What types of scholarship can you apply for?
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You have a place in mind, or a school leaving certificate in hand, and the question is who might help pay. The answer starts with a simple fact: a scholarship is run by someone, and who that is tells you where to apply and what they look for.
This article helps applicants and families sort what they find into a few kinds, so they know which page to read and which route to follow. It looks at one foundation scheme run through universities, one scholarship tied to a single country, and the calls that governments publish. It ends with the points that catch families out.
Foundation scholarships run through partner institutions
Some scholarships are funded by a foundation but handled by universities. The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program is a case. According to the Foundation, it runs the programme through partner universities and organisations, and it does not manage applications or decisions itself. That means you apply directly to the partner you want to attend, and each partner has its own deadlines and may charge an admission fee that is reimbursed if you are selected.
The Foundation says candidates must be academically strong and show a commitment to making a difference in others' lives, and each university also sets its own criteria. For age, it says to be 29 or under for a bachelor's degree and 35 or under for a master's degree when you apply. The scholarships cover secondary, undergraduate and master's study, but not PhD study at present. You may apply to as many partners as you like, which is useful because the Foundation calls the programme highly competitive.
Scholarships tied to a country and a level
Other scholarships are narrower, and the narrowness is the point. The Mandela Rhodes Foundation page describes its scholarship as open to young leaders from anywhere on the African continent. It is for one-year Honours degrees or two-year Masters degrees, in any field, at a recognised South African institution of higher education.
Reading this kind of page carefully saves time. Say you are a family in another country with a master's applicant: the scholarship fits, but only if the applicant is willing to study in South Africa. The page also lists what the award covers, including tuition and registration fees, allowances for study materials, research and medical aid, accommodation and meals, and a compulsory Leadership Development Programme that lasts one or two years depending on the course.
Government calls come and go
A third kind comes from governments and their education bodies, and these appear as calls with dates rather than as standing schemes. On its announcements page, the Higher Education Council of Rwanda lists a call for applications for a government study loan for the January 2027 intake, dated 2 October 2026. The announcement page does not say who the loan is for, because those details sit in a linked document, so you open the call itself before you decide anything.
Note that this is a loan, not a scholarship, and the difference matters when you plan: a loan is something you repay. Check the council's page again close to your intake.
Points that catch families out
Being admitted does not mean you are funded. The Mastercard Foundation says admission to a partner university does not guarantee selection for the programme, so apply for both and keep the two outcomes separate in your plans.
Coverage also differs. The Mastercard Foundation lists tuition, accommodation, books and school materials, mentoring, counselling, leadership development and a return flight if necessary, while the Mandela Rhodes page lists a different set. Read what a scholarship covers before you assume that living costs or travel are included.
When you are ready to look for ones that match you, find a scholarship you qualify for shows how to read a provider's page, and how to read a scholarship page goes through one in detail. Be careful about who asks you for money: avoiding scholarship scams and unfair fees explains the line.