What Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at UC Berkeley actually covers.
The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) supports approximately 55 Master's degree students from Africa, with a new cohort of 29+ entering each year until 2028. The programme provides fully funded scholarships for talented young Africans who face social and economic barriers to education, enabling them to access one of the world's most prestigious universities. UC Berkeley is consistently ranked among the top 5 universities globally, offering world-class education in technology, public policy, energy, natural resources, development practice, and other fields relevant to Africa's development. The scholarship covers tuition, fees, health insurance, living expenses, travel, and other related costs. Scholars participate in an extensive leadership development programme, community service activities, and professional networking events. UC Berkeley Mastercard Foundation scholars are expected to return to Africa upon graduation and use their skills and networks to drive positive change in their communities and countries.
Who can apply.
Open to masters applicants seeking to study in United States. Eligible nationalities are listed below.
46 more eligible countries — full list available on the official application page.
Every academic discipline is accepted.
This programme does not restrict by field. Research proposals across humanities, sciences, engineering, agriculture, and medicine are all accepted.
From here to submitted.
Scholar Africa helps you discover, shortlist, and track. The application itself is submitted on the provider's site.
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Save itAdd this to your shortlist so we can recommend similar scholarships and remind you of the deadline.
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Prepare your documentsMost providers ask for the same set — transcripts, references, a personal statement, ID. Use the checklist below to track progress across all your applications.
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Apply on the provider's siteSubmit on the provider's site before December 1, 2026 · 136 days left.
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Track the outcomeAdd to your tracker so you can update the status as the provider responds (shortlisted, interview, decision).
Document checklist
Checks are local to this device — they're not stored. Always confirm exact requirements on the provider's official application page.
What we checked, when we checked it.
Scholar Africa runs a link-liveness check on every listing before it goes live and an admin manually reviews every scholarship submitted by providers. Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at UC Berkeley has been reviewed and verified by our team. Five deeper checks (contact, organisation, winners, third-party, formal audit) are on the roadmap.
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Other scholarships worth a parallel application.
Same eligibility window or destination. Many strong applicants apply to three or four programmes per cycle.