MBA Scholarships for African Students

Multiple top business schools are now offering special MBA scholarships for African students

Africa is truly one of the fastest growing economies and young entrepreneurs with dreams are seeking education in some of the best business schools to further their ambitions. According to reports, South Africans are willing to spend millions of Rands to get an (MBA) degree from the world’s leading business schools. While Oxford University claims that 19 South Africans have registered for the one-year MBA program, 2-3 students will be starting the two-year program at Columbia Business School in New York City, USA. Here is a list of MBA Scholarships for African students.

Scholarships at these business schools are a major attraction for those applying for such programs. 2400 applications were received this year (2018) by Stanford Graduate School of Business for the eight full MBA scholarships that are available as part of the Stanford- Africa program.

Tammy Brophy, who is the recruitment manager for Oxford Business School says that more than 65% of their students received some form of scholarship with the Dean’s scholarship having the most popular pull as it as a full-tuition aid is awarded to one student from Africa every year.

Similarly, the Cambridge Judge Business School-Africa program which began in 2008 is a wonderful Umbrella program which includes several initiatives to strengthen research capabilities and scholarships.

Region-specific MBA international scholarships for African students are being offered by several business schools make it easy for students to access financial aid. Let’s look at the scholarships afforded by business schools around the world for African applicants.

USA

The scholarships being provided by big business schools work as a wonderful motivating factor for applicants from emerging markets, developing or underdeveloped countries.

MBA Scholarships for African Students are a way to encourage gender equality and create a level playing field for students from such countries to excel.

Sabah Khan who is the associate director of MBA admissions at Stanford Graduate School of Business confirms that they have had the highest number of South African applicants for the year 2018 and this is closely followed by Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya.

They have seen over 2500 applications from over 40 African countries out of which a dozen have been accepted into programs. Six of these applicants have full scholarships to the programs.

Here’s a snapshot of Africa-specific scholarships offered by business schools in the US.

1. Harvard:

• 7UP Harvard business school scholarships are provided to candidates applying from Nigeria and this awards an aid that covers the tuition fees, boarding and travel expenses for the two years of the MBA program.
• Olam International Africa Graduate Scholarships award $85,000 as an aid for nationals of Sub-Sahara Africa applying for the MBA program in Harvard. This will be awarded irrespective of their current residence.

2. Stanford

• Stanford Africa MBA fellowship awards up to six fellowships annually. This fellowship gives $170,000 to African nationals who have applied for the MBA program. This can be applied to the tuition and associated fees of the program.

3. Kellogg

• The Africa Scholars Program attempts to increase diversity and representation from African countries. This program sponsors a portion of the tuition fees which amounts to $70,000 and it offers 4 such scholarships annually.

4. Yale-School of Management:

• Yale Africa Impact Scholarships: This scholarship will cover half of the tuition fees (anywhere between $70,000- $ 140,000) of a full-time MBA program that African candidates are enrolled into. The focus is to groom the candidates into a leadership position and contribute towards the development of the continent (The candidates will be expected to return to the region for at least two years in a professional role)
• Harambe Yale Scholar Program for African Entrepreneurs: This awards a full tuition and fees scholarship to those candidates that have an African passport and those who show an inclination towards leadership and entrepreneurial positions
• The African Scholarships: This scholarship awards £ 10,000 to deserving candidates from Africa enrolled in the program.

5. University of California (Berkeley HAAS)

• The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program offers a scholarship that covers all the comprehensive expenses (travel, tuition, visa and living) and related to the MBA program here at HAAS. This scholarship is offered to African nationals from the Sub-Saharan region.

6. Carnegie Mellon, Tepper:

• Marc and Sally Onetto Graduate Fellowship Fund provides a scholarship to those students who can show residency in Africa. This was initiated to promote diversity in the MBA program.

7. New York University, Stern:

• Uzo and Michael Ajukwu Scholarship gives aid to African nationals enrolled in the MBA program and those with a strong bend towards leadership. The scholarship for the year 2017 was awarded to Munashe Makawa hailing from Harare, Zimbabwe. (read his story by following the link)

8. The University of South Carolina, Darla Moore School of Business:

• Fullbright scholarship is an award that grants aid to African nationals amongst several other developing nations.

