AndrewEvery Mastercard Foundation partner university runs its own version of this scholarship, but the Mastercard Foundation Scholarship at Arizona State University flips the sequence that most applicants expect. At Berkeley, you get admitted first and the scholarship follows. At ASU, the Mastercard Foundation Scholarship comes first, and admission follows behind it. Miss that one detail, and you’ll spend weeks preparing for the wrong opening move.
Here’s the Mastercard Foundation Scholarship at Arizona State University broken down to its working parts: how the process actually runs, who qualifies, and which of ASU’s two very different scholarship tracks fits your situation.
What Is the Mastercard Foundation Scholarship at Arizona State University?
The Mastercard Foundation Scholarship at Arizona State University funds graduate study for academically talented young Africans through a partnership currently in its third phase, called Innovation and Technology. Unlike most peer institutions, ASU requires you to apply for the scholarship before applying for university admission, not after.
At Berkeley, spending weeks perfecting a graduate school application before thinking about the scholarship makes sense, because admission is the gate. At ASU, that instinct costs you time. The scholarship application is the front door. Academic admission sits downstream of it, not the other way around.
One detail worth locking in early: getting admitted to your chosen ASU program does not guarantee the Mastercard Foundation Scholarship. The two are evaluated together but separately, and being academically qualified is necessary, not sufficient.
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Mastercard Foundation Scholarship ASU: Phase III Explained
ASU is currently running Phase III of its Mastercard Foundation partnership, called Innovation and Technology. It’s built to engage 600 young people between 2024 and 2030, a scale considerably larger than the earlier phases.
Phase I covered undergraduate scholarships. Phase II, called Strengthening Institutional Linkages, ran an unusual model, splitting a degree between partner universities in Ghana and an accelerated master’s finish at ASU. Phase III drops the undergraduate track entirely and focuses purely on graduate level pathways tied to technology and innovation.
Knowing which phase you’re looking at matters because eligibility criteria, program lists, and even country restrictions differ between phases. If you find older material referencing undergraduate ASU scholarships or the Ghana linkage model, that’s a previous phase, not what’s currently open.
Mastercard Foundation Scholarship ASU: The Two Application Tracks
This is the part most summaries flatten into one program when it’s actually two, with different formats, different eligibility rules, and in one case, a country specific restriction that catches people off guard.
Track one: the on-campus Innovation and Technology Graduate Scholarship. A fully immersive, two year master’s degree, in person, in Phoenix, Arizona. Thirty scholarships awarded per cycle, out of 120 planned across the five year phase.
Track two: online graduate certificates. Part time, fully online programs in Foundations of Supply Chain Management, Global Management, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, or Artificial Intelligence in Business. Completing the certificate automatically enters you into the scholarship application process for a fully supported online master’s degree afterward.
These are not interchangeable entry points into the same pool. They have different residency requirements, different age windows in some cycles, and in the case of the online certificate track, a restriction to a specific country for the current cohort. Confirm which track you’re actually applying to before you build a strategy around either one.
On-Campus Mastercard Foundation Scholarship: Phoenix, Arizona
Core eligibility requirements for the on-campus Mastercard Foundation Scholarship track include being a citizen of an African country, being between 18 and 33 years old as of the application deadline, holding an undergraduate degree conferred by the cycle’s cutoff date, and not having started or completed any other graduate or master’s degree before that same date.
There’s a hard residency condition baked into this track that’s easy to skim past. You must be able to live full time in Phoenix for the entire duration of the program. This isn’t a preference. It’s a stated eligibility requirement, meaning remote study or splitting time elsewhere isn’t an option under this track.
The sequence runs like this. You submit the scholarship application first. Shortlisted candidates get contacted for an interview by phone or video. Final scholarship decisions typically land a few months after the deadline. Successful applicants then travel to Phoenix to begin the following August.
Coverage for this track is comprehensive: full tuition, accommodation, living expenses, visa and travel costs, health insurance, and books. Scholars also get access to part time on-campus work, either with the program’s own Baobab Platform team or elsewhere at ASU, plus a two month internship tied to their field of study between year one and year two.
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Online Mastercard Foundation Scholarship Track: Graduate Certificates
The online Mastercard Foundation Scholarship track is where things get genuinely specific, and where a lot of applicants waste time if they don’t check the fine print.
For the most recent cycle, this track’s eligibility criteria included being an African citizen aged 18 to 33, holding an undergraduate degree by the cutoff date, having no prior graduate degree started or completed, and, critically, residing in Rwanda for the full duration of the program.
That last condition isn’t incidental. It means this particular cohort of the online certificate scholarship wasn’t open continent wide. It was tied to a specific country partnership for that intake. Future cycles may open to different countries or expand eligibility, but don’t assume this track is universally open across Africa just because it’s delivered online. Check the current cycle’s specific residency requirement before assuming you qualify.
The upside of this track, when you do qualify, is the built in progression. Complete the certificate successfully, and you’re automatically entered into the scholarship application process for a fully funded online master’s degree, without needing to submit a fresh scholarship application from zero.
