What Is the Mastercard Foundation AfOx Scholarship Oxford 2027-28?
The Mastercard Foundation AfOx Scholarship Oxford 2027-28 is a full-cost scholarship for African students to take a one-year taught master's degree at the University of Oxford. It pays course fees and a grant for living costs, plus an economy return flight, visa and Immigration Health Surcharge fees, a settling down allowance, and access to an emergency Thrive Fund.
The partnership behind it, Oxford, the Mastercard Foundation, and the Africa Oxford Initiative, is set to support 400 young African scholars in programmes tied to pandemic preparedness and recovery.
Status, checked 10 November 2026: applications for 2027-28 entry are open now on Oxford's official AfOx and Saïd Business School pages. There is no single deadline. Your deadline is your course's funding deadline, and the earliest ones fall in the first week of December. The Master of Public Policy closes on 2 December 2026 at 12:00 midday UK time, 22 days away, so this is a genuine last-call window for the MPP route, not a date to bookmark and forget.
Ask yourself one question before you read further. Are you an African citizen, ordinarily resident in an African country, who has not already completed a graduate degree? If yes, and you can show a record of leadership and service in your community, this scholarship was built for you. If no, read the honest limits section near the end before you spend a weekend on an application Oxford will not consider.
Three Deadlines, One Programme: Which Date Is Yours?
Most scholarships give you one date. AfOx gives you a calendar, because the scholarship rides on top of your Oxford course application, and every Oxford course sets its own funding deadline. Miss your course's date and the scholarship goes with it. There is no late window and no separate AfOx form to rescue you.
| Route | Deadline for 2027-28 entry | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| PGDip in Global Health Research (part-time, online) | 1 December 2026, 12:00 midday UK time | 14-month part-time diploma, expected start 4 October 2027; course fees plus study support |
| Master of Public Policy (MPP), Blavatnik School of Government | 2 December 2026, 12:00 midday UK time | 12-month intensive master's for future public leaders; starts 27 September 2027 |
| Oxford MBA, Saïd Business School | 6 January 2027 | Up to three AfOx Graduate Scholarships for the 2027-28 MBA; full fees plus a living grant of at least £21,805 |
| Other eligible one-year taught master's courses | December 2026 or January 2027, per course | Check the funding deadline on your exact course page in Oxford's graduate course directory |
The Blavatnik School gives the most practical advice in this whole process: submit your MPP application two weeks before the 2 December deadline, so no later than mid-November. References and test scores must land before the deadline too. The AfOx page says the same in its own words: submit at least a week before your course's December or January funding deadline. Oxford's Medical Sciences division adds that for most courses starting in October 2027, funding consideration requires a complete application by 12 noon UK time on Tuesday 1 December 2026, so even if your course page shows a later date, the funding deadline is the one that matters.
What Does the Scholarship Actually Pay For?
AfOx calls this a full-cost scholarship, and the official page backs the label with a list that goes past tuition. Course fees are covered for the full duration of your fee liability on the agreed course. On top of that comes a grant for living costs, set at the UKRI minimum doctoral stipend rate for taught postgraduate students. Oxford publishes no single pound figure for the taught master's route, since the UKRI rate is set annually. The one fixed living-cost figure Oxford does publish sits on the MBA route: a grant of at least £21,805, from the Saïd Business School's official AfOx page.
| What is covered | Details (official AfOx and Saïd Business School pages) |
|---|---|
| Course fees | Full fees for the agreed taught master's course or PGDip, for the full duration of fee liability |
| Living costs | A grant for living costs at the UKRI minimum doctoral stipend rate (taught master's route); at least £21,805 for the MBA route |
| Travel | One economy return flight |
| Visa and health costs | Visa fees and Immigration Health Surcharge fees |
| Settling in | A settling down allowance on arrival |
| Emergencies | Access to a Thrive Fund for emergencies |
| Training and network | Leadership and Impact Programme in year one, plus mentoring, alumni networks, and tailored academic and social support |
The money is only half the package. Year one pairs the degree with a Leadership and Impact Programme built around collaborative leadership. After the degree comes the Ubuntu period of service, a second year in which scholars design and deliver projects with Africa-based organisations, with mentoring from Africa-based academics and practitioners. Then comes the network: the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program alumni community and the AfOx Alumni Network, plus mentorship from AfOx Research and Innovation Fellows.
A number worth pausing on: 400. The partnership is set to provide 400 young African scholars with fully funded taught master's degrees at Oxford, according to the official AfOx programme page. Against that, the MBA route alone offers up to three scholarships for 2027-28. The taught master's route does not publish a per-year number, so nobody can tell you your odds. This is one of the most competitive African scholarship routes in the world, and the application costs nothing apart from Oxford's £75 graduate application fee, so the price of trying is a weekend of careful writing.
