Femi Akindele
The Mastercard AfOx Scholarship programme supports passionate, locally rooted and globally minded African young people to undertake graduate studies at the University of Oxford.
The University of Oxford Mastercard Scholarship covers the full course fees and provides a grant of £20,780 for living costs, as well as tailor-made training programmes, networking opportunities and support.
In this post, we will help breakdown the details, requirements, benefits, and the application procedure of the Mastercard AfOx Scholarship in simple terms.
Mastercard AfOx Scolarship 2026 UK Summary
- Host Country: United Kingdom (UK)
- Study Abroad: Study in UK
- Category: Postgraduate Scholarships | Masters Scholarships
- Eligible Countries: All African Countries
- Reward: Full Scholarship | Flight Tickets | Visa Fee | Accommodations
- Deadline: January 7, 2026.
2026 Mastercard AfOx Scolarship Details:
The University of Oxford and the Mastercard Foundation have an innovative and ambitious partnership under the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program and the Africa Oxford Initiative (AfOx).
The partnership is set to provide 400 young African scholars with a fully-funded opportunity to pursue taught Masters degrees in programmes related to pandemic preparedness and recovery at the University of Oxford.
The Mastercard AfOx Scholarship programme is grounded in the Mastercard Foundation, and AfOx shared values of collegiality, empathy, commitment, inclusion and community.
The Scholarship funds a rigorous one-year taught Master’s course at Oxford aimed at equipping the Scholars with relevant technical, entrepreneurial and leadership skills and connecting them to world-leading resources in their respective sectors.
Key elements of the scholarship programme include adequate support and preparation for students to take up their studies, intensive emphasis on life skills beyond academia and support for a lifelong network of alumni.
2026 University of Oxford Mastercard Scholarship Requirements:
To be considered for this 2026 University of Oxford Mastercard Scholarship,
- be of African nationality
- submit your application to the University of Oxford via the graduate admissions portal by the deadline for your chosen course of study and indicate that you wish to apply for AfOx funding.
- Necessary residence considerations will be made for students from refugee and displaced backgrounds.
- The scholarship emphasises explicitly groups who have historically been under-represented, including but not limited to female scholars, people from refugee and displaced backgrounds and disabled scholars.
- Please read the Application Guide in detail ahead of making the application.
- We strongly recommend you submit your application form and all of your supporting documents at least a week before the earliest deadline for your course.
2026 Mastercard AfOx Scholarship Duration and Reward
- This full-cost scholarship is available to Master’s students, covering tuition fees and living expenses for international students.
- The scholarship also provides logistics support, including an economy return flight, visa and Immigration Health Surcharge fees, settling down allowance, and access to a Thrive Fund for emergencies.
- The first year includes a rigorous academic Master’s course at Oxford and a Leadership and Impact Programme, which support the scholars in developing collaborative leadership qualities needed to build cross-sector, interdisciplinary solutions to address complex social and environmental problems.
- After completing their Master’s Program, Scholars will be supported to take up 4-6 months placements in leading Africa-based organisations for their Ubuntu Period of Service.
- The Scholars benefit from a bespoke Leadership and Impact Program delivered in partnership with the Skoll Centre for Social Enterprise and tailored academic and social support throughout their studies.
How To Apply for 2026 MasterCard AfOx Scholarship (Step by Step)
To apply for the Mastercard AfOx Scholarship at University of Oxford, interested and qualified applicants should;
- Click on the link below to visit the scholarship webpage
- Apply for a graduate degree at the University of Oxford and indicate that you wish to be considered for AfOx funding.
- The Oxford University Masters application fee of £75 is waived upon request for many low-income countries – refer to the application fee waiver section.
- Prospective applicants can apply to the Afrisoc Mentoring program for support with Oxford Applications and potential fee waivers for countries not eligible for the fee waiver.
- If you have any concerns about the application fee, please email [email protected] before you submit your application through the Applicant Portal.
- Candidates who receive a conditional offer from their course will be then invited to apply for the AfOx Graduate Scholarship Program.
- All invited candidates will be expected to fill in the AfOx Graduate Scholarship questionnaire during the application process.
- Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed virtually before decisions are made, and the timelines will be communicated at the interview stage.
