University of Toronto Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program for Africans 2026

The University of Toronto are pleased to announce the start of the 2026-2027 Mastercard Foundation graduate scholarship recruitment at the University of Toronto. This scholarship opportunity is open to recent alumni and graduating students at our Africa Health Collaborative partner universities. These graduate scholarships will be awarded to those individuals who have demonstrated academic excellence in the associated health related disciplines, and a personal commitment to going back and giving back to their home countries at the completion of their degree.

The Africa Health Collaborative partners include:

• Addis Ababa University(opens in a new tab)
• African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (opens in a new tab)
• African Leadership University (opens in a new tab)
• Amref International University/Amref Health Africa (opens in a new tab)
• Ashesi University (opens in a new tab)
• Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (opens in a new tab)
• Moi University (opens in a new tab)
• University of Cape Town

• Table of Content
• About MasterCard Foundation
• University of Toronto Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program
• Aim and Benefits of University of Toronto Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program
• University of Toronto Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Courses
• Requirements for University of Toronto Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Qualification
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About MasterCard Foundation

The Mastercard Foundation is an international non-governmental organization established by Mastercard in 2006. The organization, which is based in Toronto, Ontario, has supported work in 49 countries.In 2018, Mastercard Foundation shifted to a specific focus on Africa, through its Young Africa Works strategy. The foundation develops programs primarily focused on reducing gender and economic inequality, expanding access to quality education, increasing the opportunities for decent work, and supporting overall economic growth.Funding is primaril... continue reading

University of Toronto Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program

Aim and Benefits of University of Toronto Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program

• Travel expenses to Canada (including obtaining a passport and visa application fees)
• Tuition,
• Housing, food and grocery stipend,
• Health insurance
• Learning materials, and other expenses. 
• A comprehensive support network to ensure academic success.
• Furthermore, each scholar will take part in a two-week summer orientation program which will ensure that they are fully engaged from the very beginning of their graduate studies, and which will ease their transition to life as a graduate student in the city of Toronto to their preparedness for return to Africa

University of Toronto Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Courses

• Biomedical Engineering
• Financial Insurance
• Health Administration
• Health Informatics
• Health Promotion
• Occupational and Environmental Health

Requirements for University of Toronto Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Qualification

Applicants MUST meet the following six eligibility criteria:

• Be a citizen and currently residing in a Sub-Saharan African country
• Be graduating or have graduated from a partner institution of the Africa Health Collaborative (listed below) and have not yet started studies at the graduate level
• Be under 35 years of age
• Have demonstrated academic excellence and leadership qualities during his/her undergraduate years
• Be academically admissible to one of the sponsored graduate programs listed above
• Demonstrate a desire and commitment to return home following graduation to contribute to the ongoing economic growth and social development in Africa

Check also:
Tony Elumelu Foundation African Entrepreneurship Programme 2026

Application Deadline

How to Apply

SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Step One

Prospective applicants must first consult the admission requirements for their chosen program of study.

The links below will guide you in exploring these different programs. If you meet the academic requirements of your program of interest, please follow through to step two.

For the 2026-2027 academic year, we will accept scholarship applications for ONE of the following programs:

• Master of Engineering (Biomedical) (opens in a new tab)
• Master of Financial Insurance(opens in a new tab)
• MHSc Master of Health Administration (opens in a new tab)
• MHSc Master of Health Informatics (opens in a new tab)
• MPH: Health Promotion(opens in a new tab)
• MPH: Occupational and Environmental Health

Step Two

Sign up to attend a scholarship information session and complete the Mastercard Foundation Scholarship application. Deadline for submission of the completed application and receipt of all required attachments is Monday, November 3, 2025 at 12 noon (Toronto time).

If your application for the Mastercard Foundation scholarship meets all criteria and is approved by the Scholarship Admission Committee, you will receive an email to move forward to step three. These notifications to successful applicants will be made in early December.

Step Three

Begin your graduate application to the department/program of your interest from the University of Toronto, School of Graduate Studies website. The School of Graduate Studies (SGS) is the central location for graduate applications at the university.

Each department and program area will inform you as to the specific requirements of their department and provide you with subsequent dates for the submission of supplementary information. This is an online process that will require you to upload documents to your application. Please follow specifically the instructions of your prospective department once you receive them.

University of Toronto  will offer two virtual information sessions for interested applicants The dates of these sessions are: 

Tuesday October 14th, 2025 at 9:00am EST (please click here to register) 

 Tuesday October 14th, 2025 at 12:00pm EST (please click here to register) 

For more details, visit University of Toronto Scholarship webpage