Mastercard Foundation, in partnership with Stellenbosch University in South Africa, has commenced applications for the 2025 African Stars Fellowship Program.
The Mastercard African STARS Scholarship offers a fully funded opportunity that covers the full cost of the MSc programme, including Tuition fees, accommodation, living stipend, research, and Air travel costs.
For more about the Mastercard African STARS Scholarship, its eligibility criteria, benefits, and application guide, read this post, and then proceed to apply using the button provided.
African STARS MSc Fellowship Summary
- Host Country: South Africa
- Study Abroad:Â Study in Africa
- Category: Postgraduate Scholarships | Masters Scholarships
- Eligible Countries: African Countries
- Reward: Full Scholarship | Living Stipend | Accommodation | Travel Costs | Healthcare | Research Costs
- No IELTS Required
- Deadline: June 26, 2025
Mastercard African STARS Scholarship (African STARS MSc Fellowship) Details:
Applications for the 2025 Mastercard African STARS MSc Fellowship have officially begun.
The Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI) at Stellenbosch University (South Africa) and the Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD) (Senegal), in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, invite applications for the African STARS Fellowship.
The Mastercard African STARS Scholarship (African STARS MSc Fellowship) is a fully funded opportunity to pursue an MSc in Bioinformatics of Infectious Diseases and Pathogen Genomics at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.
Eligibility Requirements for Mastercard African STARS MSc Fellowship
To be considered for the Mastercard African STARS MSc Fellowship, you must:
- Be born in and / or living in Africa
- Be 35 years of age or younger at the time of application
- Hold a BSc Honours (NQF level 8) or equivalent 4-year degree (≥65%) in:
- Bioinformatics, Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science,
- Biochemistry, Genetics, Molecular Biology, or a related field
- Women are strongly encouraged to apply
Benefits of Mastercard African STARS Scholarship (African STARS MSc Fellowship)
The African STARS Fellowship covers the full cost of the MSc programme, including:
- Tuition fees
- Accommodation
- Living stipend
- Research-related expenses
- Air Travel expense
- Health insurance
About the African STARS MSc Fellowship
- Duration: 2 years (Feb 2026 – Jan 2028).
- Location: Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.
- Structured 9-month lecture block, including a compulsory Statistics and Bioinformatics module, followed by elective capita selecta modules in Infectious Diseases or Pathogen Genomics, offering flexibility to address emerging research priorities.
- Over 1 year of hands-on research training within Stellenbosch University’s world-class infectious disease laboratories to complete a bioinformatics research project.
- Career development workshops tailored to the needs of researchers in low- and middle-incomecountries (LMICs).
- Ongoing mentorship from a dedicated team of supervisors based at Stellenbosch and partnering institutions.
- For detailed information on the MSc programme structure, consult page 136 of the 2025 Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Yearbook.
