What Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at University of Pretoria actually covers.
The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at the University of Pretoria (UP) offers fully funded undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships to academically talented yet economically disadvantaged young people from across Africa. The University of Pretoria is one of South Africa's leading research universities and among the top universities in Africa, offering world-class programmes across all academic disciplines. The 2026 Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at UP is now accepting applications for both undergraduate and Masters degrees. The scholarship covers full tuition, accommodation, meals, transport, health insurance, a personal allowance, and comprehensive academic and psychosocial support. Scholars participate in a structured leadership development programme, community service activities, and mentorship. The Mastercard Foundation's vision is that by 2030, 30 million young people in Africa will have access to dignified and fulfilling work. The University of Pretoria scholarship is an integral part of realising this vision by developing skilled, values-driven, and service-oriented African graduates.
Who can apply.
Open to undergraduate, masters applicants seeking to study in South Africa. 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.
Four steps to a complete application.
Scholar Africa is a discovery and tracking platform — the application itself is submitted directly through the official provider site. The steps below mirror our HowTo schema.
Check eligibility
Confirm your nationality, academic level, and field of study match the criteria above.
Eligibility checklist
Prepare documents
Transcripts, recommendation letters, personal statement, and a valid passport.
Document checklist
Submit the application
Submit before June 30, 2026 via the official portal.
Submission checklist
Track your application
Use your Scholar Africa dashboard to monitor status and deadline reminders.
Post-submission checklist
What we checked, when we checked it.
Scholar Africa runs a link-liveness check on every listing before it goes live. Five additional checks (contact, organisation, winners, third-party, manual review) are on the roadmap. Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at University of Pretoria currently scores 2.0/10.
Verification details Click to expand
Report an issue
Other scholarships worth a parallel application.
Same eligibility window or destination. Many strong applicants apply to three or four programmes per cycle.