Who Can Apply?
Eligibility is narrow on purpose. You must hold an offer for a full-time one-year taught master's course at Oxford, having applied through the graduate admissions portal by the relevant December or January funding deadline. You must be a citizen of an African country and ordinarily resident there, must not have previously completed a graduate degree, and must show leadership and service in your community, alignment with AfOx values, and a clear line from your past work or future plans to Africa's major challenges, including pandemic threats, the climate crisis, and youth employment.
- African citizenship and residence: citizen of an African country and ordinarily resident there. Oxford makes residence considerations for applicants from refugee and displaced backgrounds, and asks them to answer yes to the displacement question on the application form.
- No previous graduate degree: if you already hold a master's, you are not eligible, even if it was in a different field. This rule is stated on both the AfOx page and the Saïd Business School page.
- An offer for an eligible course: a full-time one-year taught master's, or the PGDip in Global Health Research. Applicants for open-field courses are not eligible.
- Leadership and service: a demonstrable record of leading and serving in your community, not just a line on a CV. The scholarship looks for people who are locally rooted and globally minded.
- Values and purpose: alignment with AfOx values, collegiality, empathy, commitment, transparency, and inclusivity, plus a credible plan to contribute to Africa's development.
- Under-represented groups welcomed: Oxford says it particularly welcomes applications from people from financially disadvantaged backgrounds, women, refugees or displaced people, and people with disabilities.
The fields Oxford names show what it is looking for: food systems, health sciences, sustainable water and energy systems, governance and public policy, and entrepreneurship. Programmes centre on four AfOx themes tied to Africa's Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals: Healthy People, Integrated Societies, Green Futures, and Innovation for Prosperity. If your course sits outside those themes, check whether it is on the eligible list before you apply, because not every Oxford master's qualifies. English is set by the course, not by AfOx: the MPP requires the higher English level, so check your course page and book the test now if you have not taken it.
The Second Year Nobody Talks About: The Ubuntu Period of Service
Most scholarship articles stop at the money. AfOx deserves a closer look at year two, because it changes what the scholarship asks of you. After the master's, scholars are supported to take up four to six month placements in leading Africa-based organisations as part of the Ubuntu period of service, designing and delivering a project with mentoring from Africa-based academics and practitioners, building a pathway into an impactful career in Africa rather than a CV line in Oxford. If your plan is to study at Oxford and then look for work anywhere in the world, that will feel like a condition you did not ask for. If your plan is to go home and build something, it is the most valuable part of the whole package, and the selection panel will test which of those two people you are in the virtual interview.
How to Apply
There is no separate AfOx application form at the start. The scholarship runs through your Oxford course application, and the steps below follow the official AfOx and Saïd Business School pages.
- Pick an eligible course. Use Oxford's graduate course directory to find a full-time one-year taught master's that fits the AfOx themes, or the PGDip in Global Health Research, or the Oxford MBA. Read the course page for its funding deadline, English requirement, and documents.
- Check the deadline twice. MPP: 2 December 2026, 12:00 midday UK time. PGDip: 1 December 2026, 12:00 midday UK time. MBA: 6 January 2027. Other courses: the December or January funding deadline on the course page. Aim to submit at least a week early, two weeks for the MPP.
- Prepare the file. Transcripts, references, a personal statement that shows leadership and service rather than listing them, and proof of English if your course requires it. Tell your referees the real deadline now, not the week it arrives.
- Submit through the graduate admissions portal and pay the fee. Oxford charges a £75 graduate application fee. Answer the displacement question honestly if it applies to you.
- Wait for the offer, then the scholarship invitation. Eligible offer holders are contacted by Oxford's Student Fees and Funding team by email and invited to complete a scholarship application form. Complete it promptly.
- Attend the virtual interview. Eligible candidates are invited to a virtual interview for the AfOx Graduate Scholarship Programme. This is where the leadership and service record gets tested in conversation, so prepare examples, not slogans.
For questions about the scholarship itself, Oxford lists afoxscholarships@ndm.ox.ac.uk as the contact. Questions about admission requirements go to the university or the department running your course.
The Honest Limits
Three limits deserve plain language. First, this scholarship is for African citizens ordinarily resident in Africa. If you are not, do not apply. Oxford's other funding, Clarendon and the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann programme, is open worldwide, and both are covered on this blog. Second, a previous graduate degree disqualifies you, and so does an application to an open-field course. Third, the living-cost grant for the taught master's route is set at the UKRI minimum doctoral stipend rate, which Oxford does not convert into a fixed pound figure on the AfOx page. If a website prints an exact annual amount for the 2027-28 taught master's route, it is guessing. The only fixed living-cost figure Oxford publishes is the MBA's at least £21,805.
