Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at McGill University

Benefits & funding

• Full international-student tuition and all costs related to attending McGill University
• On-campus housing and a monthly stipend for food, personal expenses, and transportation
• Pre-arrival and immigration support
• A book allowance, laptop, tutoring, and other academic resources
• Tailored leadership and professional-development programming
• Post-graduation transition expenses, including examples such as convocation regalia and a return flight
• A McGill admission application fee waiver for applicants who pass pre-screening

Eligibility

• Be a citizen of an African country and currently live in an African country
• Be 35 years old or younger when applying
• Hold a bachelor’s degree, or a recognized equivalent, in a subject closely related to the selected program
• Have never registered for or completed a master’s degree
• Be academically admissible to one of the 13 eligible McGill programs
• Hold a valid passport and be admissible to Canada as an international student requiring a study permit
• Applicants with dual citizenship, asylum or refugee status, or permanent-resident status in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, or the European Union are ineligible
• Show an exceptional record of service, leadership, and school or community activity; a desire to give back to the home community; and financial barriers that have limited educational opportunity
• Women, people affected by forced displacement, and people living with disabilities receive priority; this is a preference, not a separate eligibility gate
• Eligible non-thesis programs cover sustainable agriculture, environmental engineering, food and bioprocessing, water-resource management, biostatistics, biotechnology, food science, food safety, human nutrition, public health, and public policy; eligible thesis programs are Animal Science and Bioresource Engineering

Application process

1. 1
   Check the program-wide criteria and the admission requirements for one of the 13 eligible master’s programs.
2. 2
   Register for and attend a mandatory online information session; only eligible attendees receive the scholarship application form.
3. 3
   Submit the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program application before the stated deadline.
4. 4
   If invited after the first pre-screen, provide the additional information requested by the program team.
5. 5
   Applicants who pass pre-screening receive a fee waiver and instructions to apply for McGill admission; applying directly to McGill does not qualify a candidate for this scholarship.

Program timeline

1. Mandatory online information sessions for the Fall 2027 intake

   Jun 23, 2026 to Jul 15, 2026

2. Scholarship applications opened at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time

   Aug 3, 2026

3. Scholarship application deadline at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time

   Aug 21, 2026

4. Successful pre-screened applicants move to the McGill admission stage

   September to November 2026

5. McGill admission deadline for candidates who received a fee waiver

   Dec 1, 2026

6. McGill admission decisions

   Early to mid-February 2027

7. Scholarship committee selects recipients

   Mid-February to early March 2027

8. Scholarship decisions are communicated

   Late March to early April 2027

9. Program begins

   Fall 2027

10. Next cycle

    No official opening date has been published