--- title: "Mastercard Scholars at Cambridge: Funded Master's 2027" description: "Funded Cambridge master's for Africans living in Africa: fees, living costs, flights, visa. No separate form; funding deadline 8 Dec 2026 for many courses." url: "https://worldwide-scholarships.com/scholarships/mastercard-foundation-scholars-program-university-of-cambridge/" type: "website" --- [All scholarships](https://worldwide-scholarships.com/scholarships/) University of Cambridge, funded by the Mastercard Foundation # Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at the University of Cambridge For Africans who live in Africa: a full-time master's at Cambridge with course fees, a monthly living allowance, flights, visa and health surcharge covered. You apply through the Cambridge course application by your course's funding deadline, 8 December 2026 for several courses. Checked 22 Oct 2026 [Apply on the official site](https://www.mastercardfoundation.fund.cam.ac.uk/apply/how-apply) - **Deadline:** Earliest round · 43 · days left - **Study in:** United Kingdom - **Level:** Master's - **Covers:** Tuition fees, Living costs, Travel +2 more **Why there is no date here.** There is no single deadline. Your Cambridge course application must be submitted by the course's funding deadline, which the programme says is usually early December or early January and earlier than the standard course deadline. For courses starting in Michaelmas 2027 the Cambridge Course Directory (checked 22 October 2026) lists a Course Funding Deadline of 8 December 2026 for the MPhil in Development Studies, MPhil in Environmental Policy, MPhil in Engineering for Sustainable Development and MPhil in Conservation Leadership, and 6 January 2027 for the MPhil in Modern South Asian Studies and MPhil in Bioscience Enterprise. Other courses have their own dates, so check yours. If your country is not on the automatic fee-waiver list, the Application Fee Waiver Form is due by 20 November 2026. The programme says applications for 2027/2028 opened in September 2026. What you get Course fees, a monthly living allowance, the student visa and Immigration Health Surcharge, and travel including flights and a taxi into Cambridge, plus a laptop. The living allowance amount is not published. Scholars also get a week-long orientation, mentoring, a leadership development programme with the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, a three-day social ventures course at King's College, support for planning life after the master's, and support for a 3 to 6 month placement with an Africa-based organisation. The scholarship does not cover travel for a spouse or children. Covers - Tuition fees - Living costs - Travel - Visa fees - Other costs ## Who can apply - A bachelor's degree - Meet the academic entry requirements of your chosen course: some courses require the equivalent of a UK first-class honours degree and others an upper second-class degree - Be from, and live in, an African country; you can apply if you are temporarily living outside Africa for study or work, and a degree from outside Africa is accepted if you are resident in Africa or currently away studying - Dual African and UK passport holders cannot apply - Apply for a full-time master's course; the Master of Accountancy, MBA, Master of Corporate Law and Master of Finance are excluded - Show a commitment to giving back to your community, home country or Africa, and to the themes of sustainability and climate resilience - No upper age limit; PhD study is not funded by this programme ### There is no separate scholarship form The most common mistake is looking for a scholarship application. There isn’t one. You apply for a Cambridge master’s course through the normal postgraduate portal, opt in for funding, and select the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program if you meet the course’s entry requirements. You then write a scholarship statement covering your career and education history, your leadership potential, how the scholarship will help you reach your goals, and how you hope to contribute to sustainable futures in Africa. The steps are on the programme’s [how to apply page](https://www.mastercardfoundation.fund.cam.ac.uk/apply/how-apply), and you can check whether your degree meets Cambridge’s entry requirements with the international qualifications checker linked there. ### The funding deadline comes before the admissions deadline Every Cambridge course has two dates, and for this scholarship only the earlier one matters. For Michaelmas 2027 entry, the [MPhil in Development Studies](https://www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/directory/podvmpmdv) accepts applications until 26 January 2027, but its Course Funding Deadline is 8 December 2026. The [MPhil in Modern South Asian Studies](https://www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/directory/poasmpmsa) closes to applications on 25 February 2027, with a funding deadline of 6 January 2027. The gap can be wider still: the MPhil in Engineering for Sustainable Development and the MPhil in Bioscience Enterprise stay open for applications until 13 May 2027, but their funding deadlines are 8 December 2026 and 6 January 2027. The MPhil in Conservation Leadership closes to all applicants on 8 December. Each course page