What Mwalimu Nyerere African Union Scholarship Scheme actually covers.
The Mwalimu Nyerere African Union Scholarship Scheme was launched by the African Union Commission in 2007 to contribute to the production and retention of high-level African human capital in critical areas for sustainable development, while promoting regional integration through intra-African student mobility. The scheme provides scholarships for African students to pursue postgraduate studies (Masters and PhD) at leading African universities outside their home countries. Scholars are bound by an agreement to work in any African country for two to four years after graduation, reinforcing the programme's focus on retaining skills within the continent. The scholarship covers tuition, accommodation, and living expenses, contributing to the development of African academic institutions and building continent-wide networks of scholars. Priority areas include science, technology, engineering, mathematics, social sciences, humanities, and development-related fields. The programme is named after Tanzania's founding president, Julius Nyerere, who was a champion of African education, self-reliance, and pan-African solidarity.
Who can apply.
Open to masters, phd applicants. 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 May 31, 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. Mwalimu Nyerere African Union Scholarship Scheme currently scores 4.0/10.
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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.