Mastercard Foundation Scholarship ASU Deadlines: What’s Open Now
Both tracks described above have closed application windows for their current cycles as of this writing. The online certificate track’s 2026 application cycle is closed. The on-campus track’s most recent cycle deadline has also passed.
This isn’t a dead end. ASU’s Phase III runs through 2030, meaning new cycles will open in future years for both tracks. The practical move if you’re reading this after a deadline has passed is to bookmark the program’s page and set a recurring check, rather than assuming the entire partnership has ended because one cycle’s window closed.
Mastercard Foundation Scholarship ASU Eligibility Requirements
Across both tracks, several requirements repeat regardless of which pathway you’re pursuing.
Citizenship of an African country. A demonstrated track record of leadership and community service, not just a claim of interest in leadership. Academic excellence combined with genuine financial need, meaning the program is explicitly looking for talent that exceeds what the applicant’s own resources could otherwise support. An undergraduate degree completed by the cycle’s specific cutoff date. No prior graduate or master’s degree started or completed before that same cutoff. And meeting the academic and English language requirements of whichever specific degree or certificate you’re targeting.
Women, refugees, displaced persons, and people with disabilities are explicitly and strongly encouraged to apply across both tracks. As with other Mastercard Foundation partner programs, this is an encouragement, not a requirement, so don’t assume you need to fit one of these categories to be considered.
On-Campus vs Online Mastercard Foundation Scholarship: Which Fits You
If both tracks are open in a future cycle and you’re deciding between them, here’s how to think about the real tradeoff.
The on-campus track gives you a full master’s degree, in person, with direct access to ASU’s campus resources, a structured internship, and part time work experience inside the university community. The cost is significant. You commit to relocating to Phoenix for two full years, with no flexibility to remain in your home country during that time.
The online certificate track asks for far less upfront commitment. You study part time, remotely, and only progress toward the fully funded master’s degree after successfully completing the certificate stage. That makes it a lower risk entry point if you’re not ready to commit to full relocation, but it moves slower, and depending on the cycle, may carry country specific eligibility restrictions that the on-campus track doesn’t have.
Neither is a stronger scholarship in general terms. If you can commit to two years in Phoenix and want the complete immersive experience, the on-campus track delivers more. If your current situation doesn’t allow relocation, or you want to test the waters with a shorter certificate first, the online track is built for exactly that lower commitment entry point, assuming you meet whatever country restriction applies to that cycle.
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How to Prepare for the Mastercard Foundation Scholarship ASU Application
Since the scholarship application comes before university admission at ASU, unlike at most peer institutions, your preparation priorities shift accordingly.
Confirm your citizenship, age, and degree timeline against whichever track’s specific cutoff dates apply, since these shift by cycle and by track. Document your leadership and community service history concretely, since vague claims don’t hold up against a program explicitly screening for proven track records. If you’re considering the online certificate route, check the current cycle’s country eligibility restriction before investing time in an application that may not be open to your location. And prepare for the possibility of a phone or video interview as a standard part of the process, not an unusual extra step.
Mastercard Foundation Scholarship ASU: Common Questions
Do I apply to ASU first, or the scholarship first? The scholarship first. This is the reverse of how programs like UC Berkeley’s work. Shortlisted scholarship candidates get assisted with university admission afterward, not the other way around.
Does getting admitted to my chosen ASU program guarantee the scholarship? No. Admission and scholarship selection are evaluated together but remain separate outcomes. Meeting academic requirements is necessary but not sufficient on its own.
Is the online certificate track open to applicants from any African country? Not necessarily. At least one recent cycle restricted this track to applicants residing in Rwanda for the program’s duration. Always check the specific residency requirement for the cycle you’re applying to rather than assuming continent wide access.
Can I apply if I already hold a master’s degree? No. Both tracks explicitly exclude applicants who have already started or completed another graduate or master’s degree before the relevant cutoff date.
What happens if I miss the current application window? ASU’s Phase III runs through 2030, so additional cycles will open in future years. Check the program’s official page periodically rather than assuming the opportunity has closed permanently.
Is relocation required for both tracks? No. The on-campus track requires living in Phoenix full time for two years. The online certificate track is part time and remote, though it may carry its own country specific residency condition depending on the cycle.
Where to Apply for the Mastercard Foundation Scholarship at ASU
Program details, country restrictions, and deadlines shift between cycles at ASU more than at some peer institutions, so confirm everything directly before building a plan.
- ASU Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, Phase III overview
- ASU Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, about the partnership
Check the first link specifically for the next cycle’s dates and any country eligibility restrictions before assuming either track is open to you.
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Conclusion
ASU’s process punishes an assumption a lot of applicants carry over from other schools: that every Mastercard Foundation partner works the same way. They don’t. Here, the scholarship application comes first, university admission follows, and one of the two available tracks may carry a country specific restriction that has nothing to do with your qualifications. Confirm which track fits your situation, check the current cycle’s dates and residency rules directly on ASU’s page, and treat the scholarship application, not a university application, as your actual starting point.
Francis
Kikelomo Salman
Damilola Mariam