The University of the Western Cape (UWC) is proud to partner with the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, a global initiative established in 2012. This program is dedicated to nurturing the next generation of visionary leaders, with a primary focus on highly talented and service-oriented young individuals, predominantly from Africa. Its goal is to empower these youth by providing them with opportunities for higher education and fostering their leadership potential. The program specifically targets young people facing economic and social obstacles to accessing higher education, with a special emphasis on encouraging applications from young women, refugees, forcibly displaced youth, and those with disabilities.
The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at UWC is committed to supporting academically gifted youth from South Africa and various regions across the African continent. For the 2024 Academic Year, this program offers fully funded opportunities for aspiring scholars to pursue either undergraduate or master’s degree qualifications.
UWC invites applications from eligible candidates from South Africa and the African continent who are ready to enroll in full-time study in 2024. These scholarships are available in the following fields of study:
Undergraduate Qualifications:
- Humanities & Arts (History, Linguistics, Sociology, Women’s and Gender Studies)
- Economic & Management Sciences (Economics, Information Sciences, Public Administration)
- Education (Mathematics and Science, Foundation Phase)
- (Biological, Computational, Mathematical, and Physical Sciences) Natural Sciences
Postgraduate Qualifications: Master’s Degree:
- Humanities and the Arts (Applied Linguistics, History, Gender Justice, Migration Studies, and Development Sociology)
- Community & Health Sciences (Public Health)
- Economic & Management Sciences (Development Studies, Information Sciences, Migration Studies)
- Law (Governance and Human Rights)
Eligibility Criteria: For Undergraduate Studies:
- Applicants should be under the age of 26..
- They must meet the University’s minimum admissions requirements and have applied for academic admission for 2024.
- Candidates should be prepared to register for full-time undergraduate study in January 2024.
- Evidence demonstrating that social and economic barriers hinder access to university studies is required.
For Master’s Degree Studies:
- Applicants should be under the age of 30..
- They must meet the University’s minimum admissions requirements and have applied for academic admission for 2024.
- Candidates should be prepared to commence their first year of full-time master’s degree study in January 2024.
- Evidence demonstrating that social and economic barriers impede access to university study is required.
Application Process:
- Apply for admission to the University for the year 2024. Please refer to this link for program-specific information and application deadlines.
- Apply for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program by completing the online application, which is the preferred method. Access the application form here. If online application submission is not feasible, you can download an application form from the same link and submit the completed form along with supporting documentation to mcfsp-applications@uwc.ac.za (please ensure that the completed form and supporting documents are submitted in a single email).
Application Timeline:
- The preferred method of application is online form submission. Note that duplicate applications will not be accepted, and those submitted through both online and downloadable form submissions will be automatically disqualified.
- The application deadline for all submissions is Friday, October 13, 2023.
- Due to the high volume of applications, personalized feedback to applicants is not possible.
- If you do not receive communication from the university by Friday, November 24, 2023, please consider your application unsuccessful.
- Applicants are strongly advised to submit only one complete application; incomplete and duplicate submissions will be rejected.
For More Information:
Application Deadline: October 13, 2023.
