Scholarships for Rwandan students
Find fully funded scholarships, fellowships and paid internships open to Rwandan students — including MasterCard Foundation Scholars at ALU and CMU-Africa, DAAD, Chevening and more.
Rwanda has become one of the fastest-growing scholarship markets in East Africa, anchored by world-class continental programmes at the African Leadership University and Carnegie Mellon University Africa in Kigali. The listings below are the live opportunities currently open to Rwandan nationals in our database.
Where Rwandans win most. The U.S. (MasterCard at CMU-Africa, Fulbright, Yale Young African Scholars pipeline) and the UK (Chevening, Commonwealth, Rhodes) lead, followed by Germany (DAAD, KAAD), Belgium (VLIR-UOS, ARES) and France (Eiffel Excellence). MasterCard Foundation Scholars at ALU is the single largest funded undergraduate route into Rwanda itself.
Application calendar. ALU and CMU-Africa rounds open in September–February, Chevening closes in early November, DAAD between August–October, and Eiffel by early January. Most awards expect proof of English proficiency — start IELTS at least three months ahead.
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Scholarships for Rwandans by destination
Pick the country you want to study in. Each page shows every fully funded scholarship in that destination currently open to Rwandan applicants.
Fulbright, MasterCard, Knight-Hennessy and need-blind Ivy aid.
Chevening, Commonwealth, Rhodes and Said Foundation awards.
DAAD EPOS, Heinrich Böll, KAAD and Erasmus Mundus joint Masters.
Vanier, Trudeau, McCall MacBain and MasterCard at McGill & UBC.
Australia Awards Africa and Group of Eight RTP PhD funding.
Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC) and Confucius Institute awards.
OKP/NFP, Holland Scholarship and Erasmus Mundus consortia.
Frequently asked questions
Who can apply for scholarships for Rwandan students?
Rwandan citizens at all levels — Bachelors, Masters and PhD — can apply, subject to each programme's academic and language requirements.
Which scholarships are most active for Rwandans?
MasterCard Foundation Scholars at the African Leadership University and Carnegie Mellon Africa, BK Foundation, DAAD, Chevening and Australia Awards are the most established.
Do Rwandans need IELTS?
Since Rwanda's medium of instruction switched to English, many UK and US universities accept Medium-of-Instruction letters. IELTS or TOEFL is still required for most competitive scholarships.
Where do most Rwandans study on scholarship?
The United States, United Kingdom, Germany, China and within Rwanda at CMU-Africa and ALU.
Are there undergraduate scholarships for Rwandans?
Yes — MasterCard Foundation Scholars at ALU is the single largest funded undergraduate route, complemented by need-based aid at Harvard, MIT, Yale, Princeton and Amherst, and BK Foundation awards inside Rwanda.
How often is this list refreshed?
Daily. Our editors remove closed scholarships and add newly opened ones as soon as the sponsor confirms them, so every Rwandan-eligible opportunity here is currently open.
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