International Scholarships for African Students

There are many international scholarships for African students available, including government scholarships, Commonwealth scholarships and university scholarships.

Read on for our list of current opportunities, and download our free guide on how to find scholarships to study abroad here.

To study anywhere:

• Africa London Nagasaki (ALN) Fund – Graduate scholarships for African scientists to gain funding for a master’s degree in an area related to disease control in Africa. Scholarship winners can choose to study at London’s Institute of Tropical Medicine, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine or Nagasaki University in Japan.
• Aga Khan Foundation Scholarship Program – Needs-based graduate scholarships for African students at master’s and PhD level to study anywhere in the world.
• Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships – International scholarships for African students within the Commonwealth* to study a part-time master’s degree by distance learning from select universities in the UK and worldwide.
• The Beit Trust Scholarships – International master’s degree and PhD scholarships for African students from Malawi, Zambia or Zimbabwe to study in the UK, Ireland or South Africa at a leading university. Applicants need to have been accepted into the university to be eligible for the Beit Trust scholarship.
• Wells Mountain Foundation Scholarships – Needs-based scholarships for students from developing countries (including African nations) to gain funding for university at home or in a country in the developing world. Candidates must be planning to work and live in their own country after graduation and will be enrolled in a program of study that will either benefit the community or contribute to the country’s growth.
• Women Techmakers Scholars Program – Scholarships for women from Africa (as well as Europe and the Middle East) to study computer science, computer engineering or a closely related technical field at any study level at a university in one of the aforementioned regions.
• Rotary Peace Fellowships – Fully-funded academic fellowships covering tuition fees, accommodation, transportation and field-study expenses for master’s degree applicants. Applications are open to students from any African country and successful applicants will be able to study at a selection of top universities around the world.

To study in Africa:

• ACCESS Kenya – Partial scholarships for students from Kenya to gain funding to study at undergraduate level at an accredited university in Kenya.
• Mandela Rhodes Scholarships – Scholarships for Africans with strong leadership skills to study for an honors or master’s degree at a recognized university in South Africa.
• Jim Ovia Scholarship – Scholarships for Nigerian students to gain funding to study at undergraduate level in Nigeria. The award includes tuition and maintenance allowance.
• The Graduate Institute Geneva – A number list of unique masters and PhD scholarships for academically talented students from Africa. Financial aid packages may include cost-of-living scholarships, tuition reduction and/or a paid position, and is awarded based on the individual’s financial needs as well as academic merit.
• WAAW Foundation Scholarships – Need-based scholarships for female African students looking to pursue a STEM-focused undergraduate program (science, technology, engineering or mathematics) at a recognized African university.

To study in Asia-Pacific:

• Master’s Degree ABE Initiative – Scholarship for Africans to study in Japan on a development-related master’s degree program at an accredited university.
• Australia Awards Africa – Australian government scholarships for Africans to gain funding to study in Australia on a professional training course or master’s degree.

To study in Europe:

To study in Belgium:

• VLIR-UOS Awards Scholarships – Graduate scholarships for international students from Africa, Asia and Latin America to study in Belgium on a development-related master’s degree or training program.

To study in Germany:

• DRD-DAAD Merit Scholarships – Scholarships for Sub-Saharan** Africans to study a development-related master’s or PhD program in Germany. Scholarships will be awarded based on academic merit.

To study in Ireland:

• Irish Aid Scholarship Program – Scholarships for Tanzanian students to study a master’s degree in Ireland.

To study in the Netherlands:

• Orange Knowledge Program – A range of scholarships open to individuals and organizations in the field of higher and vocational education. Individual scholarships are open to mid-career professionals who are nationals of and living and working in the listed countries. 
• Sub-Saharan Africa Excellence Scholarships @ TU Delft – Four scholarships are available for excellent students from Sub-Saharan Africa to study a MSc degree at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft).

To study in the UK: 

• African Excellence Fee Waiver @ The University of Glasgow – International scholarships for African students worth the full tuition fee of a master’s degree at the University of Glasgow. Applicants will automatically be considered based on academic merit.
• African Graduate scholarships @ UCL – Needs-based scholarships for Africans with strong academic merit to study in the UK at UCL (University College London) on a master’s program within the Institute for Global Health.
• African Postgraduate Scholarships @ Edinburgh Napier University – Merit-based scholarships for Africans to gain partial funding to study in the UK at Edinburgh Napier University.
• Commonwealth Scholarships @ SOAS – Commonwealth scholarships open to students from African commonwealth countries to study in the UK at SOAS (London) on a development-related master’s degree.
• Ruth First Scholarship @ Durham University – Scholarships for Africans from Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe to undertake postgraduate study in the UK at Durham University.
• Oppenheimer Fund Scholarships @ Oxford University – Scholarships for African who have previously studied at South African universities to study in the UK at Oxford University. Students should be applying to study a full-time master’s or DPhil course.
• African Scholarships @ The University of Edinburgh – Merit-based graduate scholarships to study in the UK at the University of Edinburgh (Scotland) on a master’s or PhD program.
• The Centre of African Studies Visiting Fellowship @ The University of Cambridge – Two visiting fellowships for African students to conduct research and writing at the University of Cambridge. Candidates must hold a teaching or research position at an African university.
• The Ibrahim Scholarship Program– Master’s degree and PHD scholarships for aspiring African leaders to study in the UK at London Business School, SOAS or the University of Birmingham.
• Africa Graduate Scholarships at UCL – Open to African national master’s students with a high quality academic and professional background, who would not be able to afford to study at UCL without assistance.

To study in the US: 

• Fulbright Foreign Student Program – International scholarships for graduate students, young professionals and artists across the globe to study in the US for a year or more.
• Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders - Scholarships for African students from Sub-Saharan Africa to study in the US and gain leadership and business skills.
• MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program – Scholarships for African students to study in the US and Africa. The scholarship includes tuition fees, accommodation and books.
• MSFS Full-Tuition Scholarship @ Georgetown University – Scholarships for Africans from sub-Saharan Africa to study in the US on the Master of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS) program at Georgetown University in Washington DC.
• Stanford GSB Need-Based Fellowship at Stanford University – Scholarships for students wishing to study at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business on the MBA program. Fellowships are awarded based on demonstrated financial need and on average awards $80,000 in total.
• Zawadi Africa Education Fund for Young African Women – Scholarships for female students from disadvantaged backgrounds from Africa to study in other African countries or the US.
• 7UP Harvard Business School Scholarship – Open to Nigerian students who have successfully gained admission into a two-year program at Harvard Business School. The scholarship covers tuition, housing, a plane ticket to the US and a ticket back.

Note that the list above is NOT exhaustive – there are lots of other scholarships open to African students. To find more opportunities, check the website of your chosen university and research funding offered via government schemes or external organizations (e.g. the IET offers funds for engineering students).

You could also be eligible for the QS Scholarships scheme, which offers US$7 million in funding each year. To find out more, and to get personal advice for your application, register to attend the QS World Grad School Tour for free.

* African Commonwealth countries: Botswana, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia.

** Sub-Saharan African countries: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Republic of the Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

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This article was originally published in April 2015. It was last updated in June 2020.