UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD, THE AFRICA OXFORD INITIATIVE (AFOX), AND MASTERCARD FOUNDATION SCHOLARS PROGRAM

Application Deadline: January 2026

LOCATION: England

The University of Oxford and the Mastercard Foundation have an innovative and ambitious partnership under the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program and the Africa Oxford Initiative (AfOx). The partnership is set to provide 400 young African scholars with a fully funded opportunity to pursue taught Master’s degrees in programmes related to pandemic preparedness and recovery at the University of Oxford.

ELIGIBILITY:

Eligible offer holders will be contacted by Student Fees and Funding via email and invited to complete a scholarship application form. To be considered, you must meet the following criteria:

Hold an offer for a full-time one-year taught master’s course at Oxford and have submitted an application via the graduate admissions portal by the relevant December/January funding deadline for your course. Open field applicants will not be eligible for consideration.

Be a citizen of an African country and ordinarily resident there. Necessary residence considerations will be made for students from refugee and displaced backgrounds. If you have a displacement background, please indicate this on your applicant form submitted to the graduate admissions portal by selecting YES to the question titled, “Are you, or have you been, a refugee, stateless person, or asylum seeker, or been otherwise forcibly displaced within or outside your country of origin?”

Should not have previously completed a graduate degree.

Must demonstrate a track record of leadership and service within their community.

Should demonstrate alignment with AfOx values (Collegiality, Empathy, Commitment, Transparency and Inclusivity).

Should show how their past work or future plans will contribute to addressing Africa’s major challenges, including but not limited to pandemic threats, the climate crisis and youth employment.

BENEFIT:

This full-cost scholarship is available to Master’s students, covering tuition fees and living expenses for international students. The scholarship also provides logistics support, including an economy return flight, visa and Immigration Health Surcharge fees, settling-down allowance, and access to a Thrive Fund for emergencies.

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