MasterCardFDN@RUFORUM Scholarships 2017/2018, Gulu University

The MasterCard Foundation, in collaboration with educational institutions in Africa, has committed to educating over 15,000 scholars at secondary and tertiary levels.

Scholarships at the undergraduate and Master’s level target individuals who have a strong desire to see their communities improve in the areas of economic growth and social development.

Scholarship Overview

• The MasterCard Foundation has partnered with the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM;ruforum.org), a network of 66 universities in 26 African countries. The partnership focuses on ‘Transforming African Agricultural Universities to meaningfully contribute to Africa’s growth and development’.
• Under this partnership, 110 undergraduate and 110 masters scholarships will be provided over a period of eight years. The scholarships target academically deserving yet economically disadvantaged, marginalized communities and those coming from conflict and post conflict areas of Africa. The scholarships are tenable at Egerton University in Kenya and Gulu University in Uganda.
• Students enrolled under this scholarship programme will receive comprehensive scholarships, leadership development, life skills support, entrepreneurship training, mentorship and exposure to community engagement.

Host School

• Gulu University (Uganda)

Field(s)of Study

Below are the courses to be offered at Gulu University in the 2017-18 academic year.

1. Bachelor of Science in Agri-Entrepreneurship and Communication Management
2. Bachelor of Science in Food and Agribusiness
3. Master of Science in Food Security and Community Nutrition
4. Master of Science in Agri-Enterprises Development

What does the Scholarship Cover?

Recipients of this scholarship are entitled to:

• Tuition fees
• One return air ticket for African students from outside Uganda
• Research costs
• Workshop and conference costs
• Living expenses including stipend and hostel
• Laptop
• Internship attachment
• Community engagement and field attachment
• Entrepreneurship training
• The MasterCard Foundation requires that successful applicants become high achievers with a leadership mindset, focused on changing their communities and Africa as a whole.

How many scholarships are given?

• There are 20 undergraduate and 10 master’s scholarships available for African students.
• 70% of these scholarships are reserved for Kenyan and Ugandan nationals.
• 60% of the undergraduate and 50% of the master’s scholarships are awarded to women.

Which countries are targeted?

• This scholarship is open to African students regardless of colour, race, or dissent.

Am I Eligible to Apply?

To apply for this scholarship, you must:

• Be an African student of any race, colour, and dissent
• Be economically disadvantaged or from a marginalized area
• Come from conflict and post-conflict areas of Africa
• Be a national of Uganda to benefit from the National respective scholarship quota
• Be a citizen of any African country to benefit from the Africa region scholarship quota
• Be less than 25 years for undergraduate and less than 30 years for masters studies at the time of application
• Have completed secondary school and/or diploma for a Bachelors degree application not more than two years from the time of the call
• Meet admission criteria for eligible programs in Gulu University
• For admission into Gulu University for an undergraduate degree programme one must have attained the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE)-High School Certificate (HSC) or its equivalent with two principal passes
• Demonstrate interest in agriculture, agribusiness and entrepreneurship
• Demonstrate leadership qualities
• Have a commitment to working in the agriculture sector and agricultural value chains
• Have a strong commitment to community transformation

How do I Apply- Next Steps

Application Procedure

1. Get the scholarship and admission forms from the university.
2. Hard-copy application forms are available at the following locations:

• Office of the Academic Registrar, Gulu University Main Campus
• Gulu University Coordination Office at UMA Show Ground, Lugogo, Kampala
• Gulu University Kitgum Campus

3. The forms that you require can also be downloaded from the following sites:

• RUFORUM (http://www.ruforum.org/MCF/)
• Gulu University (http://www.gu.ac.ug)

4. Send your application for admission to the university first, before you apply for the scholarship.
5. Study the application guidelines carefully, and provide all the information required, as well as supporting documents.
6. Note that female applicants stand a higher chance of acceptance into the scholarship program.

• Submission

• Completed applications can be sent in either as hard-copy or via email to Gulu University.
• Email applications must not have PDF attachments larger than 1MB (for both the scholarship application and the university admission).
• Hard-copy applications can be mailed to the address below:

Gulu University Academic Registrar, Gulu University

• Awich Road, Laroo Division, Gulu Municipality
• P.O.Box 166 Gulu, Uganda
• Tel: +256-471-433573
• E-mail: ar@gu.ac.ug

• For additional information about the scholarship at Gulu University, please contact:

Prof. Duncan Ongeng TAGDev Program Coordinator

• Faculty of Agriculture and Environment
• Gulu University, Awich Road, Laroo Division, Gulu Municipality
• Tel: +256 782673491
• Email: mcf.agric@gu.ac.ug

Closing Date

• The closing date for all applications is Wednesday, March 15 2017

How do I get more information?

• For more information, visit the following sites:

• ruforum.org/MCF/scholarships
• MasterCard Foundation Scholarship Advert
• http://www.gu.ac.ug
• https://ruforum.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/application-tagdev-web.pdf
• https://blog.ruforum.org/2017/01/12

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