The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program

Purpose

The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at the University of Toronto (U of T) is a fully funded scholarship program for graduate studies at Canada’s leading institution of learning, discovery, and knowledge creation. U of T is proud to be one of the world’s top research-intensive universities, driven to invent and innovate.

Prospective Mastercard Foundation Scholars will develop their capacity and networks to engage in diverse healthcare professions and healthcare ecosystems in Africa. Upon completion of the program, it’s expected that Mastercard Foundation Scholars will return to their home countries and engage in self-employment or work in a range of health-related professions to advance the health outcomes within their countries upon completion.

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Eligibility

Applicants MUST meet the following six eligibility criteria:

• Be a citizen and currently residing in a Sub-Saharan African country
• Be graduating or have graduated from a partner institution of the Africa Health Collaborative (listed below) and have not yet started studies at the graduate level
• Be under 35 years of age
• Have demonstrated academic excellence and leadership qualities during his/her undergraduate years
• Be academically admissible to one of the sponsored graduate programs listed above
• Demonstrate a desire and commitment to return home following graduation to contribute to the ongoing economic growth and social development in Africa

MCF Africa Health Collaborative Partner Universities

University of Cape Town
Addis Ababa University
African Institute for Mathematical Sciences
African Leadership University
Amref International University/Amref Health Africa
Ashesi University
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
Moi University

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Submission

Step One
Prospective applicants must first consult the admission requirements for their chosen program of study. The links above will guide you in exploring these different programs.

If you meet the academic requirements of your program of interest, please follow through to step two.

Step Two
Sign up to attend a scholarship information session and complete the Mastercard Foundation Scholarship application. Deadline for submission of the completed application and receipt of all required attachments is Monday, November 3, 2025 at 12 noon (Toronto time).

If your application for the Mastercard Foundation scholarship meets all criteria and is approved by the Scholarship Admission Committee, you will receive an email to move forward to step three. These notifications to successful applicants will be made in early December.

Step Three
Begin your graduate application to the department/program of your interest from the University of Toronto, School of Graduate Studies website. The School of Graduate Studies (SGS) is the central location for graduate applications at the university. Each department and program area will inform you as to the specific requirements of their department and provide you with subsequent dates for the submission of supplementary information. This is an online process that will require you to upload documents to your application.

Please follow specifically the instructions of your prospective department once you receive them.

Information Sessions

MCF is offering two virtual information sessions for interested applicants.

Tuesday October 14th, 2025 at 9:00am EST (please click here to register)

Tuesday October 14th, 2025 at 12:00pm EST (please click here to register)