Master's Scholarships for African Students 2027: Funded Options

Money for a master's degree comes from very different places, and the difference shows up in your budget, not in the name of the award. This guide draws on 25 master's-level listings on AfriWay that accept African applicants. Only seven pay both tuition and a living stipend. The others cover part of the cost, pay a research grant or leave rent and insurance to you, so read the funding line before the title. Most deadlines below fall between 6 October and 1 December 2026.

How master's funding for African students works

The awards in this set come in four shapes. Each one asks something different of you.

Schemes with a country list. Chevening Scholarships 2027/28: One-Year UK Master's (closed) and Commonwealth Master's Scholarships 2027/28 for Study in the UK each publish the countries they accept, so where you come from decides whether you can apply at all. Czech Government Scholarships 2027/2028 for developing countries (closed) is narrower still, because its African list for this round is Ethiopia, Gabon, Mauritania and Zambia. France-South Africa Scholarship Programme 2027 for Graduates (closed) lists South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi.

Funding tied to one course. The three DAAD EPOS listings in Germany each belong to a single master's programme at one university, and their language rules differ. Joint MSc in Environmental Risks and Human Security in Bonn, Germany is linked to the same EPOS scheme. Erasmus Mundus Master's in Public Policy (Mundus MAPP) 2027-2029 comes from the Mundus MAPP Consortium, and applicants who want its scholarship must meet the financial-aid deadline.

University-wide awards. Knight-Hennessy Scholars 2027: Fully Funded Graduate Study at Stanford (closed) covers whichever graduate degree you enrol in. University of Lausanne Master's Scholarship 2027/2028 in Switzerland is open to master's students in any field. Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at UCT 2027 for Postgraduates covers eligible honours and master's programmes at the University of Cape Town for applicants from every African country.

Small and partial money. Research grants and short fellowships help during a master's but do not pay for one. IFRA-Nigeria Research Grants 2027 for Humanities and Social Sciences tops out at EUR 1,000 per project.

Fully funded master's routes open now

AfriWay marks an award as fully funded when it pays tuition and a stipend. That is a good filter. It is not a budget, as the notes below show.

United Kingdom

Chevening Scholarships 2027/28: One-Year UK Master's (closed) covers tuition and a stipend and describes itself as fully funded. You need at least two years of work experience, and the form closes at 11:00 UTC on 6 October 2026.

Commonwealth Master's Scholarships 2027/28 for Study in the UK covers full tuition fees under an agreement between the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission and your university, plus an approved airfare to the United Kingdom and home again at the end of the award. The stipend is GBP 1,712 a month, or GBP 2,000 a month at universities in the London metropolitan area. Fares for dependants are not reimbursed. The African countries on its list are Botswana, Eswatini, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda and Zambia. Applications close at 16:00 BST on 20 October 2026.

United States

Knight-Hennessy Scholars 2027: Fully Funded Graduate Study at Stanford (closed) pays for up to three years of study, in any graduate degree. In each of those years it covers tuition and associated fees, a stipend for living and academic costs such as room and board and books, and a travel stipend for one economy-class return trip a year. Applicants of every nationality can apply until 1:00pm Pacific Time on 6 October 2026.

South Africa

Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at UCT 2027 for Postgraduates is the only fully funded route in this set that is reserved for African applicants. It pays tuition, a laptop, accommodation on UCT's campuses, living expenses, medical aid, a study visa where needed and annual travel to and from UCT. The deadline for honours and master's applicants is 31 October 2026.

Germany

Joint MSc in Environmental Risks and Human Security in Bonn, Germany lasts two years and is offered by the United Nations University. The programme says a number of fully funded scholarships can go to students from developing countries through the EPOS scheme. It asks for two years of work experience.

The three EPOS course listings are ISATEC (MSc Marine Biology), University of Bremen: DAAD EPOS 2027 (closed), Sustainable Renewable Energy Technologies MSc, Oldenburg: EPOS 2027 (closed) and International Health MSc, Charité Berlin: DAAD EPOS Scholarship 2027 (closed). All three close on 15 October 2026. All three require two years of professional experience. Our records do not state the amount, so confirm on each course page what the award pays.

Other fully funded routes

Erasmus Mundus Master's in Public Policy (Mundus MAPP) 2027-2029 waives tuition in full and pays EUR 1,400 a month, up to EUR 33,600 over 24 months. That monthly sum has to cover travel, visa, installation and living costs, so it stretches only as far as your budgeting does. Applicants who want the scholarship must apply by 1 December 2026, which for self-funded students is only an early deadline.

Open Doors Russian Scholarship 2027/28 for International Students covers tuition and pays a monthly stipend at universities in Russia, so it meets the fully funded label. It still leaves most living costs to you, as the section on partial awards explains.

Deadlines in date order

Two of the biggest awards share 6 October 2026 but not the same hour. Chevening closes at 11:00 UTC, while Knight-Hennessy closes at 1:00pm Pacific Time, which is 20:00 UTC and nine hours later. Convert every closing time to your own time zone.

