Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at ALCHE Mauritius: Full-Ride Scholarship for African Students

Deadline alert: international applicants, including Nigerians, must apply by 14 November 2026. The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at ALCHE, the African Leadership College of Higher Education in Mauritius, is a full-ride undergraduate scholarship for talented young Africans who cannot afford university on their own. It covers full tuition plus additional financial support for the whole degree. There is no separate scholarship deadline: you ask for the scholarship inside the ALCHE admission application, so the 14 November admission deadline for international students is the date that matters if you want to start in February 2027.

ALCHE runs the programme in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation. Awards are given mainly on demonstrated financial need and high academic achievement, and ALCHE warns that very limited scholarships are available per intake, so a strong, complete and early application matters. This guide explains who qualifies, what the award covers, and the exact steps to follow. If the ALCHE deadline is too close for you, our guide to fully funded scholarships for Africans lists other awards with later closing dates.

Quick Facts

Item	Details
Application deadline (international students)	14 November 2026
Intake	February 2027
Level	Undergraduate (bachelor’s degrees)
Institution	ALCHE, Pamplemousses, Mauritius
Funding	Full-ride: full tuition plus additional financial support
Who can apply	African students with financial need, national exam scores of at least a B average, and leadership potential
How the scholarship is requested	Inside the ALCHE admission application; there is no separate scholarship form or closing date

Who Is Eligible

ALCHE sets five requirements for the Mastercard Foundation scholarships.

1. You must show real financial need. You must be otherwise unable to afford ALCHE tuition with any other form of aid. ALCHE expects you to demonstrate financial need and substantial socio-economic disadvantage, and the disadvantage must be clearly verifiable with acceptable official supporting documents. A claim of need without documents will not carry your application.

2. You must be academically strong. You must first meet the normal ALCHE admission criteria, and you need strong national exam scores of at least a B average. For a Nigerian applicant, your national exam record means your WAEC or NECO results, so check your grades against that B average benchmark before you start.

3. You must show leadership potential. ALCHE looks for evidence of strong leadership potential, evidence of active contribution in your community, and a clear commitment to use the opportunity to give back to your community.

4. You must be able to study in Mauritius legally. You must be a Mauritian citizen or readily eligible for a student residence permit. As a Nigerian, that means you need a valid passport and you must be able to meet the student permit requirements, so do not start the application without a passport in hand.

5. Some applicants are especially encouraged. Female applicants, individuals with physical or learning disabilities, and applicants aged 26 and below are especially encouraged to apply. Read this correctly: these are encouragement categories on the official page, not extra cut offs, but they tell you where ALCHE’s priorities lie.

ALCHE’s undergraduate degrees include Entrepreneurial Leadership, Computer Science, Software Engineering, and International Business and Trade. Students spend their first year in a Leadership Core and move into their degree programme from the second year. When you apply, confirm the current programme list on the ALCHE website, because the institution says its portfolio for incoming intakes is under review.

What the Scholarship Covers

The Mastercard Foundation scholarships at ALCHE are described by the institution as full-ride scholarships. They cover:

• Full tuition at ALCHE
• Additional financial support throughout the scholar’s journey at ALCHE

Two honest cautions. First, ALCHE does not publish an item by item breakdown of the additional support on its scholarship page, so nobody can tell you from the official information whether a specific cost, such as flights or a laptop, is included. The detailed official source is the Scholarship Application Guide, which ALCHE links from its Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program page, so read it before you budget around the award. Second, the award is not automatic with admission. The programme is based primarily on demonstrated financial need and high academic achievement, it is subject to meeting all other eligibility requirements and to availability, and very limited scholarships are available per intake.

How to Apply

The scholarship journey is built into the admission process. Follow these steps in order.

