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Top 100 International Scholarships for African Students in 2026

The 100 best fully funded international scholarships for African students in 2026 — undergraduate, master's, PhD and fellowships, ranked by deadline and editor verification. Updated live.

By Scholarships for Africans Editorial100 live opportunities
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Diverse group of African graduates in caps and gowns holding diplomas in front of an international university

International scholarships are the single biggest accelerator available to African graduates today — but the list of names keeps growing and the deadlines keep moving. This page is our editors' live ranking of the top 100 fully funded international scholarships currently open to African students, rebuilt every time we re-verify a programme.

How we rank the top 100

We rank by a simple formula: open application window, recency of editor verification, and the strength of the funding package. Awards are then grouped by study level so you can jump straight to what fits your stage — undergraduate, master's, PhD or fellowships.

New here? Skim fully funded vs partial scholarships first, then shortlist 4–6 awards below and apply in parallel.

Undergraduate — top international scholarships

7 verified fully funded awards at undergraduate level.

  • Davis-United World College Scholars Program

    Colby College · United States · Undergraduate · Fully Funded

    The Davis-United World College Scholars Program at Colby College offers scholarships to students from United World Colleges (UWC) who matriculate at Colby. This program is part of an initiative to support international students dedicated to making a positive social impact.

  • Williams College International Financial Aid

    Williams College · United States · Undergraduate · Fully Funded

    Williams College offers an all-grant financial aid program for international undergraduate students, meeting 100% of demonstrated need without loans, work-study, or summer earnings requirements.

  • Auckland University of Technology Offers 150 International Student Accommodation Scholarships in New Zealand

    Various · New Zealand · Undergraduate · Fully Funded

    Auckland University of Technology Offers 150 International Student Accommodation Scholarships in New Zealand - Study in Oceania (Australia), Post a Comment

  • Allan Gray Orbis Foundation Fellowship

    Allan Gray Orbis Foundation · South Africa · Undergraduate · Fully funded

    Full undergraduate scholarship at top South African universities for emerging entrepreneurs from Southern Africa.

  • Ashinaga Africa Initiative Scholarship

    Ashinaga Foundation · Africa-wide · Undergraduate · Fully funded

    Full undergraduate scholarships abroad for orphaned students from sub-Saharan Africa committed to returning to develop the continent.

  • Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship

    MEXT Japan · Japan · Undergraduate · Fully Funded

    The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of the Japanese Government offers scholarships to international students. There are seven types of programs including research students, undergraduate students, and Y

  • Türkiye Scholarships (Undergraduate)

    Türkiye Scholarships · Türkiye · Undergraduate · Fully Funded

    This program is designed for Bachelor’s degree applicants in various fields, from engineering and health sciences to humanities and social sciences, offered at Turkish universities.

Masters — top international scholarships

26 verified fully funded awards at masters level.

PhD — top international scholarships

20 verified fully funded awards at phd level.

Fellowship — top international scholarships

3 verified fully funded awards at fellowship level.

Bachelor's, Master's

1 verified award.

  • VLIR-UOS ICP Connect Scholarships

    VLIR-UOS Master's Scholarships (Belgium) · Belgium · Bachelor's, Master's · Fully Funded

    VLIR-UOS ICP Connect Scholarships offer fully funded opportunities for students from eligible developing countries to pursue Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Belgium.

Associate, Undergraduate, Master's, PhD, Research

1 verified award.

  • Türkiye Scholarships

    Türkiye Bursları Become Our Scholar · Turkey · Associate, Undergraduate, Master's, PhD, Research · Fully Funded

    Türkiye Scholarships offers fully funded opportunities for international students at associate, bachelor, master, PhD, and research levels in prestigious Turkish universities.

Master's, PhD

1 verified award.

  • Pan-African University Full Scholarships

    Pan-African University Full Scholarships · African Union · Master's, PhD · Fully Funded

    The Pan-African University offers full scholarships for Master's and PhD programs across its institutes, covering tuition and living expenses for African Union citizens.

