How to read a scholarship page before you apply
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Say you have found a scholarship that looks perfect, and the official page is open on your phone. Before you start gathering documents, it is worth reading that page slowly, because most of what decides whether you can apply is stated on it, in plain words.
This article walks down an official scholarship page from the top, so you can decide whether the award is for you, what you must do, and by when. It uses the pages of the Mastercard Foundation and the Mandela Rhodes Foundation as examples, and the same order works for other providers.
Start at the top: who the scholarship is for
The first thing to find is the kind of person and the level of study the award is meant for, because an award for the wrong level cannot be fixed with a better application. The Mandela Rhodes Foundation page says the scholarship is open to young leaders from anywhere on the African continent and funds postgraduate study, either a one-year Honours or a two-year Masters degree, at a recognised South African institution. If you are finishing secondary school, you can stop reading there.
Then look for numbers. According to the Mastercard Foundation, you must be 29 or under to apply for a bachelor's degree and 35 or under for a master's. Its frequently asked questions page also says eligible majors and degrees vary by partner, so one page rarely tells the whole story. The Mandela Rhodes apply page gives an age range too: between 19 and 29 in the year you apply. Where a page gives no age limit, do not guess one: ask the provider.
Keep scrolling: what the award covers
Once you know you fit, check what you would actually receive. The Mandela Rhodes page lists tuition and registration fees, allowances for study materials, research and medical aid, and accommodation and meals. It also says the scholar must take a leadership development programme that runs for one or two years, mostly through week-long workshops in person. That is a commitment of time, so families should read it as part of the award, not as a footnote.
The Mastercard Foundation page is clear about a different limit: the programme supports secondary, undergraduate and master's study, but not a PhD.
Find out who receives your application
This part of the page changes how you plan, so read it twice. The Mastercard Foundation says you must apply directly to the partner university you want to attend, and that those partners, not the Foundation, run the application process and make the decisions. Its becoming-a-scholar page adds that you must first meet the university's admission requirements before being considered for the programme.
The Mandela Rhodes Foundation works differently. It says it does not apply to universities for you, and that the award depends on a university offer, so you must apply to universities yourself, as early as you can. If you are not sure how a university application works, how admission works in Africa is the place to start.
Read the deadline and what happens after it
Look for a date, and then for the sentence about late applications. According to the Mandela Rhodes Foundation, applications for the Class of 2028 open on 9 March 2027, and close on 14 April 2027 at 23:59 GMT+2. The page adds that no late or incomplete applications will be accepted under any circumstances.
The Mastercard Foundation gives no single date. It says each partner sets its own deadline, so you must open the partner's own page. The Mastercard Foundation advises you not to wait for the last day to submit. As our own advice, set your own finish date a week or two earlier.
Check the documents, the fees and who to ask
The same page should tell you what to prepare. The Mandela Rhodes Foundation asks for degree certificates, transcripts, scans of identity documents and three recommendation letters, all in English. It also says the application cannot be submitted until all three letters are uploaded, so you need to approach your referees early.
Look last for fees and a contact. The Mastercard Foundation says some partners charge an admission fee, which is reimbursed if you are selected, and that application questions go to the partner institution. If a page does not name a way to ask, check you are on the provider's own site, and read avoiding scholarship scams and unfair fees before you pay anyone.
When you have finished the page, you can move on to writing a scholarship application.