Scholarship Application Calendar for African Students: When Major Programs Open
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 07, 2026 • African Scholarships & Student Funding
Major scholarships do not share one continent-wide deadline. Mastercard Foundation dates depend on each partner university, DAAD In-Country/In-Region calls are usually published country by country several months before the academic year starts, and UNHCR DAFI calls open once a year through local UNHCR offices. National government schemes set their own yearly calendars, so check your country's own ministry or agency site directly.
🎓 Mastercard Foundation: no single date, each partner university runs its own scholar intake
📩 DAAD In-Country/In-Region: country-specific calls published through the DAAD Scholarship Database, often months ahead of the intake year
⏱️ UNHCR DAFI: one call per year per country, timing set by the local UNHCR office
🏠 National schemes (student loan boards, ministries): check your own country's agency site each year, since dates shift
Why there is no single scholarship calendar
Students often look for one master list of scholarship deadlines, but the major programs available across Africa do not run on a shared schedule. Each funder, and sometimes each university within a funder's network, sets its own dates based on its own academic year and administrative process. This page gives you the pattern each major program follows, so you know where and when to check rather than relying on a single fixed date that goes out of date quickly.
Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program
The Mastercard Foundation does not run one application window. Each of its partner universities manages its own scholar recruitment, admission and scholarship deadlines, according to the Mastercard Foundation . Ashesi University, the University of Rwanda, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and other partners each publish their own scholar intake dates on their individual admissions pages. Set a reminder to check your target university's own scholarship page directly rather than waiting for a Foundation-wide notice.
DAAD In-Country and In-Region scholarships
DAAD publishes individual program calls through its Scholarship Database rather than one Africa-wide deadline. Calls are typically listed months before the academic year the scholarship covers, and national DAAD offices such as DAAD Ghana and DAAD Kenya post their own regional call schedules. Search the database for your country and intended degree, and note the specific deadline listed on that call, since it will not match a call for a different country or subject.
UNHCR DAFI scholarship
DAFI runs one call for applications per year in each participating country, managed by the local UNHCR office or its implementing partner. The timing depends on the country's own academic calendar. Recent country calls, such as the one published by UNHCR Rwanda for the 2026/27 academic year, show that calls can open mid-year for the following academic cycle. Confirm the exact window with your own country's UNHCR office, since it differs from country to country.
National government scholarship and loan schemes
Countries with national student funding bodies, such as loan boards, higher education commissions or ministries of education, run their own annual cycles for scholarships, grants and student loans. These schedules can shift from year to year, including changes to eligibility rules and opening dates driven by policy or budget decisions. Check your own country's official student funding agency site directly each year rather than relying on a fixed month, since this is the detail most likely to change without wide notice.
A simple way to track deadlines
| Program type | Where the deadline is set | Where to check |
|---|---|---|
| Mastercard Foundation Scholars | Individual partner university | Your target university's own scholarship page |
| DAAD In-Country/In-Region | Individual program call, by country and subject | DAAD Scholarship Database and your national DAAD office page |
| UNHCR DAFI | Local UNHCR country office, once a year | Your country's UNHCR office page |
| National government schemes | National ministry, loan board or commission | The agency's own official site, checked yearly |
Bookmark the official page for each program you plan to apply for and check it directly at the start of each academic year, rather than depending on a forwarded message or a third-party listing that may already be out of date.