, which underpin the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, special consideration will be given to applications from refugees, displaced persons and persons with disabilities.
Important
- Exemption from paying the Sciences Po application fee does mean or guarantee you will be accepted into the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program.
- If you do not meet the scholarship eligibility criteria, you will not be able to apply for the Program but may proceed with your application to Sciences Po once you have paid the application fee.
- Acceptance to Sciences Po does not guarantee you will be accepted into the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program.
- We also recommend applying for the Emile Boutmy Scholarship.
- If your application for the scholarship is unsuccessful, it will be your responsibility to find other means of funding your studies at Sciences Po.
- Current Sciences Po Students at the Graduate level cannot apply for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program.
- If you choose to defer your admission at Sciences Po for one year, you will need to reapply for the Program the following year.
Contact us
Have a question about the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Sciences Po?
If you can’t find an answer on our FAQ page, reach out to us directly at the following address: info.mcfsp@sciencespo.fr.