Undergraduate, Postgraduate

2 verified awards.

Undergraduate, Masters, PhD, Research

1 verified award.

  • Türkiye Bursları (Turkey Scholarships)

    Türkiye Bursları (Turkey Scholarships) · Turkey · Undergraduate, Masters, PhD, Research · Fully Funded

    Türkiye Bursları (Turkey Scholarships) offers comprehensive scholarships for international students at associate, bachelor's, master's, PhD, and research levels in prestigious Turkish universities.

Undergraduate, Masters

2 verified awards.

  • Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program

    Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program · Multiple · Undergraduate, Masters · Fully Funded

    The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program offers comprehensive scholarships to young African leaders, providing financial, academic, and psychosocial support to enable their success in higher education and beyond.

  • Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at McGill University

    McGill University · Canada · Undergraduate, Masters · Fully Funded

    The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at McGill University is a fully funded scholarship for African students at the undergraduate and masters levels. Unfortunately, the official webpage is currently unavailable, preventing a detailed brief on benefits, eligibility, requirements, application process, and deadlines.

Masters, Honours

1 verified award.

  • Mandela Rhodes Scholarship

    Mandela Rhodes Scholarship · South Africa · Masters, Honours · Fully Funded

    The Mandela Rhodes Scholarship offers young African leaders a unique opportunity to pursue postgraduate studies in South Africa while participating in a transformative leadership development program.

Professional Development

1 verified award.

  • New Voices Fellowship

    Aspen Institute · Multiple · Professional Development · Fully Funded

    The Aspen Institute New Voices Fellowship catalyzes locally-rooted, globally-networked leaders to become visible, effective advocates for more equitable development systems. It equips experts from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean with communication and advocacy skills to influence development policies.

Bachelor, Master, PhD

2 verified awards.

  • Global Korea Scholarship (GKS / KGSP)

    National Institute for International Education (NIIED), Korea · South Korea · Bachelor, Master, PhD · Fully Funded

    The Global Korea Scholarship (GKS), formerly KGSP, is South Korea's flagship fully funded award for international students — covering tuition, Korean language training, monthly stipend, airfare and insurance for undergraduate, master's and PhD study.

  • Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC)

    China Scholarship Council (CSC) / Ministry of Education of China · China · Bachelor, Master, PhD · Fully Funded

    The Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC) is a fully funded award covering bachelor, master and PhD study at 280+ Chinese universities — tuition, accommodation, monthly stipend and comprehensive insurance for international students from Africa.

Bachelor, Master, PhD, Specialized Training

1 verified award.

  • MEXT (Monbukagakusho) Scholarship

    Government of Japan — Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology · Japan · Bachelor, Master, PhD, Specialized Training · Fully Funded

    Japanese government scholarship covering tuition, monthly stipend, and travel for international students at Japanese universities, available via Embassy and University recommendation tracks.

Master

2 verified awards.

  • Yenching Academy Scholarship (Peking University)

    Peking University · China · Master · Fully Funded

    Fully-funded interdisciplinary Master's in China Studies at Peking University, including tuition, accommodation, stipend, and travel.

  • Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters (EMJM)

    European Commission (Erasmus+) · European Union · Master · Fully Funded

    Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters (EMJM) are fully funded two-year master's degrees delivered across at least three European universities — open to African students with strong scholarship coverage of tuition, travel, settling-in and monthly stipend.

Master, PhD

3 verified awards.

  • Commonwealth Scholarships (UK)

    Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK (FCDO) · United Kingdom · Master, PhD · Fully Funded

    Commonwealth Scholarships fund African students from low- and middle-income Commonwealth countries to study a master's or PhD at a UK university — tuition, return airfare, monthly stipend and family allowances are all covered.

  • Fulbright Foreign Student Program

    U.S. Department of State / Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs · United States · Master, PhD · Fully Funded

    The Fulbright Foreign Student Program funds African students to pursue a master's or PhD at a US university, with full tuition, living stipend, travel, health cover and pre-academic English training where needed.

