MasterCard Foundation Scholars receive a comprehensive scholarship equivalent to the costs associated with earning a Bachelors or Masters degree, which includes travel, tuition, MSU student fees, Visa and SEVIS fees, housing, food, living expenses, experiential learning abroad and cohort signature programs which will focus on leadership topics.
Both undergraduate and graduate MCF Scholars will complete an internship in Africa during their studies. MSU will assist in identifying appropriate opportunities. The Scholarship will pay for round-trip airfare to Africa for the internship and provide a stipend to defray cost of living expenses.
The Leadership Academy for African Development is a bi-monthly seminar which enables MCF Scholars to grapple with and become invested in the ethos of 'going back to give back'. In so doing Scholars will conceptualize, operationalize and contextualize the aforementioned twin themes, ascertain the extent to which they are relevant to their respective areas of study and countries of origin, seek to appropriate and become invested in this ethos and investigate the leadership, academic and other skills which they need to acquire or otherwise leverage in order to 'go back' in order to 'give back'. Moreover they will become conversant with apparent or imminent opportunities in their countries of origin, sub-region and Africa writ large. MCF Scholars also will explore specific ways in which they can ensure that they are equipped to harness these opportunities while viewing seeming challenges as 'opportunities in disguise'.
MCF Scholars at MSU will join their counterparts at the aforementioned institutions in the United States, Canada, Costa Rica, Ghana and Lebanon to form a network of scholars in the first instance and alumni thereafter. Informed by an ethical and unalloyed commitment to service, it is hoped that the network will allow scholars to forge a common identity, meet and exchange ideas with their peers and connect via social media.
The MasterCard Foundation created this program with the specific aim of having MCF Scholars return home after graduating from MSU and undertaking any optional practical training in accordance with visa regulations. MCF Scholars should not anticipate staying for a prolonged period in the United States after completing their studies.
Most MCF Scholars presumably will return to their home country. Some, however, may work in other African countries on issues related to their areas of training and, in so doing, 'give back' to the continent of Africa.
As part of the MasterCard Foundation Scholars Network, Scholars will have access to an African Careers Network Portal that will help them to secure employment on the continent upon completion of their studies. Furthermore, MCF Scholars will work closely with an MSU-based Career Placement Officer for the purposes of seeking suitable employment opportunities in Africa and otherwise being apprised of opportunities in Africa during their studies at Michigan State University.
MSU faculty and staff members will assist Scholars to complete their programs on time. If unforeseen circumstances prohibit this, MSU and its constituent parts will work with students on an individual basis. MCF Scholars at MSU are expected to remain in good academic standing throughout their program.
MCF Scholars presently at MSU were issued F-1 Student visas.
MasterCard Foundation Scholars will be engaged in myriad activities on- and off-campus including, but not limited to, the Leadership Academy for African Development. Consequently we strongly advise scholars not to work on or off-campus but envisage that they might wish to pursue internship opportunities in the United States which are closely aligned with their research or academic interests. In such instances we urge them to consult and liaise with the MCF Program Manager and the appropriate faculty members in their respective departments.
Applicants should apply to the university as per usual application procedures. Applicants also should complete a supplementary Masters/Graduate or Undergraduate MasterCard Foundation Scholarship Program Application. Detailed instructions are available via http://mcfscholars.isp.msu.edu/apply.htm.
PLEASE NOTE THE DEADLINES ON THE WEBSITE.
Yes, applicants should apply for admission and send all required documents to Michigan State University. In addition, they must complete a supplementary Masters/Graduate or Undergraduate MasterCard Foundation Scholarship Program Application. Detailed instructions are available via http://mcfscholars.isp.msu.edu/apply.htm.
PLEASE NOTE THE DEADLINES ON THE WEBSITE.
Undergraduate - Prospective undergraduate MCF Scholars Program applicants who cannot otherwise afford the $50 application fee may request special fee payment considerations when completing the application online via www.beaspartan.msu.edu. The student should work with an authorized official to complete the request form as per the instructions on the form and then send the completed and signed form as an attachment to mcfs@msu.edu. The Office of Admissions will only evaluate applications if the fee is paid with a credit card or the special payment consideration is approved.
Masters - Prospective Masters MCF Scholars Program applicants may submit their application to the academic program. Departments will cover the costs for a finite number of applicants recommended as finalists in the scholarship competition.
Criteria which will inform the application review process are delineated on the following website: http://mcfscholars.isp.msu.edu/eligibility.htm
Do I have to take the TOEFL? What standardized tests are required for admission?Undergraduate - International students need to provide English language proficiency. MSU currently does not waive this requirement for any African nation, so therefore you can chose to take any of the following exams: SAT or ACT or IELTS or TOEFL. Based on the specific exam, there are required sub scores for each. Though the Office of Admissions encourages students to supply all test results, Michigan State University does not have a preference for which exam you take. Each one of the exams can be used to provide English language proficiency. Please see here as each test has different requirements for regular admission. The MasterCard Foundation Scholarship is not available to those who only qualify for provisional admission based on their TOEFL or IELTS scores.
Graduate - Each department has varying requirements for standardized testing. Please check with the program and department of interest and verify which tests and what scores are needed for regular admission into the program.
No, the MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program at MSU is open only to first-time freshmen who have not yet commenced a degree program and new Masters students
No, the program is not open to African refugees living outside the continent of Africa due to the MCF Scholarship requirement to 'go back and give back'.
No, the program is not open to students who have already enrolled in an undergraduate program in the United States.
The program is designed as a 2-year (Masters) or 4-year (Undergraduate) cohort model. Students who are already studying at MSU are not eligible.
The MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program at MSU targets students from Sub-Saharan Africa.
The MCF Scholars Program at MSU utilizes a cohort model that anticipates students starting in the Fall Semester (August) only.
An important aspect of the MCF Foundation Scholars Program entails students undertaking an internship in Africa half-way through their studies. The Program also requires participants to enroll in the Leadership Academy for African Development. Consequently students applying to compressed Masters programs are not eligible.
No, the program is only open to 2-year residential Masters and Undergraduate students.
The MasterCard Foundation is specifically targeting students who come from the lower economic quintiles in their countries of origin.
Students holding US citizenship, even if they are citizens of African countries, apply to MSU as domestic students and therefore are not eligible for this scholarship.
The MCF Scholars Program at MSU is not intended for U.S. permanent residents (Green Card holders).
Yes, students who have completed high school but have not yet entered university or enrolled in other tertiary institutions are eligible for this scholarship. Such applicants should provide an explanation of their activities for the period when they were not attending school.
The MCF Scholars Program targets students from the lower quintiles in their home country. As such immediate family members of MSU employees are unlikely to qualify for this scholarship.
The MasterCard Foundation is an independent and Canadian-based foundation separate from MasterCard Corporation. The Foundation was initially funded through an initial public offering in 2006. For more details, please consult the following website: http://www.mastercardfdn.org/
Students should anticipate staying at the same institution for the duration of their studies.
Kindly visit the following website for a list of MCF Scholars Program Partners: www.mastercardfdnscholars.org/partners
Applicants who do not receive the MCF Scholars Program award may be considered for other scholarships. At the moment, however, MSU has limited international student scholarships; students would in most cases need to seek external sources of funding in order to attend MSU.
*Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to read PDF documents.
