APPLY NOW! The University of Edinburgh postgraduate scholarships 2025
Nurturing climate leaders
All Mastercard Foundation Scholars at the University of Edinburgh will participate in a Climate Leadership Programme.
The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program aims to make a meaningful impact in addressing the climate crisis.
Our Program is dedicated to nurturing a community of talented, entrepreneurial, and compassionate leaders from across Sub-Saharan Africa.
We empower young people with the necessary knowledge, skills, and networks to drive sustainable transitions by offering a range of exceptional sustainability-focused postgraduate opportunities through the Program at the University of Edinburgh.
Applying for an online learning scholarship
We invite exceptional young people with great academic and leadership experience who have overcome barriers to their education and are diligently committed to pursuing their studies to apply for an Online Scholarship at the University of Edinburgh.
Online studies are an excellent way to earn a qualification for those who would like to continue working and prefer to study in their local context.
Online qualifications through the University of Edinburgh are equivalent to degrees taught on campus.
Applicants can apply for either:
- Online Masters (part-time up to 3 years. However, MSc Circular Economy and MSc Sustainable Lands and Cities must be studied over 2 years part-time) OR
- Online Post-graduate Diploma (part-time up to 2 years)
Online Masters
Masters programmes normally aim at those who have completed an undergraduate degree and want to develop more specialised knowledge in the same subject or similar career area.
Applicants who already have a postgraduate qualification are not able to apply for the online Masters.
Online postgraduate diploma
Postgraduate diplomas are aimed at those who are considering a potential change in their careers and tend to be more vocational.
Candidates with either an undergraduate or Master’s degree from a Sub-Saharan African university are equally able to apply (provided they will graduate from either degree and provide their degree certificates and transcripts by the application deadline)
We offer scholarships for the following online degree programmes ONLY:
Apply for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program before applying to the University
If you are applying exclusively for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program scholarship, you should only apply to the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program. Once you have received a scholarship offer in March 2025, you can then proceed to apply to your chosen study programme at the University of Edinburgh through the University’s admissions process. If you are considering other scholarships, only then should you apply to the University as well.
Candidates eligibility
You must meet the eligibility criteria to apply:
- Applicants must qualify academically for admission to the University of Edinburgh for a relevant degree programme listed. You will generally need to have achieved the equivalent of a UK Second Class (Upper) Bachelor’s (Hons) degree or higher. Find out more about the postgraduate entry requirements for your country:
Postgraduate entry requirements
- Applicants will have faced significant barriers to education (social, financial, personal, practical or health-related).
- Applicants must have graduated from an undergraduate study and must have a degree certificate and official final transcript to upload alongside their application by 8 November 2024.
- Applicants must be residents and citizens or hold refugee status in a Sub-Saharan African country.
- Applicants must have faced barriers to education and early career
- Applicants must demonstrate a track record of leadership and service within their community.
- Applicants must demonstrate experience, or at least ambition, in making a meaningful impact in addressing the climate crisis.
- Applicants must be 35 or under the year the programme commences. Therefore, for the 2025/26 academic year, we accept applications from those born on or after 1 January 1990. Anyone born in 1989 and prior is not eligible.
- If applying for the online Masters programme:Â Applicants should not have previously completed a postgraduate degree and should not be enrolled (or applying to enrol) at a separate university.
- If applying for the online Postgraduate Diploma: Applicants can either have an undergraduate or Masters degree from a Sub-Saharan African university (provided they will graduate from either degree by 8 November 2024). If you have a Masters degree, our admissions team will review your first degree (undergraduate) to meet the postgraduate diploma entry requirement. The Program will review your Masters degree transcripts to confirm your university’s graduation date and location.
- We particularly welcome applications from female Scholars, Scholars from refugee and displaced backgrounds, and Scholars with disabilities (see FAQs below for further information)Â
What the online scholarship provides:
- Covers full approved tuition fees: scholars will not pay for any part of the tuition fees.
- Academic stipend to allow for access to high-quality internet, and laptop.
- The opportunity to attend an in-person gathering.
- Participation in activities as part of the wider Climate Leadership Programme at the University of Edinburgh, including regular online workshops, online coaching and support.
- A dedicated Online Coordinator
- Additional support is offered to Scholars with disabilities based on an assessment of needs.
How to apply
You must qualify academically for admission to the University of Edinburgh. We require that applicants apply for this Program before applying to the University.
The Program will not accept applications submitted outside the online application system.
Please review our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section, below, for further details.
If you have any queries regarding the Mastercard Foundation Scholarships, which are not answered in the FAQs, please contact us at: mcfsp@ed.ac.uk
Application Deadline: 8 November 2024 at 5.00 pm UK time.Â