  • Clarendon Scholarship (Oxford)

    University of Oxford · United Kingdom · Master, PhD · Fully Funded

    The Clarendon Scholarship at the University of Oxford is a fully funded award covering full tuition and a generous living stipend for outstanding international master's and DPhil applicants — including African students — across all subjects.

Masters / PhD / Postdoc

1 verified award.

  • DAAD Scholarships (Germany)

    Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) · Germany · Masters / PhD / Postdoc · Fully Funded

    Germany's national agency for academic exchange offers a wide range of fully-funded scholarships for international students and researchers, including dedicated programs for African scholars.

Postdoc

3 verified awards.

  • African Humanities Program

    American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) · Multiple · Postdoc · Fully Funded

    The African Humanities Program (AHP) funded early-career scholars in the humanities in Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda. It supported research, knowledge production, and scholarly networks. The program is no longer active, but its successor, the African Humanities Association, continues its legacy.

  • Humboldt Research Fellowship for Postdocs

    Alexander von Humboldt Foundation · Germany · Postdoc · Fully Funded

    Prestigious fully funded research fellowship at any university or research institute in Germany for postdoctoral researchers of all nationalities, including Africans.

  • Robert S. McNamara Fellowships Program (RSMFP)

    Joint Japan World Bank · Postdoc · Fully Funded

    The RSMFP supports young researchers in development-related fields. Fellows are hosted at the World Bank in Washington D.C., working on DEC research projects and receiving formal training.

Short course / Professional

1 verified award.

  • MENA Scholarship Programme (MSP)

    Nuffic / Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Shiraka) · Netherlands · Short course / Professional · Fully Funded

    Fully funded short courses in the Netherlands for mid-career professionals from MENA countries including Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.

Bachelors / Masters

1 verified award.

  • VLIR-UOS Scholarships

    VLIR-UOS · Belgium · Bachelors / Masters · Fully Funded

    VLIR-UOS offers fully funded scholarships for individuals from eligible developing countries to pursue a Bachelor or Master's degree in Flanders, Belgium, focusing on development-relevant topics.

Multiple

3 verified awards.

  • MEXT Japan Scholarship

    MEXT · Japan · Multiple · Fully Funded

    The MEXT Japan Scholarship is a fully funded scholarship program for international students to study in Japan, covering various levels of education.

  • Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme

    Government of Hungary · Hungary · Multiple · Fully Funded

    The Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship offers international students the opportunity to pursue higher education in Hungary with fully covered tuition fees and accommodation support, fostering international academic and cultural exchange.

  • Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Scholarship

    Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung · Germany · Multiple · Fully Funded

    The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung offers scholarships to international students for various study levels, providing comprehensive financial and non-material support for their academic journey in Germany.

Undergraduate, Graduate, Postgraduate

1 verified award.

  • Russian Government Scholarships

    Government of the Russian Federation · Russia · Undergraduate, Graduate, Postgraduate · Fully Funded

    The Russian Government offers scholarships for international students to study in Russia at various levels, covering a wide range of academic fields.

Faculty

1 verified award.

  • African Women Leadership Fund

    UN Women · Multiple · Faculty · Fully Funded

    The African Women Leadership Fund (AWLF) is an initiative by UN Women to promote gender equality and women's empowerment across Africa. It aims to support women in leadership roles and contribute to sustainable development.

Pre-University

1 verified award.

  • African Leadership Academy Mastercard Foundation Scholarship

    African Leadership Academy (ALA) · South Africa · Pre-University · Fully Funded

    The African Leadership Academy (ALA) offers a fully funded scholarship program for pre-university students, focusing on developing future leaders for Africa. This program is in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation.

Masters / PhD

2 verified awards.

  • Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) Scholarships

    Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) · Germany · Masters / PhD · Fully Funded

    Fully funded master’s and PhD scholarships from Germany’s social-democratic Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, open to international students with strong commitment to social justice.

