Scholarships for AfricansScholarships for Africans
Secondary school & boarding

Secondary School Scholarships for African Students

Fully funded secondary-school and boarding-school programs that take African students aged roughly 13–19 to leading schools in Africa, the US, the UK, Europe and beyond. Most cover tuition, boarding and travel.

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How to apply, step by step

Almost every programme below runs on the same five steps. Work through them in order — most applications fail on paperwork and timing, not on grades.

  1. 1. Check the route before the deadline.

    Some programmes take direct applications, others only accept school nominations or go through a national committee. Applying the wrong way wastes a whole cycle.

  2. 2. Collect documents early.

    School reports for the last two years, a birth certificate, a valid passport, and proof of household income. Passports and income affidavits are the slowest items — start them first.

  3. 3. Ask referees six weeks ahead.

    Choose one teacher who can speak to your results and one adult who has seen you lead. Give each of them your essay themes so the letters back up the same story.

  4. 4. Write one concrete story, not a list.

    Pick a single thing you started or changed, say what it looked like before, what you did, and what changed. Numbers beat adjectives every time.

  5. 5. Prepare for a test and an interview.

    Expect an English and maths or reasoning assessment, then an interview or group selection day. Practise speaking your story out loud in under two minutes.

  6. 6. Confirm what the money covers.

    Ask in writing whether flights, visas, insurance, uniform and pocket money are included, and what results you must keep to renew the award each year.

Use the document checklistSee which programmes match me

Featured programs

Ten of the most established scholarship pathways for African secondary-school students, each with how applications actually reach the funder and what to do next.

  • UWC International

    United World Colleges (UWC)

    Apply through your country's UWC national committee for a two-year IB Diploma at a UWC school in the US, UK, India, Costa Rica, East Africa and more.

    Open to: All African countries
    Where: 18 UWC schools worldwide
    Funding: Full or partial (80%+ of selected students)
    Ages: 16–19 (IBDP)

    How you apply: You do not apply to UWC directly — you apply to the UWC national committee for your country of residence, which runs its own timeline, forms and interviews.

    Application tips

    • Find your national committee first; each one sets its own opening date, essay questions and selection rounds, so a generic UWC application will not reach a selector.
    • Committees select on values, not just grades — prepare two or three concrete examples of service or initiative you led in your own community, with what changed as a result.
    • Expect a group selection day. Practise speaking in a group of strangers about a disagreement you handled well; that is what selectors watch for.
    • State financial need honestly on the form. Awards are needs-assessed, and understating need can cost you the placement you are offered.

    Next step: Open the UWC page, find your country's national committee, and note its application opening date in your calendar today.

    Apply on official site
  • African Leadership Academy

    African Leadership Academy (ALA)

    A two-year pre-university programme combining Cambridge A-Levels with Entrepreneurial Leadership and African Studies.

    Open to: All 54 African countries
    Where: Johannesburg, South Africa
    Funding: Need-based aid up to full scholarship
    Ages: 15–19

    How you apply: Direct online application to ALA, followed by shortlisting, assessments and interviews.

    Application tips

    • ALA weighs entrepreneurial leadership heavily. Write about something you started or fixed — a small business, a club, a study group — with numbers, not adjectives.
    • Answer the essay prompts about Africa specifically: name the problem, the country, and what you would do about it.
    • Line up two referees who have seen you lead, not just teach you. Ask them early and give them your essay themes so their letters reinforce the same story.
    • Complete the financial aid section in the same cycle as your application; aid is assessed alongside admission.

    Next step: Start the ALA online application and draft your leadership example before you fill in the essays.

    Apply on official site
  • Beacon Changemakers

    Beacon Scholarships

    Up to 8 awards annually for nominated secondary-school students with leadership potential and academic excellence.

    Open to: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, South Africa
    Where: Leading boarding schools
    Funding: Full (tuition, boarding, travel)
    Ages: 13–18

    How you apply: Nomination-based. Students are put forward by partner schools and organisations rather than applying cold.

    Application tips

    • Because it runs on nomination, your first move is to ask your head teacher or a partner organisation to put your name forward.
    • Bring your nominator evidence they can quote: last two terms of results, positions of responsibility, and any community project.
    • The award is small and highly competitive — treat it as one of several applications, not your only plan.

    Next step: Read the eligibility page, then ask your school leadership in writing whether they can nominate you.

    Apply on official site
  • SEED Project

    SEED Project

    Sends talented South African students from under-resourced communities to top US boarding schools to complete secondary school.

    Open to: South Africa
    Where: US boarding schools
    Funding: Full (tuition, boarding, travel)
    Ages: Grades 9–11

    How you apply: Application to SEED in South Africa, then placement with a US partner boarding school that funds the place.

    Application tips

    • Placement runs through US school admissions, so be ready for standardised testing and an English interview after the SEED stage.
    • Gather your school reports for the last two years now — incomplete academic records are the most common reason applications stall.
    • Talk to your family early about a multi-year placement abroad; SEED asks about household support.

    Next step: Check the current application window on the SEED site and collect your last two years of school reports.