also shows 14 October 2026 labelled “Gates Cambridge US round only”, which applies to US citizens applying to Gates Cambridge and not to this programme. Look at the funding deadline on your own course’s page before you plan anything else, and if it is unclear, the programme says to ask the department. ### Check the fee-waiver list before 20 November The application fee is waived for every applicant who meets their course’s academic entry requirements, but how you get the waiver depends on your country. For applicants from Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo (Dem. Rep.), Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda and Zambia, the fee is waived automatically when you submit. Everyone else, including applicants from Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Egypt and South Africa, must send the Application Fee Waiver Form with a copy of their transcript and passport by 20 November 2026. The programme says to complete it as early as possible. You get the waiver for one course only, so choose the course you are best suited to and put your effort into that application. ### What is paid for, and what is not The programme’s [what we offer page](https://www.mastercardfoundation.fund.cam.ac.uk/about-us/what-we-offer) says it covers course fees, a monthly living allowance and a return flight, plus the student visa and the Immigration Health Surcharge. The [FAQ](https://www.mastercardfoundation.fund.cam.ac.uk/faq) adds a taxi into Cambridge and a laptop. The size of the living allowance is not published. The programme does not pay for family members: the FAQ explains that since January 2024 the UK Home Office has not allowed students on one-year master’s courses to bring a spouse or children on their visa, and that the programme cannot support travel for a spouse or child. For how the visa and the health surcharge work, see our [guide to studying in the UK](https://worldwide-scholarships.com/studying-in-the-uk-funding-visas-and-how-the-money-works/). Scholars also get a week-long orientation, mentoring, a leadership programme run with the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, and support for a 3 to 6 month placement with an Africa-based organisation. ### Two rounds of selection Your department decides first. Departments select on a rolling basis, with offers between December and February, using your course application only and not your scholarship statement, and some interview shortlisted candidates. Only applicants who receive a course offer go forward to the programme team, which reads both the course application and the scholarship statement. The programme’s timeline puts its own selection in late February or early March, and scholarship offer letters are sent in March or April. The FAQ says you normally have 10 working days from the offer to confirm acceptance. You can apply without an English test result, in which case a successful application gets a conditional offer. Outstanding documents, usually including IELTS, are due by 31 July, and most courses ask for an overall score of 7.0 or 7.5, so check your course’s requirement early. The offer cannot be moved to the following year if you cannot take up your place. ### Check the UK visa position first An offer and a scholarship do not guarantee a UK Student visa. Cameroon and Sudan are African countries covered by the UK government’s [visa brake](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/visa-brake-changes-to-the-uk-visa-system), which the government says refuses Student visa applications made from outside the UK by nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan and is reviewed regularly. Cambridge also says affected nationals cannot request a cross-year deferral of a place. If you hold one of those nationalities, read the government page before you spend time and money on an application. ### How it differs from Gates Cambridge This is a master’s-only award for Africans. The FAQ says it does not fund PhDs and points PhD applicants to the Cambridge Trust Changemakers Scholarship, Gates Cambridge and the Harding PhD scholarships. If you are an African applicant choosing between this award and Gates Cambridge, read our [Gates Cambridge Scholarship](https://worldwide-scholarships.com/scholarships/gates-cambridge-scholarship/) entry as well; the programme’s pages do not say whether one application can be considered for both. This programme also has a theme. Most full-time master’s courses qualify, but your statement must show a commitment to sustainability and climate resilience and to giving back to Africa. Women, refugees, internally displaced people and people with disabilities are particularly encouraged to apply. The programme was established in 2022 and aims to bring 500 students from across Africa to Cambridge for a master’s by 2030. Where this comes from Every fact above was read on **mastercardfoundation.fund.cam.ac.uk**, the awarding body's own website, and last confirmed on **22 October 2026**. Nothing here is taken from another directory. Funding bodies change deadlines and eligibility rules without notice, and we are not affiliated with University of Cambridge, funded by the Mastercard Foundation. Always confirm on the official site before you apply. 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