Prática de Shadowing: I Won The MasterCard Foundation Scholarship TWICE | Eligibility, Benefits & How to Apply! - Aprenda a falar inglês com o YouTube

If you have been dreaming of studying abroad, looking for the funding to do so for free, and you're African, then this video is definitely for you.

Hello everyone and welcome back to my YouTube channel. My name is Victoria Adewuyi and I am a masters student and a MasterCard foundation scholar Sciences Po Paris. I was also a masterCard foundation scholar during my 4-year undergraduate degree at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Ghana. So that makes me a two-time Mastercard foundation scholar. I have received lots of messages from different channels asking me about how to apply for the Mastercard foundation scholarship program and I thought well why not make a video about it. So here we are. The good news is that most application for the 2026 academic year are currently open. So let's get right into the video. In this video, we are going to be going through what the Mastercard Foundation scholarship program is, where you can apply to, the eligibility requirements, How to actually apply and what you need to prepare an application that stands out and increase your chances of getting in. What exactly is the Mastercard Foundation scholarship program?

The Mastercard Foundation scholarship program is a prestigious scholarship awarded to talented young people across the African continent who have been admitted to top tier higher education institutions across EU, North America and Africa. It is an holistic support that covers everything that is needed to support student during the period of their academic years. This includes tuition fees, living expenses, travel and visa cost, health insurance and many many many much much more benefit. More importantly is that the Mastercard Foundation scholarship program is not just about funding. It's a comprehensive support that offers academic and administrative guidance, integration and student support, career development, mentoring, and access to a strong network of change makers all around the world. And this is one of the reasons why I'm sharing this. The program is designed to develop the next generation of transformative leaders by enabling them to pursue quality education in some of the best universities around the world. So if that sounds like you, lock in and watch the video to the end. Now where can you apply to?

You can apply directly to any of the Mastercard Foundation affiliated partner institutions that you wish to attend. They are both undergraduate and postgraduate programs available at different top universities across Africa, North America and Europe. Across Africa, the Mastercard Foundation scholarship program had a network of about 16 universities both in the French and English speaking regions in France and most broadly the European Union. SciencesPo is the only partner university of the Mastercard Foundation scholarship program. In the UK, scholars are hosted in University of Oxford, Cambridge and Edinburgh. While in North America, you can always apply to the program through universities like McGill University, Arizona State University, UC Berkeley and the others. I would really advise that you do check out the website that include the list of all the partnering institutions of the Mastercard Foundation Scholarship Program because this is where you always find updated information about these institutions. I'm going to have a link down below in the description box. So do make sure you check it out. So who can apply? Now let's get practical. Some details are not exactly the same depending on the partner institution that you're planning to apply to. But there are a few common criteria that is consistent with them all. And that is what I will be sharing with you today. The first of them is academic excellence.

You have to have received an offer of admission from any of the partner university of the program in order to be considered. And I think this is very logical because if you have the scholarship without any offer of admission from any of the partner university then what are you going to do with it okay and also because many of the partner universities are top universities from all around the world you're talking University of Oxford Arizona State University of Toronto University of Pretoria, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology all of which are very highly competitive and require excellent academic records to get in. So by default academic excellence is a key requirement. One common question I usually do get though is how excellent should my academic record be? Well, most university would usually have a CWA or a CGPA benchmark or cutoff mark as we usually like to call it in Nigeria. So, it really really does help to check out the website of the partner university and the grade benchmark or cutoff mark for the particular program that you're applying to beforehand. I also want to make sure that you are meeting the academic entry requirement of the partner university. Apart from the good grades, you should pay attention to relevant degree background, language of the program and other things like that. Another key criteria here will be significant barrier to accessing education. This may include financial difficulties, geographical isolation from major or urban academic centers. There are some regions in some African countries where there are no institutions at all or difficult to get access to one. It could be gender based barrier, barriers due to disability, refugee status or due to an internally displaced status. You actually will be asked to provide a proof of most of these when you're applying. So do make sure to keep that in mind. Another criteria will be your commitment to social change or impact in your community. Prospective scholars are expected to demonstrate a desire to contribute to or lead change in their communities. This commitment is not restrictive. It can take many forms. For example, community engagement, entrepreneurship, public service aspirations, leadership roles in your community or school, personal project or any other part that contributes to the common good. You also want to show intentions of giving back to your own country or your continent. Even after the program, the service part is actually very real. The next criteria really depend on the level of education that you're going for. Most master's degree program will require that you are below or at the age of 35 by the time you begin the program. While for other undergraduate programs, the age requirements can be below the age of 35. It does help to check out the website of the partner university in order to double check with this information. So if you check off these boxes, I think you are already in a very good place to try. If you've been enjoying and finding value in this video so far, I want to invite you to take a moment to like, subscribe, and share with anyone who you think would need it. This will help me to know that you really enjoy this video and allow me to keep putting out more of this kind of content.

Thank you. Now, let's talk about how to apply. I'm going to be walking you through how the actual application process. Again, this is just a general map. You also need to check out the specifics from each partner university website. The first step will be to choose the partner university that you want to attend and the program that you want to study in. The Mastercard Foundation scholarship program have more than 20 partner universities. You want to take your time to look out which of the universities you want to attend and you want to make sure that you are matching the programs with your interest and your background. The second step would be to check out the eligibility and the deadlines. I really advise that again you visit the partner university page and read do read the eligibility criterias the deadline and the required documents that you'll be needing.

