Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan African students abroad have the highest degree of financial needs, mostly with tuition fees and living expenses. However, there are different financial aids and grants provided both locally and internationally to help the students off-set their financial needs.

Top Scholarships around the World for Sub-Saharan African Students

DRD Scholarships for Sub-Saharan Africans

The Development Research Division, South Africa invites all eligible candidates from Sub-Saharan Africa for a limited number of DAAD merit scholarships. The candidate must be pursuing a development-related Masters and PhD studies.

Benefits of the Scholarships

The value of the scholarship includes tuition fee, a monthly allowance of €650 plus travel allowance for Master’s students and €900 plus travel allowance for PhD students, as well as registration fees.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must have an outstanding academic record of at least 70%.
• The study has been completed at an internationally recognised university.
• South African candidates must have an honours to qualify, while other countries need an equivalent of a four-year undergraduate course.

The scholarships are intended for nationals of Sub-Saharan Africa and must be taken in the University of Western Cape, South African/Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany.

Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarship

The Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships are available for a period of five years and are meant to begin at the commencement of the programme.

Benefits of the Scholarship

The scholarship covers tuition fees, any UK residential programme, grant to contribute to study-related costs, partnership development costs, among others.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants are selected based on the following:

1. The quality of the course.
2. Learning opportunities provided for students in developing countries.
3. Development impact of the study.
4. Applicants must meet the university’s selection process and must hold an offer to start the programme before the scholarship award.
5. Applicants must be from a Commonwealth country
6. Each applicant must provide at least one reference.

Candidates must not undertake study towards any other qualifications during the course of the study.

Sub-Saharan African Excellence Scholarship

The scholarships are offered to talented young African scientists who wish to study abroad at the Delft University of Technology. Students in the fields of Mathematics, Engineering, Transport and Communications are also eligible for the offer.

Benefit of the Scholarship

The award is valued at €25,000 per year which covers for full tuition, and contribution for the living expenses.

Eligibility Criteria

• The applicant must be an excellent international student from the Sub-Saharan Africa who wishes to pursue a Master’s degree in the Delft University of Technology.
• The applicant must have been offered admission to the university with a cumulative average, not below 80%.

During their studies and after graduation, successful applicants are expected to act as the university’s ambassadors.

The MasterCard Foundation Scholars Programme

The scholarship is available to both English and French Speaking Sub-Saharan African students at Science Po. Over six years (2017 – 2022), 126 scholarships will be offered to students of both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes by the foundation.

Benefit of the Scholarship

The award covers the full tuition fees and living expenses in France during the cost of the programme which includes a period of three years for undergraduates, two years for Master’s degree and one month for Summer School.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must be nationals of Sub-Saharan Africa
• Applicants must demonstrate strong financial needs.
• Each applicant must be willing to return to his home countries after the programmes.

Through the scholarship programme, world-class social science students emerge to become change makers in their home countries.

Top Scholarships in Sub-Saharan African Countries

Ernst and Ethel Ericksen Trust Scholarship Grants for Masters and Doctorate Degrees in South Africa

The scholarship is made available for South African citizens to study for their postgraduate prgrammes at a South African university.

The value of the scholarship is a maximum of R20,000.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must have completed their undergraduate studies and applying for either a Master’s or Doctorate study.
• The scholarship is available to only South African students.

The foundation has aided students from all walks of life, including African nationals.

Empowering Africa Inc. at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana

The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology wishes to offer its Empowering Africa Incorporated grant. The scholarship is only available to Ghanaians in Science and Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

Benefit of the Scholarship

The scholarship is fully-funded and covers various award amounts.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must be citizens of Ghana who are applying to study in KNUST or are already in their first, second or third year.
• Applicants must show a strong financial need and must be academically strong.

Candidates are to access the scholarship portal through an online application system.

Scholarship at Cavendish University, Uganda

The scholarship is made open to Ugandan citizens with an opportunity to get a quality education at the university.

Benefit of the Scholarship

The award covers only 100% tuition and functional fees for the duration of the course.

Eligibility Criteria

• Only applicants from Uganda are encouraged to apply.

The scholarship is open for any undergraduate course offered at the university. While applying, it is requisite to attach two reference letters.

Top Universities in Sub-Saharan Africa

• University of Cape Town
• University of Pretoria
• Stellenbosch University
• University of Witwatersrand
• University of Johannesburg
• University of Kwazulu Natal
• University of Western Cape
• University of Ghana
• University of Ibadan
• Addis Ababa University
• University of Kenyatta
• University of Nigeria, Nsukka
• Rhodes University
• University of Mauritius
• Moi University