Application Deadline: September 30th, 2021
The Mastercard Foundation has partnered with the University of Cape Town (UCT) to oversee the implementation of financial, academic, social and post-graduation support to awarded candidates under the scholarship titled The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at the University of Cape Town. The vision of the Program is to transition promising young people from beneficiaries to benefactors, preparing them with the necessary values, knowledge, skills, and leadership to fuel economic and social progress across Africa. The Program targets academically qualified undergraduate and postgraduate candidates who are economically disadvantaged young people with leadership potential from Africa.
The Program will provide scholarships to academically talented young Africans to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate studies at UCT. Students enrolled on the Program will receive mentoring, leadership development, academic and life skills support. Academic support will include tutoring, language training, writing circles and guidance counselling.
In 2022 60 scholarship opportunities – Masters by Research only are available for students who intend to commence with their first year of registration for full- time postgraduate Masters by Research studies.
• Applicants must have received a firm offer to study at UCT (for the 2022 academic year)
• Applicants must come from an economically disadvantaged background
• Applicants must demonstrate leadership potential and must have acted in a leadership capacity
• Applicants must meet the set academic criteria (see no.3 below)
• No applications for undergraduate, honours or masters by coursework and dissertation will be
accepted or considered for the 2022 Scholar intake to the Program
To be eligible for consideration for The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at the University of Cape
Town, applicants must meet the following criteria:
• Be a citizen of an African country
• Be admitted to a postgraduate Masters programme (Research only) and commence with their first year of registration in the Engineering and the Built Environment, Commerce, Health Sciences, Humanities, Law, or Sciences faculties at UCT
• Be from an economically disadvantaged background, demonstrate financial need, and leadership potential
• Applicants who intend to register for a second Masters postgraduate degree at the same level are ineligible to apply for this scholarship
• Applicants who have previously registered for Masters postgraduate degree at any higher learning institution are ineligible to apply for this scholarship
• Only applicants who have applied to the relevant academic department at UCT are eligible to apply for The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at the University of Cape Town awards.
• The comments on the academic abilities of the applicant by the academic referees will form part of the academic criteria for this scholarship.
• Successful applicants will be required to produce the original academic transcripts on arrival and registration at UCT.
• Applicants will be required to produce translated copies of all academic transcripts where English is not the primary language.
The scholarships will cover for the following:
• Reimbursement of costs incurred for visa application processing
• An economy class air ticket to Cape Town South Africa for awardees who are i) citizens and/or residents of an African country other than South Africa or ii) residing in South Africa but outside of Cape Town
• Full tuition fees and international student fees
• Accommodation in a student residence managed by the UCT Student Housing Admissions and Advocacy Services at UCT
• Meals through the student housing system at UCT
• Medical cover with a recommended medical aid service provider
• A living stipend; to be used to cover ad hoc expenses pertaining to awardees’ studies
• A book allowance to purchase the prescribed textbooks required for the degree programme
• Costs related to community activities as prescribed by The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at the University of Cape Town
• Access to an internship opportunity, career development and job placement assistance
• An economy class air ticket home upon completion of studies, for awardees who are i) citizens of and/or residents of an African country other than South Africa or ii) residing in South Africa but outside of Cape Town
In order to apply for The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, applicants must first apply to the University of Cape Town for academic study and placement. Only applicants, who have applied for academic study and placement to UCT, can submit an application for a Mastercard Foundation scholarship. The admission requirements for postgraduate study vary from one programme to another. Consult the faculty concerned directly in order to find out what is required for the course or degree that you want to take. Please refer to the 2022 Directions for Postgraduate Applicants and faculties for the relevant closing dates and information on courses at UCT, how to apply to the University, as well as support structures available for postgraduate students at the University.
Step 1: Academic application
In preparing an academic application to UCT, it is essential that applicants refer to various resources for guidance. UCT’s postgraduate prospectus provides information on courses at UCT, how to apply to the university, as well as support structures available for postgraduate students at the university.
Detailed information on course offerings and academic pre-requisites is available on the UCT website in the respective 2022 faculty handbooks. For any further enquiries on how to apply to UCT please contact the relevant faculty postgraduate / Admissions Office. Contact details of faculty postgraduate / Admissions Officers can be found in UCT’s postgraduate prospectus.
Step 2: Collate the necessary supporting documents to strengthen your academic application
Applicants are encouraged to refer to the relevant postgraduate faculty handbook for more information and should ensure that when submitting these documents online, each document is scanned and uploaded as a single document. Documents must be legible and clear.
UCT reserves the right to cancel the application if all the necessary certified supporting documents are not submitted on time. Upon arrival and registration at UCT, successful applicants will be asked to provide original documentation of the certified copies submitted during the application for funding from this initiative.
Step 3: Apply online for academic study and placement
Once the application is submitted it cannot be amended by the applicant. In the event that an applicant would like to change the programme choice and biographical information and/or add documentation, only the Admissions Office can facilitate this. Applicants may monitor their application status online by logging in to the following site – www.students.uct.ac.za/students/applications/apply/Postgraduates/check-status.
The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Office at the University of Cape Town does not process academic applications.
Applications for student accommodation in a UCT residence are managed by UCT Student Housing Admissions and Advocacy Services. Applications for student accommodation must be received by 31 October 2021.The application is part of the online academic application process.
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