1. Check your eligibility first. Read the requirements above on the official scholars page and confirm you meet the admission criteria, the B average benchmark and the financial need condition.
2. Start your ALCHE admission application online. Only applicants who are eligible for admission to ALCHE are allowed to go forward for the scholarship, so admission comes first. ALCHE reviews applications on a rolling basis and gives an admission decision within two to four weeks of a complete application.
3. Complete the personal and academic sections. You will enter your personal details and contextual information, then your academic history: your preferred degree programme, the language of instruction at your secondary school, your secondary and any tertiary education, and your standardised test scores where applicable.
4. Upload your documents. The admission application asks for national exam transcripts, secondary school transcripts, proof of English proficiency and identification documents. International students must also have a valid passport and check the student permit requirements.
5. Complete the scholarship eligibility check. Inside the application, you submit information that ALCHE uses to decide whether you are eligible for the scholarship at all. Only eligible candidates move to the next stage.
6. Fill in the scholarship application form. Be ready to provide your household income, personal details such as humanitarian status and guardianship status, details of your previous education financing (for example, how your high school tuition was paid), and a narrative submission with videos and essays on themes ALCHE sets, so the reviewers can see your abilities and story.
7. Add referral letters and supporting documents. Every applicant must provide referral letters from persons in good standing in their community, plus supporting documents that verify the information declared in the application. Ask your referees early, because this is the step most likely to delay you in a short window.
8. Take the ALCHE Fit Challenge. After the form, you complete a set of online exercises that takes an average of 25 minutes and helps ALCHE understand you as an individual and how you fit its community and learning model.
9. Wait for the review committee’s decision. Submitted scholarship applications go to the Scholarship review committee, which decides who may be considered for the award.

Apply through the official ALCHE website only. ALCHE charges no application fees and does not authorise any agent or individual to act on your behalf: applicants must complete and submit their own applications.

Documents to Prepare

Gather these before you start, because the 14 November deadline leaves no room for chasing paperwork:

• National exam transcripts (for Nigerians, your WAEC or NECO results)
• Secondary school transcripts
• Proof of English proficiency
• Identification documents
• A valid passport (for international students)
• Official documents that prove your financial need and socio-economic disadvantage
• Referral letters from persons in good standing in your community
• Records of your previous education financing, such as how your secondary school fees were paid
• Supporting documents that verify every claim you make in the scholarship form

Common Mistakes

• Confusing the two deadlines. Mauritian citizens have until 23 January 2027. International students, including Nigerians, close on 14 November 2026. The January date does not apply to you.
• Looking for a separate scholarship application. There is none. If you miss the admission application, you have missed the scholarship as well.
• Paying an agent. ALCHE states that it charges no fees for application services and authorises no agents. If anyone demands payment to help you apply, treat it as a scam and report it.
• Declaring financial need without proof. ALCHE requires the disadvantage to be verifiable with official supporting documents. An unsupported story, however genuine, is a weak application.
• Applying below the grade benchmark. The scholarship expects strong national exam scores of at least a B average, on top of meeting the normal admission criteria.
• Leaving referral letters to the last day. Referees need notice. Ask this week, not on 13 November.
• Starting without a passport. International students need a valid passport and must be eligible for a student residence permit.

Key Takeaways

• The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at ALCHE is a full-ride award: full tuition plus additional financial support for the degree.
• Nigerians apply as international students, and the deadline is 14 November 2026 for the February 2027 intake.
• You request the scholarship inside the admission application; there is no separate scholarship deadline.
• Financial need that official documents can verify, a B average or better in national exams, and leadership in your community are the core tests.
• Places are very limited per intake, and ALCHE charges no application fee, so apply yourself and apply now.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Nigerians apply for the ALCHE Mastercard Foundation scholarship? Yes. The programme is open to talented students across Africa, and Nigerians apply as international students. That means the international deadline of 14 November 2026 and the February 2027 intake apply to you, and you must hold a valid passport and be readily eligible for a student residence permit in Mauritius.

Is there a separate scholarship application or deadline? No. You must first apply for admission to ALCHE, and the scholarship is requested during that admission application through an eligibility check and a scholarship form. There is no separate scholarship closing date, so the admission deadline is the deadline that controls everything.

What exactly does the scholarship pay for? ALCHE describes the award as a full-ride scholarship covering full tuition and additional financial support throughout the scholar’s journey at ALCHE. The institution does not publish an item by item list of what the additional support covers on its scholarship page, so check the official Scholarship Application Guide linked from that page for the detailed terms.

What grades do I need? You must meet ALCHE’s admission criteria and have strong national exam scores of at least a B average. For Nigerian applicants, that assessment rests on your WAEC or NECO results, which you upload as your national exam transcripts.

Is there an age limit? ALCHE does not state a hard age cut off on its scholarship page. It does say that applicants aged 26 and below are especially encouraged to apply, alongside female applicants and individuals with physical or learning disabilities.

Does ALCHE charge an application fee, or can an agent apply for me? No to both. ALCHE states that it charges no fees for application services and does not authorise agents or individuals to act on an applicant’s behalf. You must complete and submit your own application, and anyone who demands payment to assist should be treated as a scam.

Last updated: 7 November 2026

Ready to apply? Start your admission application on the official ALCHE Apply Now page and read the full scholarship conditions on the official Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program page before you submit.