BOREL GLOBAL FELLOWS PROGRAM AT IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY’S COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCIENCES.

Application Deadline: January 15, 2026

LOCATION: USA

The Borel Global Fellows Program supports students committed to enhancing African food security, agricultural development, and/or poverty alleviation to pursue graduate studies at Iowa State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The program seeks to help eradicate food and nutrition insecurity while promoting wealth and health for subsistence farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa by educating scientists at Iowa State University who will become knowledge leaders that reside and work in Sub-Saharan Africa.

ELIGIBILITY:

All faculty members with a majority appointment in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University may submit an application for partial graduate student funding. To be considered for the Borel Global Fellows Program, the student must:

be admitted into a graduate program in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

commit to completing graduate studies as a means for preparation of a career contributing to food security in Sub-Saharan Africa

complete the majority of their graduate research in Sub-Saharan Africa

demonstrate an intention to work and live in Sub-Saharan Africa after completing their graduate studies

A completed application will include a cover letter from the major professor, a CV of the student, and a copy of the student’s goal statement. Due date each year: January 15. Cover letters will address the commitment of the major professor to provide the remaining required funding (typically tuition, fees and research costs) and his/her commitment to support the student’s research in Sub-Saharan Africa. Applications are not accepted directly from graduate students. Applications may only be submitted by Iowa State University professors to request support for graduate students who have already been accepted into a graduate program in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. 

Iowa State University faculty interested in submitting an application can contact the Office for Global Engagement staff. 

BENEFIT:

Up to $25,000 per year per student of funding is available to support graduate student stipends (or a combination of a partial stipend and research funding) for up to 30 months for MS students and up to 42 months for PhD students. Funding for travel by the student to and from Africa for research purposes also is available.

APPLY

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.

APPLY