The University of Edinburgh has partnered with The MasterCard Foundation to allocate $27 million over seven years to ensure access to education for bright young leaders from Africa.
Full scholarships will be offered to 80 undergraduate and 120 postgraduate African students. The initiative will enable Edinburgh to offer opportunities to the brightest and best African Scholars.
The University will work with partners to recruit talented Scholars with great potential but who face significant financial barriers to entry in higher education. Students will receive comprehensive support to remove barriers to study in Edinburgh.
They will benefit from dynamic extra-curricular course elements including summer schools and internships. These will help them to develop their abilities and make a difference to their countries and communities when they return home.
Africa is experiencing huge youth population growth as economic and employment growth stagnates. The University hopes to educate a new generation of African leaders who will create opportunities for others.
To date, the Scholars Program has committed over US $700 million to support the education and leadership development of over 30,000 young people. Edinburgh is the first university in Europe to collaborate with The MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program.
The announcement comes as part of the University of Edinburgh’s Africa Week – a series of events from 3-7 October – highlighting the University’s partnerships and research in Africa.
The University of Edinburgh is committed to expanding access for students from around the world.
Edinburgh welcomed 583 students from 33 African countries last year. The University’s largest cohorts in 2015/16 included 124 students from Nigeria, 117 students from South Africa and 76 students from Kenya.
