Some countries in the world are just more expensive to study in. One of them is Canada. Other countries like the United States, United Kingdom etc., could also be very expensive for college students. Many times, the locals in these countries take up student loans in order to be able to study at top colleges. And these loans are usually very hard to pay up after graduation.
If you are an African student that aspires to study in Canada, you probably will want to give up on the Canadian dream once you see the tuition fees of many Canadian universities. But do not worry. You should not be scared.
There are scholarships to apply for in Canada that will sponsor you for your studies and also take the financial weight off your shoulders. There are scholarships for all levels of college education whether at the Bachelors level, Master’s degree level or PhD level.
Best Scholarships in Canada for African Students
These scholarships might be targeted at African students applying to Canada or to international students as a whole. Below, we mention a number of these Canadian scholarships that African students can apply for as well as links to follow to know more about each individual scholarship.
1. MasterCard Foundation Scholarships
Under this scholarship program, three top Canadian universities are partners with MasterCard Foundation. The MasterCard Foundation scholarships is an initiative from MasterCard. The company dedicated $500 million to sponsor up to 15,000 African students to study for their degree in Canada.
The scholarship program started in 2013 and since then, thousands of African students have benefitted from the program. You can learn more about the MasterCard Scholarship Foundation by visiting https://mastercardfdn.org/partners/.
2. McGill University’s MasterCard Foundation Scholarships
MasterCard Foundation Scholarship Program (MSFP) has partnered with top Canadian college, McGill University, to sponsor qualified African students to study for their Master’s degree. The scholarship is offered to students yearly / annually. The deadline to submit application in 2020 was January 31, 2020.
All Master’s level students from countries of the sub-saharan region of Africa are eligible to apply. Applicants must be academically gifted. There are eligibility requirements and application guidelines which you can read in full at www.mcgill.ca/mastercardfdn-scholars/. The scholarship lasts for a duration of 2 years.
3. University of Toronto’s MasterCard Foundation Scholarships
University of Toronto is one of the best universities in Canada and indeed all over the world. This impressive college has also partnered with MasterCard Foundation to sponsor qualified African undergraduate level students to study at University of Toronto. There are eligibility requirements to meet to qualify and application deadline is usually December of every year. The scholarship lasts for a period of 4 years for undergraduate degree. Please visit http://sites.utoronto.ca/mcfscholars/ for more information.
4. University of British Columbia’s MasterCard Foundation Scholarships
University of British Columbia is another highly ranked Canadian university that students all over the world would love the opportunity to attend.
If you are an academically gifted African student and you wish to study at University of British Columbia, you can apply. The scholarship at UBC is strictly for Master’s level applicants who have completed a Bachelor’s degree. To know more, visit https://mcfscholars.ubc.ca/apply/graduate/ for more information.
5. University of Alberta Scholarships
The various scholarship programs available at University of Alberta are open to international as well as African students. There are the;
- Pierre Elliot Trudeau Foundation Scholarships at www.trudeaufoundation.ca/ which is for local and international students at post-graduate research levels.
- Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships at https://vanier.gc.ca
There are other scholarships available especially for graduate students.
6. Humber College International Student Scholarships
Humber College also offers scholarship opportunities to qualified international and African students. You can visit https://international.humber.ca/student-services/managing-your-finances/scholarships-awards.html for more detailed information.
7. Microsoft Research PhD Fellowship Program
This scholarship program is open to all international students, not only Africans. It is specifically for those students who want to obtain their PhD and are either in their 2nd or 3rd years of PhD in the USA or Canada. The scholarship is offered every year. Up to 122 fellows have been recipients of this scholarship since its establishment in 2008. Visit www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/academic-program/phd-fellowship/ for more information.
These 6 scholarship programs are good choices you can apply to, in order to study in Canada as an African student. African students have a large number of scholarship opportunities that are open to them in Canada. In order to increase your chances of winning a scholarship, you should endeavour to apply as early as possible.