Please do take your time to read. It might take you some time to read through the program website and really get a understanding of everything that is required of you. But once you do that you will not regret it. The third step will be to prepare your application materials. You need to prepare the university application materials. For instance, your transcript, your previous degree certificate. In this case, if you are applying for bachelor's program, you need to provide your WASSCE or your senior education certificate. In the case of Masters program, you want to be providing your bachelor's degree certificate. And sometimes you might need to provide proof of language proficiency or language test. For some universities, IELTS or TOEFL are not really compulsory if you've had your previous academic degree in the required language of study. In cases like this, you could always request for an English proficiency certificate from your last degree and that will most likely suffice for the admission process. You also need to be preparing your mastercard application materials. Sometimes the master card application is separate while other times it is embedded in the same application with the university program. So you just need to read the guidelines and know which route you're going to be going through for your application. You want to prepare all your relevant supporting documents for instance tax statements, proof of income and things like that. You want to prepare for your letter of recommendations early either academic or nonacademic preferences depending on the requirement for the program as well as preparing for your personal statement and your essays. The last step I'll be having for you is to submit all your application well within the deadline. Ensure that all your supporting documents are complete and that you are well organized enough to submit by the deadline because one missing document or submitting after the deadline can cost you a lot. How to stand out and increase your chances of winning the scholarship. Everybody wants to win, right? Nobody loves rejection letters. So, how exactly do you increase your chances to get in? So, my first tip would be to give as much energy as you give to the Mastercard Foundation scholarship program to the university application as well. I cannot emphasize this enough because even if you're a good candidate for the scholarship, you need to actually get admitted to the university in order to access the scholarship.

So, you want to be putting out quality application to both processes. You should know why you're choosing the program of your choice, how the program fit into your goals and why you are a great match. My second tip will be for you to tell your story and show your impact. Don't just talk about how you might have faced barriers to accessing education in the past. We also want to talk about how you've overcome it. How have you gotten to where you are now? As little as it may be, no one barrier that is less significant than the other. I advise that you share as much as you can or as much as you are comfortable to because this will actually help the selection committee to understand you know your story and understand why you are a better candidate for the scholarship. Also share your act of services to your community and how you plan to keep giving back to your community even after you get into the program. Don't be abstract. Don't be generic in your essays. Use real examples. It could be volunteering. It could be community projects. Any way you think you can prove this. And I always recommend using the STAR approach because in my opinion, it helps to communicate the impact better. And for those who might not know, STAR is an acronym for situation, task, action, and result. It helps you to structure your responses in a way that really highlights your contribution to a particular situation as well as the impact in a concise manner and with clear examples. My third tip for you will be to match your goals with the African needs. Mastercard Foundation invest in young Africans who are committed to leading change in their community. So in your essays, you should be able to communicate that intention. For example, instead of saying I want to study X, I'll rather be saying I want to use what I learned from studying X to solve the problem up while in my community, in my country or in the African continent. My fourth tip for you would be to prepare high quality documents. You want to make sure that the document you are uploading are clean and legible. If you have to scan some documents, for example, your degree certificate, you want to be using a scanning machine or a very good for to scan this document and make sure that is really clear and readable. You want to make sure that you are using strong references. Don't just use any referee because of the title. Also, make sure that you're using somebody who really knows you well and can present you in the best manner possible.

You also want to make sure that your essays are formatted clean with less grammatical errors. My fifth tip for you would be to demonstrate a growth and resilience mindset. Your background might include challenges, but when you are telling them, don't just tell them like this is the end for you.

Highlight how you adapted, what you've learned, and how these experiences have shaped you. Don't let your background put your back to the ground. My sixth and final tip for you will be to start early and proofread. Truth is, your application is most likely not going to be perfect on your first try. So you want to really start early so you can give yourself enough time to read through as many times as possible. If you have somebody who could give your essay a second, third read, probably your professor, I really advise that you share it with them and you get feedback.

You want to make sure that you're keeping to the application deadline. You are within the word limit and you're paying attention to details. If you combine these tips, I'm sure that your odds of being very competitive would go way up. Here is a bonus tip for you. Just generally I would really do advise that you did not put all your eggs in one basket. If you qualify, apply to all the Mastercard Foundation partner universities where you can find your desired program. There are also many other scholarship apart from the Mastercard Foundation scholarship. So apply to as many as you can. If you're not selected for the scholarship, but you are admitted to the university, you could also explore other funding options. Most of these universities have other funding options. So when you're applying I really advise that we do not just limit yourself to the Mastercard Foundation scholarship. Apply to as many other scholarships that you are eligible for at the point of application or even after application so you can have many other alternatives for yourself. So here is the bottom line. Do your research carefully for both the institution that you want to apply to and the program of your choice. Read and follow the instructions exactly as they are stated on the application. Start early, stay organized and stay true to your socks. All right, that's most of what I have to share about the Mastercard Foundation scholarship program and I wish you all the best in your 2026 application or if you'll be watching this in later years in your application to the Mastercard Foundation scholarship program. If you are even thinking about it, now is the best time to apply because the earlier you start, the less stressed you're going to be and the stronger your application will become because you'll be giving yourself enough time to prepare a quality application. If this video helped you, make sure to like, subscribe for more content like this, and comment down below your questions. Let me know, are you applying to which country, to which university, which program are you applying for? I'll be reading every comment, and maybe make a follow-up Q&A video to address most of the questions I receive. Thank you so much for watching. In my next video, I'll be sharing more specifically about the Mastercard Foundation scholarship program at SciencesPO. So if that really interests you or you're planning on applying to the Mastercard Foundation scholarship program at SciencesPo, look out for my next video. Also turn on the notification button so that you can be notified whenever the video is out. So bye for now and I'll see you in my next one. Thank you.