SOME USEFUL TERMS FOR THE SCIENCES PO ADMISSIONS PROCEDURE:
Scholarship eligibility: you are eligible for the scholarship when your scholarship application is complete and meets the specified criteria.
Application processing fee waiver: if you have been declared eligible for the scholarship, your application processing fee will be waived.
Sciences Po admissions: your application is submitted online and assessed by the Sciences Po Admissions Department, who will inform you whether or not you have been admitted to the university. If you are admitted, your application will then be referred to the scholarship’s own allocation committee.
Scholarship allocated: this means your application has been assessed and accepted by the scholarship allocation committee. Your tuition fees will be waived and you will receive a full scholarship and financial aid from the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program.
ADMISSIONS TIMELINE FOR 2024-2025 ACADEMIC YEAR
- Applications open: mid-October 2023
- Deadline for requesting eligibility for the Mastercard Foundation Scholarship: 23:59 (Paris time) on 26 November 2023
- Deadline for applying to Sciences Po: 3 December 2023
- Admissions outcome released: between the 10 and 22 February 2024
- Scholarship allocation outcome released: from 8 March 2024
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
To be eligible for the Mastercard Foundation scholarship, applicants must meet all of the following criteria:
- Be a citizen of a country in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Show a willingness to commit to bringing about change in Africa and making a genuine impact on the region in the areas of public policy and major political, environmental and societal transitions.
- Have a demonstrable need for higher education funding (please note that proof of your financial circumstances will be required as part of your application).
- Provide a recommendation from your university.
- Have obtained a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree (or international equivalent) by the following academic year.
- Be applying for a two-year Master’s programme at one of Sciences Po’s seven Graduate Schools. Applicants to one-year Master’s programmes, dual degree programmes or joint Master’s programmes are not eligible for the scholarship.
- Have attained a minimum of C1 level in French or English, depending on the programme you are applying for (see the language requirements for each programme). Please note that programmes are either taught entirely in French, entirely in English, or in both languages.
- Not have obtained or be working towards a prior Master’s degree.
- Be under 35 at the start of the graduate academic year.