• 6 October 2026, 11:00 UTC: Chevening Scholarships 2027/28: One-Year UK Master's (closed)
• 6 October 2026, 1:00pm Pacific Time: Knight-Hennessy Scholars 2027: Fully Funded Graduate Study at Stanford (closed)
• 8 October 2026, 23:59 South Africa time: France-South Africa Scholarship Programme 2027 for Graduates (closed), for applicants from South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi
• 15 October 2026: ISATEC (MSc Marine Biology), University of Bremen: DAAD EPOS 2027 (closed), Sustainable Renewable Energy Technologies MSc, Oldenburg: EPOS 2027 (closed) and International Health MSc, Charité Berlin: DAAD EPOS Scholarship 2027 (closed)
• 20 October 2026, 16:00 BST: Commonwealth Master's Scholarships 2027/28 for Study in the UK
• 30 October 2026, 23:59 WAT: IFRA-Nigeria Research Grants 2027 for Humanities and Social Sciences, a research grant rather than degree funding
• 31 October 2026: Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at UCT 2027 for Postgraduates and Joint MSc in Environmental Risks and Human Security in Bonn, Germany
• 1 November 2026: University of Lausanne Master's Scholarship 2027/2028 in Switzerland, and registration for Open Doors Russian Scholarship 2027/28 for International Students
• 16 November 2026: I Tatti Digital Humanities Fellowship: six months in Florence with USD 5,200 a month, a fellowship rather than a degree
• 22 November 2026: A.S. Hornby Scholarship 2027/28 for English teachers, MEd TESOL at Exeter
• 1 December 2026: Erasmus Mundus Master's in Public Policy (Mundus MAPP) 2027-2029 for scholarship applicants, and Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship on Entrepreneurship 2027

The EPOS dates sit about a year ahead of the course. Oldenburg sets its deadline one year before entry, and the Charité window from 1 August to 15 October 2026 is for admission in September 2027. Two dates need a second look. The Bonn deadline is still marked as to be confirmed, and the Open Doors date is a registration deadline, after which you can no longer edit your account or portfolio.

Partial awards and what they leave you to cover

A partial award can still be the right choice. Work out the gap before you accept a place, not after.

University of Lausanne Master's Scholarship 2027/2028 in Switzerland pays CHF 1,600 a month for the minimum statutory length of the master's. The university states that this does not cover the full cost of living in Switzerland and is not full funding. Our record lists no tuition waiver either, so plan for fees as well as the monthly shortfall, and note the C1 requirement in French or English.

Open Doors Russian Scholarship 2027/28 for International Students is the reverse case. Tuition and a stipend are covered, but accommodation, food, transport, communication services and medical insurance are not, so you need savings or family support from the first month.

A.S. Hornby Scholarship 2027/28 for English teachers, MEd TESOL at Exeter is open to applicants from developing countries. Exeter describes up to ten fully funded places for September 2027 entry, while our record confirms tuition only, so check the living-cost terms before you rely on it. It requires at least three years of experience.

IFRA-Nigeria Research Grants 2027 for Humanities and Social Sciences pays at most EUR 1,000, depending on the nature and budget of the project. It suits a master's student in the humanities or social sciences whose research takes place in Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Niger, Chad or Togo, and it accepts applications in French or English.

I Tatti Digital Humanities Fellowship: six months in Florence with USD 5,200 a month adds up to USD 1,800 once for relocation, but only two fellowships are on offer. Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship on Entrepreneurship 2027 is a remote eight-month programme for students from any African country, and up to 60 fellows in its final phase receive CAD 500. Treat both as additions to a degree plan, not as a way to pay for one.

How to prepare a strong master's application

Start with the requirement you cannot fix in a month. That is work experience. Chevening, the three EPOS courses and the Bonn MSc each ask for at least two years, and the Hornby award asks for three, so check how each page counts them.

Language tests come next, and the rules differ. The Bonn programme takes IELTS 6.5 or equivalents such as TOEFL iBT 79, PTE Academic 67 or a Duolingo English Test score of 120. Erasmus Mundus Master's in Public Policy (Mundus MAPP) 2027-2029 asks for IELTS Academic 7 or TOEFL iBT 95, taken within two years of its application deadline. A 6.5 that clears Bonn will not clear MAPP. Oldenburg accepts B2 through TOEFL iBT, IELTS, Cambridge, PTE Academic, TOEIC, telc or UNIcert. Bremen asks for C1 proof from anyone whose native language is not English or whose last study was not taught entirely in English. Lausanne wants C1 in French or English, which gives francophone graduates a real option.

References need the same lead time. Ask the people who have supervised your work, send them the course name and the closing date, and set your own deadline a week before the real one. One late reference can hold up an otherwise complete file.

Write a new statement for each award. Name the course, the skills you want from it and the job or problem you will go back to, because a statement that could be sent anywhere reads as if it was.

Frequently asked questions

What if my country is not on the Chevening or Commonwealth list?

Look at the awards open to all nationalities: Knight-Hennessy Scholars 2027: Fully Funded Graduate Study at Stanford (closed), University of Lausanne Master's Scholarship 2027/2028 in Switzerland, Erasmus Mundus Master's in Public Policy (Mundus MAPP) 2027-2029 and Open Doors Russian Scholarship 2027/28 for International Students. Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at UCT 2027 for Postgraduates accepts applicants from every African country, and the EPOS courses, the Bonn MSc and the Hornby award are open to applicants from developing countries.

Do I need IELTS for a funded master's?

You usually need proof of English, but not always IELTS. The Bonn MSc also takes TOEFL, Cambridge, telc, PTE Academic and Duolingo scores, and Oldenburg lists seven accepted tests at B2.

Is the fully funded label enough to plan a budget?

No. Open Doors meets the label but leaves accommodation, food and insurance to you, and the Commonwealth airfare does not cover dependants. Price rent, visa and insurance for your host city before you accept.

When should I start preparing for a 2027 intake?

About a year before the course begins. Chevening opened on 4 August 2026, the Charité EPOS window on 1 August and Oldenburg on 15 August. Gather documents, test scores and referees before the forms open.