9. UCLA, Anderson School of Management:

• The Africa- America Institute aims to promote more diversity in classes and they offer scholarships to African nationals and African Americans to further this goal.
• The World Bank Family Network provides scholarships for females from lower or middle-income nations who are enrolled in the MBA program here at UCLA.

Europe

When it comes to diversifying the MBA class, business schools target the African talent pool knowing that getting them on their rosters is critical to present a diversified class.

The MBA- Admissions Director at LBS says that with regard to Africa a lot of it comes down to financial aid and scholarships.  Therefore, they are trying to make a difference by working with loan companies and setting up location-specific scholarships.

In this regard, Oxford has made a few changes to its admission criteria as well. They are now trying to assess candidates from Africa on their own merits rather than compare them with someone from an Ivy league school elsewhere in the world.

Oxford is the only other business school outside of Africa that has such a large percentage of African students (with over 12 African nations represented).

Here’s a look at the MBA Scholarships for African Students awarded by European schools.

INSEAD:

INSEAD too has various MBA Scholarships for African Students.

• INSEAD- Africa Leadership Fund offers € 50,000 to African nationals who have spent a substantial part of their lives, and received part of their prior education in Africa. Such candidates should also demonstrate the need for financial help.
• INSEAD-Africa Scholarship group offers € 15,000 up to full tuition scholarship depending on the candidate and the eligibility under several scholarships that fall under this category. African nationals who are enrolled in the MBA program will qualify for only one amongst these scholarships:

-INSEAD MBA ’75 Nelson Mandela Endowed Scholarship provides an assistance of up to € 20,000 to candidates from the sub-Saharan African country. They should have spent a substantial part of their lives and received part of their prior education in Africa.

-Pot Family Foundation Scholarship is given to one INSEAD student each year covering the full tuition fees of such candidate. To be eligible, the candidate has to be an African national with outstanding professional and personal achievements and a strong commitment to contribute to the diversity of the program.

Candidates who reside in the region demonstrating a financial need will be given preference.

-Olam International MBA Scholarships for Change Catalysts in African Markets provides the INSEAD Olam International MBA Scholarships to meritorious candidates from Sub-Saharan Africa.

Regardless of their current country of residence candidates who are committed to working in their home country or region will be considered for this scholarship that awards € 73,000 towards the tuition fees. This scholarship is restricted to only the full-time MBA program.

• -Greendale Foundation Scholarship provides aid for students who intend to return to the African region with their management expertise. The scholarship will provide € 35,000 to Candidates who hail from Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa (disadvantaged backgrounds), Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia or Zimbabwe. These students should have undergone a major part of their education in Southern or East Africa. Candidate’s finances and their prior experience in this region will be considered as well.
• INSEAD Bischoff Family-Endowed Scholarship supports students hailing from the South African region by awarding € 10,000. Such applicants must display academic achievements and financial need.
• INSEAD-North Africa Scholarship provides € 10,000 to € 12,000 to nationals from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia who have been admitted to the MBA program here at INSEAD. Preference will be given to candidates whose education and professional experience has a North African focus. They should also show a strong inclination to work in this region after completion of the program as well.
• INSEAD- Renaud Lagesse 93D Scholarship for Southern and East Africa provides aid to students from these regions and gives a one-time award of € 10,000 to qualifying candidates.
• INSEAD- SAM AKIWUMI Endowed Scholarship provides financial aid to African nationals enrolled in the MBA program with a preference for those from Ghana. The value of the award is € 10,000.

1. London Business School:

• Mo Ibrahim Scholarships will cover the full tuition fees of one African student enrolled in the MBA program here.
• The African Scholarship provides £ 20,000 to any one of the African nationals and this amount has been sponsored by the alumni and friends of LBS.
• TY Danjuma Family Office awards scholarships to African applicants enrolled in several major business schools across the world and this includes LBS. The award varies depending on the applicant and the need presented by such applicants. A separate application has to be made to become eligible for such a scholarship.
• Palm Hills Scholarships are awarded specifically to Africans enrolled in the MBA program with a preference for those who have an Egyptian nationality. This is a one-time award of £ 35,000.
• The Gary Lubner Scholarships gives away £ 33,000 as a one-time award to an African student enrolled in the full-time MBA program.