    Apply on official site
  • Aga Khan Academy

    Aga Khan Academy Mombasa Scholarships

    Six merit-based scholarships annually for Kenya's top secondary candidates, with full aid available based on need.

    Open to: Kenya
    Where: Mombasa, Kenya
    Funding: Up to 50% tuition + means-blind aid
    Ages: Secondary IB

    How you apply: Apply for admission to the Academy; the entrance assessment doubles as the scholarship screen.

    Application tips

    • Admission and funding are one process — you must clear the entrance assessment in English, maths and reasoning to be considered.
    • Practise timed reasoning and maths papers; the assessment is the single biggest filter.
    • Aid is means-assessed, so prepare household income documentation before you submit.

    Next step: Register for the next entrance assessment date listed on the Academy's scholarship page.

    Apply on official site
  • Rockport School, Northern Ireland

    Rockport African Friendship Scholarship (RAFS)

    Round Square member school funding exceptional young Africans for a formative academic year in Northern Ireland.

    Open to: South Africa, Zimbabwe
    Where: United Kingdom
    Funding: Full scholarship
    Ages: Secondary

    How you apply: Application direct to Rockport School, usually with a reference from your current school.

    Application tips

    • This is a single-school award, so write to the school specifically: mention Round Square values and the activities you would join there.
    • A UK academic year needs a child student visa — confirm passport validity before you apply, not after an offer.
    • Ask your school for a reference that speaks to how you would represent it abroad.

    Next step: Email the RAFS contact on the Rockport page to confirm this year's application window and required documents.

    Apply on official site
  • Angola Brilliant Minds

    Angola Brilliant Minds National Scholarship

    National pathway taking Angolan talent through UK boarding school and on to university — with a commitment to return.

    Open to: Angola
    Where: United Kingdom
    Funding: Full (secondary + university)
    Ages: 14–16

    How you apply: National selection process inside Angola, with testing and interviews before UK placement.

    Application tips

    • Selection is national and age-bound: apply in the year you fall inside the 14–16 window, because there is no late entry.
    • English is the working language of the placement — start structured English preparation before selection, not after.
    • The programme expects graduates to return and contribute; be ready to say what you would come back to do.

    Next step: Check the current call on the programme site and register your interest with your school's support.

    Apply on official site
  • American International School of Cape Town

    AISCT Secondary School Scholarship

    Merit-based aid for academically talented South African students to attend AISCT.

    Open to: South Africa
    Where: Cape Town, South Africa
    Funding: Merit-based up to full tuition
    Ages: Secondary school

    How you apply: Apply through AISCT admissions and tick the scholarship consideration section.

    Application tips

    • Funding covers tuition — budget separately for transport, uniform and trips, and ask admissions what is excluded.
    • Strong maths and English results carry the most weight; submit your most recent full report card.
    • Ask whether places are day or boarding before you plan the commute from home.

    Next step: Contact AISCT admissions for this year's scholarship deadline and the exact documents required.

    Apply on official site
  • AIS Lusaka

    American International School of Lusaka Scholarships

    Competitive awards for Zambian secondary students with strong academics and demonstrated need.

    Open to: Zambia
    Where: Lusaka, Zambia
    Funding: Partial to full tuition
    Ages: Secondary school

    How you apply: Admissions application plus a separate financial-need submission.

    Application tips

    • Two things are assessed separately: academic merit and demonstrated need — a weak need submission sinks a strong academic file.
    • Prepare guardian income statements or an affidavit before the deadline; these take time to obtain.
    • Ask whether the award renews each year and on what results, so you know what you must maintain.

    Next step: Download the AIS Lusaka scholarship form and start assembling your financial documentation.

    Apply on official site
  • English-Speaking Union

    ESU Secondary School Exchange

    Gap-year placement at leading US independent boarding schools, with tuition and boarding hosted by the school.

    Open to: ESU branches (incl. African chapters)
    Where: United States
    Funding: Tuition + boarding waived by host school
    Ages: 17–18 (gap year)

    How you apply: Apply through your national ESU branch, which nominates candidates to US host schools.

    Application tips

    • This is a post-school gap year, not a route into a full US diploma — plan it around your university applications.
    • Tuition and boarding are hosted, but flights, insurance and spending money are usually yours; get the cost breakdown in writing.
    • Confirm an ESU branch exists in your country first; without one, you cannot be nominated.

    Next step: Find your country's ESU branch on the programme page and ask when nominations open.

    Apply on official site

How to choose a program

  • Age fit. Most programs admit students aged 13–16; UWC and ESU also offer 17–19 / gap-year entry points.
  • Country eligibility. Some are pan-African (UWC, ALA), others are country-specific (Angola Brilliant Minds, SEED, USAP-style pathways).
  • Curriculum. UWC and Aga Khan are International Baccalaureate; ALA is Cambridge A-Levels; RAFS and ESU place students in UK/US national curricula.
  • Total cost covered. Confirm whether travel, boarding, visas and pocket money are included — not just tuition.

Deadlines and funding terms change every cycle. Always confirm the current dates on the funder's own page before you submit.

More for younger students

After secondary school, browse our undergraduate guides to plan the next step.

Best undergraduate scholarships 2026Study in the USAStudy in the UKApplication checklists