Important Dates for the Mastercard Foundation AfOx Scholarship 2027-28
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1 December 2026, 12:00 midday UK time | PGDip in Global Health Research application deadline; funding deadline for most October 2027 Oxford courses |
| 2 December 2026, 12:00 midday UK time | Master of Public Policy final application deadline; Blavatnik advises submitting by mid-November |
| December 2026 or January 2027 | Funding deadlines for other eligible taught master's courses, per course page |
| 6 January 2027 | Oxford MBA AfOx Graduate Scholarship deadline (up to three scholarships) |
| 27 September 2027 | MPP expected start date |
| 4 October 2027 | PGDip in Global Health Research expected start date |
| 2027-28 academic year | Scholarship year one: taught master's plus Leadership and Impact Programme; year two: Ubuntu period of service |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Mastercard Foundation AfOx Scholarship fully funded?
Yes. Oxford describes it as a full-cost scholarship. It covers course fees and a grant for living costs, plus an economy return flight, visa and Immigration Health Surcharge fees, a settling down allowance, and access to a Thrive Fund for emergencies.
What is the deadline for the Mastercard Foundation AfOx Scholarship 2027-28?
There is no single deadline. Your deadline is your course's funding deadline. The MPP closes 2 December 2026 at 12:00 midday UK time, the PGDip in Global Health Research closes 1 December 2026 at 12:00 midday UK time, the Oxford MBA closes 6 January 2027, and other eligible taught master's courses close in December 2026 or January 2027.
Do I need a separate application for the AfOx scholarship?
No, not at the start. Apply for your Oxford course through the graduate admissions portal by its funding deadline. Eligible offer holders are then contacted by email and invited to complete a scholarship application form, followed by a virtual interview.
Who can apply for the AfOx scholarship?
African citizens ordinarily resident in an African country who have not previously completed a graduate degree, hold an offer for an eligible full-time one-year taught master's course or the PGDip, and can show leadership, service, and a commitment to Africa's development. Refugees and displaced people are explicitly welcomed, with residence considerations.
How much is the living-cost grant?
For the taught master's route, the grant is set at the UKRI minimum doctoral stipend rate, and Oxford does not publish a fixed pound figure for it. For the Oxford MBA route, the official figure is a grant of at least £21,805.
Does the scholarship cover the MBA?
Yes, through a separate track. Up to three AfOx Graduate Scholarships are available for the 2027-28 Oxford MBA, covering full course fees plus a living grant of at least £21,805, with a deadline of 6 January 2027 and no separate application.
Conclusion
The Mastercard Foundation AfOx Scholarship is not the easiest Oxford scholarship to win, and it does not pretend to be. It asks for African citizenship and residence, no prior graduate degree, a real record of service, and a plan to take the work home. In return it pays the full cost of an Oxford master's, adds a leadership programme, and funds a second year of service in Africa. If that exchange matches who you are, the calendar is the only thing standing between you and it. Pick your course, check its funding deadline on Oxford's own course page, and submit a week early. The MPP deadline is 22 days away.
Apply on Official Website: Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, Africa Oxford Initiative (AfOx) · MPP course page: Master of Public Policy, University of Oxford · MBA route: AfOx Graduate Scholarships, Saïd Business School. Confirm your course's funding deadline, English requirement, and the application fee on the official pages before you apply.
Related on Opportunity Wave: Clarendon Scholarship 2027-28 at the University of Oxford · Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships 2027-28 at Oxford University.
By Kashan Ajmeri, Opportunity Wave, 10 November 2026. Sources: Africa Oxford Initiative, official Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program page (afox.ox.ac.uk); University of Oxford, official Master of Public Policy course page (ox.ac.uk); Saïd Business School, official AfOx Graduate Scholarships page (sbs.ox.ac.uk); University of Oxford Medical Sciences Division, official How to Apply page (medsci.ox.ac.uk); University of Oxford Department of Oncology, official How to Apply page (oncology.ox.ac.uk), all checked 10 November 2026. The 400-scholar figure, full-cost coverage, Ubuntu period, eligibility criteria, and the 1 December, 2 December, and 6 January 2027 deadlines are from these official Oxford pages. The £21,805 MBA living grant and the three MBA scholarships are from the Saïd Business School page. The £75 graduate application fee is from Oxford's official departmental page.
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