    1992d left
    30 Oct 2031
  • Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Scholarships

    Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) · Germany · Masters / PhD · Fully Funded

    Fully funded scholarships from Germany’s liberal Friedrich Naumann Foundation for international master’s and PhD students committed to liberal values and democracy.

    1992d left
    30 Oct 2031

Bachelors

1 verified award.

Master's

3 verified awards.

Postdoc, Senior Researcher

1 verified award.

Professional

1 verified award.

Postgraduate

1 verified award.

  • Tullow Group Scholarship Scheme

    Tullow Oil Foundation · Ghana, Kenya, Côte d'Ivoire, Mauritania · Postgraduate · Fully funded

    Postgraduate scholarships for nationals of Tullow's African host countries to study at leading universities worldwide.

MBA

1 verified award.

Other

3 verified awards.

  • English Language Training for Officials Scholarships

    Manaaki New Zealand · New Zealand · Other · Fully Funded

    These scholarships provide English language training for government officials from eligible developing countries to enhance their communication skills for international engagement and professional development.

  • Vocational Short Term Training Scholarships

    Manaaki New Zealand · New Zealand · Other · Fully Funded

    These scholarships offer vocational training programs to develop practical skills and knowledge, contributing to economic and social development in partner countries. The programs are typically short in duration.

  • Thematic Short Term Training Scholarships

    Manaaki New Zealand · New Zealand · Other · Fully Funded

    These scholarships provide short-term training in specific thematic areas, designed to address development needs in partner countries. The training aims to build capacity and expertise in key sectors.

Undergraduate, Masters, PhD

1 verified award.

  • Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships

    Manaaki New Zealand · New Zealand · Undergraduate, Masters, PhD · Fully Funded

    Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships help build prosperity, security, and sustainable growth in partner countries and fosters a lifetime connection to Aotearoa New Zealand and the leaders of tomorrow. Recipients gain a globally recognised educa

Frequently asked questions

Short answers to the questions African applicants ask most about international scholarships.

What is the best international scholarship for African students in 2026?

There isn't a single best scholarship — the right one depends on your study level and destination. For master's, Chevening (UK), DAAD EPOS (Germany), Fulbright (US) and Australia Awards are the most competitive fully funded options. For undergraduates, Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program and MEXT Japan lead. For PhDs, Commonwealth, Vanier (Canada) and most European doctoral schools fund African applicants.

Are these scholarships fully funded?

Yes. Every scholarship in this top 100 is fully funded — covering tuition, a monthly living stipend, and in most cases international flights, health insurance and a settling-in allowance. Partial and tuition-only awards are excluded from this ranking.

How are the top 100 scholarships ranked?

We rank by three signals: how soon the application closes (open and upcoming deadlines score higher), how recently our editors re-verified the programme at its official source, and the strength of the funding package. The list rebuilds itself every time we re-verify a scholarship.

Which African countries are eligible?

Most of these scholarships are open to applicants from all 54 African countries, though a handful are restricted to specific nationalities (for example, Commonwealth awards require a Commonwealth country passport, and some bilateral awards specify country lists). Always check the official eligibility page linked from each scholarship.

When should I start applying?

Start 9–12 months before your intended start date. Most fully funded master's programmes close between August and November for the following academic year, and require IELTS or TOEFL scores, transcripts and 2–3 reference letters that take time to organise.

Do I need IELTS or TOEFL?

Almost always, yes — unless you completed a previous degree taught entirely in English. Target IELTS 6.5–7.0 overall (with no band below 6.0) or TOEFL iBT 90–100 for most programmes; top-tier awards expect 7.5 / 105+.

How many scholarships should I apply to?

Apply to 4–6 in parallel. Fewer and you're relying on luck; many more and the quality of each application drops. Mix one or two reach awards (Chevening, Fulbright) with mid-tier programmes that match your profile.

Is this list updated?

Yes — this page is generated live from our verified scholarships catalogue. Whenever an editor re-verifies, adds or removes a programme, the ranking is recomputed. You are seeing today's top 100.

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