Most African students, whether in the East, West, North, or Southern region, are struggling to get quality higher education with less financial burden. It’s even worse when these students intend to study outside the shores of their country and continent.
To study abroad from East Africa, you are either from a rich family, which is just a fraction of people, or you have other sources of educational help. The good news is that there are scholarship for East African students that will reduce the financial stress of gaining a degree.
Even though scholarships exclusively for East African Students reduce competition, doesn’t mean you should limit your search to only these kinds of scholarships. You can explore other options like going for athletic scholarships if you’re very good in a particular sport, or specifically going for biomedical engineering scholarships if your field of study is related to it.
Also, you can take advantage of international scholarships to study in Europe, it gives you an opportunity even as an East African student, to enroll and receive scholarships from top universities in this continent.
Table of Contents
Scholarship for East African Students
1. DAAD Scholarship for East Africa
This scholarship is awarded to East African students that have already obtained their bachelor’s degree and intend to obtain their master’s program in Germany. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a citizen of Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, or a refugee in one of these countries.
This DAAD scholarship for East African students will support you during your study experience in Germany both financially and professionally. Also, Germany provides other scholarships for students that are disabled, regardless of country.
2. Mandela Institute For Development Studies (MINDS) Scholarship Programme For Leadership Development
This scholarship is awarded to African students, whether they’re from the East or any other region of the continent, to study in an African country other than their home country. This helps these students to immerse themselves in the richness and diversity that the country and its communities have to offer.
3. EAC Scholarship Programme
The East African Community Scholarship Programme was created to contribute towards training leaders that will foster the EAC Regional integration, it will also help students to study in countries other than their home country. The project offers a comprehensive package including scholarships for Master’s programs, internships, mentoring, networking events, and further leadership training activities.
This scholarship for East African students will cover University tuition fees, a monthly stipend worth €380, allowances for study materials & research, Medical insurance, etc.
4. The Rhodes Scholarships for East Africa
If you’re a citizen of Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan, or Burundi, you should take advantage of this postgraduate scholarship to study at the University of Oxford. The scholarship will not only cover the cost of studies but also provide an annual stipend worth more than £18,000 or more than £1,500 per month.
You’ll notice we didn’t list Kenyan citizens, it’s because they are not eligible for this particular scholarship, we’ll list there’s, next.
5. The Rhodes Scholarships for Kenya
Rhodes Trust provides two (2) scholarships each year for Kenyan citizens. Even though you’re a refugee/asylum residing in Kenya, you will still be considered, but you need to be a resident for at least five years.
Also, the scholarship is very competitive and priority is given to candidates that have a first-class honors degree or equivalent, or a minimum GPA of 3.70 on a 4.0 scale. Just like the Rhodes Scholarships for East African students, you’ll receive the same awards they receive.
6. Aga Khan Foundation Scholarship Program
If you’re a citizen of Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania, or Uganda, that has no other means of financing your education to pursue full-time master’s or postgraduate studies, then you need to take advantage of this scholarship. Not only do you need to have a genuine financial need, but you also need to have excellent academic records.
7. Chevening Scholarship
Chevening Scholarship is provided by the United Kingdom government to several students from lots of countries including students from East Africa. The scholarship is totally funded to study for a 1-year master’s degree in the UK, and after your scholarship, you will join more than 50,000 global alumni.
The scholarship will also provide a monthly stipend, travel costs to and from the UK, an arrival allowance, a travel grant to attend Chevening events in the UK, etc.
8. Beit Trust Postgraduate Scholarships
This scholarship for East African students is for citizens of Zambia, Zimbabwe, or Malawi, who hold permanent residence, live there, and/or intend to return to their country after their studies. Candidates need to be below 30 years, except they are medical or veterinary doctors who need to be under 35 years old.
9. Africa London Nagasaki (ALN) Fund
The Africa London Nagasaki (ALN) Fund was created to support African scientists to undertake a Master’s degree in a subject relevant to the control of infectious disease in Africa. The scholarship is for candidates who will enroll in a Master of Tropical Medicine degree at the School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nagasaki University, Japan, or an MSc at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Scholars will receive a maximum of US$50,000 each that will cover their tuition fees, travel, and living expenses.
10. Rotary Peace Fellowships
Annually, Rotary awards fully funded fellowships for dedicated leaders from more than 140 countries in the world, including those in East Africa to study at one of our peace centers. The fellowships cover tuition and fees, room and board, round-trip transportation, and internship and field-study expenses.
You can either choose to take advantage of their fellowships for master’s degrees or their certificate studies at premier universities.
11. Commonwealth Distance Learning Master’s Scholarships
The Commonwealth Distance Learning Master’s Scholarships are awarded to 44 low and middle-income Commonwealth countries. Including 8 countries from the East Which are Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
12. University of Glasgow African Excellence Award
This is among the scholarship for East African students awarded by the University of Glasgow for a 1-year postgraduate taught Master’s program, in any discipline for academics. The scholarship is awarded to 15 candidates and it will completely waive your tuition fee.
13. Sub-Saharan Africa Global Initiative Fellow – TU Delft
This fellowship is for African students that are in their first two years of their Ph.D. making research focused on finding a solution for a problem faced by people/communities in low-resource settings in Low-and-Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). This fellowship has a lot to offer to its Fellows, such as Delft Global lunch meetings and other Delft Global events, Possible Graduate School credits for fieldwork and other Delft Global-related activities, etc.
Conclusion
Due to the exclusivity of these scholarships for East African students, it reduces competition, however, you shouldn’t limit your search to just this list. Extend by looking into other scholarships whether or not Easy Africa is mentioned. To stay safe, always go through the eligible countries to know if your home country is eligible.
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