2. Cambridge University, Judge Business School:

• Cambridge MBA Africa Regional Scholarship gives up to £ 18,000 to African nationals who have accepted the MBA offer from the school. The candidate will be selected based on financial need and the strength of the application.
• EY Scholarship for Cambridge MBA Angolan residents gives a full scholarship that includes both tuition and college fees, realistic living expenses and the cost of one return economy class flight to Angola.
• Cambridge MBA Professor Jochen Runde Scholarship for South African Nationals awards up to £ 15,000 to a candidate from such a region with a background from any industry.

3. Oxford University, Saïd Business School

• Saïd Business School Foundation Regional Scholarships: There are typically four to six awards per region: Africa, Latin America, Middle East, South East & East Asia and Europe. These are partial awards offering between £5,000 and £15,000. An MBA applicant must be considered an “outstanding candidate” to be eligible.
• Dean’s Africa Scholarship awards one award of £10,000 towards the MBA tuition fee to a candidate of African nationality.
• Jacobs-Foundation Scholarship seeks to encourage those with an entrepreneurial spirit that is focused on social issues. Two scholarships of £ 26,500 are available for students satisfying the African nationality criteria (a few other nations qualify as well) and an interest to work in the agricultural development in Africa (a few other criterions are mentioned as well).

4. IESE Business School:

• IESE awards a scholarship to students hailing from certain countries and this includes Africa. Students who have been granted these scholarships will be expected to further the interests of the school through the respective chapters in their countries.
• IESE scholarships for students from developing countries seek to support applicants from nations such as Africa.
• IESE offers a waiver of 25% of the tuition fees for those candidates applying to the MBA program from emerging economies such as Africa.
• The Cámara de Comercio, Industria y Navegación de Barcelonagives away an award to students enrolled in the MBA program at the IESE and preference is given to students from developing countries such as Africa.

5. HEC Paris:

• HEC Paris- French Embassy in South Africa scholarship will sponsor an MBA candidate from the South African region enrolled in the MBA program. While HEC Paris will contribute € 5,000 towards the tuition fees, a similar amount (€ 5,000) will be contributed by the French Embassy as well. The rest of the tuition fees will have to be borne by the applicant.
• African Students Scholarship also called the Foundation Bridge Scholarship will award € 20,000 annually to deserving female candidates enrolled in the MBA program at HEC Paris. Such applicants should have been affected by famine or natural disasters to be eligible for such a scholarship.
• Ford Foundation International Fellowship Program provides scholarships for several African students (other nationals are also eligible for the same) enrolled in the MBA program.
• HEC Paris-Eiffel MBA scholarships for developing countries offers a monthly allowance for participants to the MBA program with €1,100 covering other expenses. This does not include or cover tuition fees and is awarded to students coming from emerging economies such as Africa and a few other nations.

6. IMD:

• Jim Ellert MBA scholarship provides CHF 20,000 to African nationals with a strong financial need enrolled in the MBA program here at IMD, Switzerland.
• IMD-MBA scholarships award a one-time scholarship to a candidate from the African region. Such a candidate will be eligible to receive CHF 30,000 from the Alumni of IMD.
• The Diversity scholarship provides an aid of CHF 30,000 to deserving candidates from Africa and several other regions. One candidate will be picked for this award from each of these regions.

7. ESMT Berlin

• Allianz Scholarships awards three full-tuition scholarships (€ 25,000 each) and four partial tuition scholarships (value of € 10,000 each). To meet the eligibility criteria, you have to prove financial need and if you are aiming for the Kofi Annan full tuition scholarships then you must additionally prove that you are from a least developed country.
• The ESMT Africa and Middle East scholarship will be awarded to a single applicant from the African and Middle East region and such applicants will have to prove their intention of promoting business in their respective region.

8. IE Business School, Spain:

• The Middle East and Africa Scholarships aim to increase the number of students from these regions and hence provides financial aid to those who have been residing in these countries for a minimum of two years. Preference will be given to women candidates.
• The IE-Africa Talent fellowship covers 20%-30% of the tuition fees of outstanding candidates coming from the African region. To be eligible, candidates must prove residency in such a region along with exceptional community and professional achievements.

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