Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere University 2026/2027

For 2026/2027, Makerere University announced 13 fully funded Master’s scholarships (alongside 245 undergraduate awards) under the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at its main campus in Kampala. The awards are part of the Foundation’s second-phase partnership with Makerere, which runs from 2024 to 2034 and aims to support 1,000 young people from Africa over ten years at undergraduate and graduate level.

The 2026/27 round closed on Friday 5 June 2026 at 11:59 pm East Africa Time. The next round has not been announced.

Who the programme is for

The Scholars Program funds academically talented young Africans whose access to university is held back by social and economic barriers, and who are committed to giving back. It is neither a pure merit award nor a pure need award; selection looks for both, along with a record of leadership or community service. Those are weighed alongside academic results and financial need, not after them.

Makerere’s call invites applications from six groups:

• refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs)
• young people with disabilities
• international students
• young people living or working in a refugee-host community
• young people from under-represented ethnic groups in Uganda (minority tribes)
• other Ugandan youth

With 13 Master’s awards and firm quotas, the programme is small and targeted. An economically disadvantaged African graduate with a real record of service is squarely in the group it is looking for. A financially comfortable applicant, or one with little service history, is a poor fit however strong the grades.

Quotas and age limits

The quotas are minimums, and they overlap: a refugee woman counts towards two of them.

What the scholarship covers

Makerere describes the support as covering:

• tuition and functional fees
• a laptop, books and other learning materials
• accommodation, bedding and meals
• medical insurance
• a stipend
• transport to and from home
• psychosocial support and mentorship
• training in leadership, communication, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and gender and human rights

Scholars also join the wider Mastercard Foundation Scholars network, which links current scholars and alumni across the Foundation’s partner universities.

Eligibility

• Belong to one of the six applicant groups above
• Completed your undergraduate degree in an African country
• Applied for admission to Makerere’s main campus for 2026/2027, on a programme on the Scholars Program priority list
• Facing financial constraints that limit your ability to afford graduate education
• Not holding any other scholarship
• Not pursuing, and not having completed, any Master’s degree
• Demonstrated engagement in leadership or community service
• Within the age limit in the table above
• Refugees: a valid Refugee Identity Card or Family Attestation document
• IDPs: a recommendation or resettlement letter from the Office of the Prime Minister or its representative in your area

Only the priority programmes qualify, and the list is linked from the call on the application portal. Check it before anything else: an excellent applicant on a programme outside the list cannot be funded.

Admission and the application

The scholarship and Makerere admission run in parallel. The Academic Registrar handles all admissions, and the call tells applicants to apply for admission first. You then complete the Scholars application on the portal, ideally on a computer, as the call advises. Incomplete forms are disqualified automatically, so gather documents before you start.

In the Scholars application, the service record is where vague answers do the most harm. A panel cannot assess enthusiasm, only what you did and what came of it. The comparison below is illustrative, with invented details.

The stronger answer gives a place, a number, a result and a link from the degree to a next step. Financial need is a formal eligibility requirement, so document it fully, and get refugee or IDP papers in order well before you submit.

Fees, fraud and notification

Applying is free, and applications go only through Makerere’s own portal. The university warns about fraudsters inside and outside the institution who ask for money in return for a promised scholarship, and says anyone caught will be prosecuted. Influence peddling disqualifies the applicant, and false or incomplete information, discovered at any point, leads to cancellation of the award, repayment of funds and possible legal action.

Only shortlisted applicants are contacted for the later selection stages, and only successful applicants are notified at each stage. For the 2026/27 round, Makerere said applicants who had not heard by the end of August 2026 should treat their application as unsuccessful.

How to apply

1. Check that your Master’s programme is on the priority list linked from the call.
2. Apply for admission to that programme at Makerere’s main campus.
3. Open the Mastercard Foundation Scholars application portal at apply.mastercardfoundation.mak.ac.ug.
4. Complete the form: personal statement, transcripts, proof of financial need and evidence of leadership or service. Refugees and IDPs upload their documents.
5. Submit before the deadline. The 2026/27 round closed on 5 June 2026, and dates for the next round are not yet announced. There is no application fee.

Applicants outside the target profile, or whose course is not on the priority list, may find another Mastercard Foundation partner university a better match. Our guide to the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program compares partners, and avoiding scholarship scams covers the warning signs. Confirm the current priority list and deadline on the official portal before applying.