African Climate Collaborative PhD Fellowships in Climate and Development

Who can apply

Citizen of an African country (African applicants who live outside Africa are also welcome)
Under 35 years of age as of 1 February 2027
A completed Master's degree in a discipline relevant to climate and development in Africa, specifically the discipline listed as eligible for the research topic you choose
Apply to one topic only: the call page says multiple applications from one student may result in disqualification
Successful applicants must also apply for, and be accepted into, a PhD at the University of Cape Town; the programme says it will help them with that application
Required documents: a CV that includes three referees, one of whom supervised your Master's dissertation; a writing sample; Bachelor's and Master's transcripts; a letter of motivation; and a copy of your national ID or passport

You apply to a topic, not a general scholarship

This is not a PhD scholarship where you bring your own research idea. The University of Cape Town has advertised 19 specific research topics, and each one has a named supervisor and a required Master’s discipline. They range from the politics of care in flood-prone informal settlements and managing locust outbreaks under climate change, to sustainable concrete for African urbanisation, electric cooking transitions and the changing architecture of Chinese power finance in Africa. Eight of the 19 sit in Environmental and Geographical Sciences, three in Biological Sciences, two each in Statistical Sciences and the Graduate School of Business, and one each in Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Construction Economics and Management, and the Academic Development Programme. Twelve fellowships are available across the 19 topics, so not every topic will be filled. Read the full list, with each topic’s background and research questions, on the official fellowship page, and choose the one where your Master’s subject matches the listed discipline. UCT says to apply only to the topic for which you meet the disciplinary requirement.

One topic only, even though an older document says three

The call page says each candidate may apply to only one of the 19 topics, and that multiple applications may result in disqualification. UCT’s programme structure document says a maximum of three topics may be applied for. That document describes the programme in general, while the call page governs this round, so follow the call page and submit a single application. There is a second mismatch on CV length: the call page says a maximum of five pages, while the online form says a maximum of three, including the names and contact details of three referees. A three-page CV satisfies both.

What you submit, and what the fellowship does not do for you

The online form takes your details, your referees and your chosen topic, then uploads: a CV (PDF, one file, three pages at most, with three referees, one of whom must have supervised your Master’s dissertation), a writing sample of up to five pages or a peer-reviewed article, ideally from your Master’s dissertation, one combined PDF of your Bachelor’s and Master’s transcripts, a letter of motivation explaining your interest in the topic and how your training positions you for it, and a copy of your national ID or passport. Nothing is saved if you leave the form, so prepare every file before you start. Successful candidates are asked for certified copies of their transcripts before the fellowship is confirmed. Winning the fellowship does not admit you to UCT. You must then apply and be accepted into a UCT PhD, which the programme says it will help you do.

How the money and the four years work

The fellowship is worth R390,000 for 2027. Of this, R315,000 covers stipend and fees together, and up to R75,000 covers relocation, medical insurance, research and other costs. The call page gives the value for 2027 only and does not state later years. The first year is structured coursework. According to UCT’s programme structure document, moving into the research years requires passing the coursework, accumulating at least 90 credits and defending your PhD proposal. The same document says UCT has been awarded a USD 35 million grant by the Mastercard Foundation, spanning 2026 to 2032, with funding for six cohorts of 12 PhD students, each with a full scholarship for four years. If you are not ready this year, that suggests later rounds are planned, though the call page publishes no dates for them.

How this differs from the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program

Because the money comes from a Mastercard Foundation grant, applicants sometimes assume this belongs to the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program. The two work differently. The Scholars Program, as our entry describes it, is delivered through partner universities and organisations that each set their own deadline. These fellowships are a single, centrally run PhD call at one university, limited to climate and development topics, with one deadline and a strict age limit of under 35 on 1 February 2027. The call page encourages applications from women and from applicants with lived experience of displacement or disability. For other routes for African students, see our guide to where the money actually is.

Check the time zone before you submit

The deadline was 15 October 2026 at 23:00 SAST, and UCT’s call page now says applications are closed. That is 22:00 in Lagos and midnight in Nairobi and Addis Ababa, so applicants in East Africa have until the end of 15 October their own time and no later. The call page does not publish interview dates, a decision date or a programme start date, so gather your UCT admission documents early in case a quick turnaround is needed.