How to find a scholarship you qualify for
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Say you have found a scholarship that sounds perfect, and you are not sure whether it is meant for someone like you. The quickest way to find out is to read what the provider requires, and to compare it with a short list of facts about yourself.
This article helps you decide whether a scholarship is worth your time before you start preparing. It takes the questions in the order you meet them: what to write down about yourself, how eligibility rules look in practice, who you apply to, and what to prepare early.
Start with a short list of facts about you
Scholarships filter people on a few simple details, so write them down first. Note your nationality, the level you want (bachelor, master or doctorate), your field, your results, your age, and the country where you want to study. With these in front of you, a provider's page becomes a checklist instead of a long read.
If you have not chosen a country or institution yet, how admission works in Africa explains the usual steps, and the types of scholarships shows who offers them.
Eligibility is specific, so compare line by line
Eligibility rules are rarely vague. According to the Mastercard Foundation, candidates for a bachelor's degree must be 29 or under when they apply, and candidates for a master's degree must be 35 or under. The Foundation also says its scholarships cover secondary, undergraduate and master's levels, and that PhD candidates are not currently eligible. Each university then adds its own criteria.
The Mandela Rhodes Foundation shows another pattern. For the class of 2028, according to its apply page, you must be a citizen of an African country, aged 19 to 29 in the year you apply, and admitted to a South African institution for a one-year Honours or a two-year Masters. It says MBAs, block courses and predominantly online courses are not funded. So a strong applicant can still miss on level, age or type of course, which is why you compare every line before you invest time.
Find out who you apply to
The next question is where the application goes, and it is not always the funder. The Mastercard Foundation says you apply directly to a partner university, not to the Foundation, and that each partner runs its own application and decisions. Each partner also sets its own deadline, so you look up the date on the partner's own website. You can apply to as many partners as you like, but the Foundation notes that each application takes considerable effort.
The Mandela Rhodes Foundation works differently. It says you apply to the Foundation for the scholarship and to a university separately for your course. Whichever route applies, the provider's own page is the place to confirm it, and how to read a scholarship page shows what to look for there.
Prepare the slow parts early
Some parts of an application take weeks, and a late or incomplete application is not considered. The Mastercard Foundation says to take any required tests several months before the deadline, to ask your referees for recommendation letters early, and to avoid submitting on the last day. It adds that each university asks for different documents, and a missing document by the deadline makes the application incomplete.
The Mandela Rhodes Foundation asks for three recommendation letters in English, uploaded by your recommenders, and without them you cannot submit. It also says applicants from outside South Africa may need their qualifications verified by SAQA, which can take 4 to 8 weeks. According to the Foundation, applications for the 2028 class open on 9 March 2027 and close on 14 April 2027.
Keep your list, and stay with official pages
A simple record keeps you calm when several applications overlap. For each scholarship, write down:
- The provider and the institution you apply to.
- The deadline and the documents required.
- What you have submitted, and when.
One last rule protects your money. The Mastercard Foundation says it never solicits funding or requests payments from individuals, so be wary of anyone asking you to pay to unlock an award. The article on avoiding scholarship scams and unfair fees explains which fees are genuine.