There are lots of scholarships in Europe for African students that offer them exceptional opportunities that will aid them to achieve their academic and professional goals.
These scholarships in Europe for African students cover costs like tuition fees, living allowance, travel allowances, health insurance, etc. They not only help to lessen the burdens of African students studying in Europe but they also help to enhance the educational and professional journey for them.
It is the dream of many African students to study at any of the universities in Europe. This is due to the high-quality education, diverse academic programs, and strong research opportunities that these European universities have. These universities may also offer specialized courses and have innovative facilities that may not be available in Africa.
In this article, we’ll be looking at 7 scholarships in Europe for African students.
7 Scholarships In Europe For African Students
1. DAAD Scholarships
DAAD, which is an acronym for Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, is one of the prominent Scholarships in Europe for African Students. The DAAD scholarship has various academic programs like undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral studies across different German universities.
The DAAD Scholarship program has various scholarship for students from any of the countries in Africa who wish to further their studies in Europe. The In-Country/In-Region Program Sub-Saharan Africa is a scholarship program that supports Master’s and PhD students from Sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on development-related studies.
This scholarship comes with a monthly allowance, tuition fees, printing allowance, and study and research allowance. In-region awardees of this scholarship program also have travel allowances and health insurance.
The Leadership for Africa program is a Master’s degree scholarship in Germany for students in Africa specifically for Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Uganda citizens. The Development-related Postgraduate Courses (EPOS) and Study Scholarship for STEM disciplines are scholarship programs for African students from developing countries in Africa focusing on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields.
To be eligible for this scholarship you must have completed a Bachelor’s degree course, show proof of two years working experience and you must have a good understanding of English language and German (this is dependent on your course of interest). The Application deadline for the 2024 session is 30 August, 2024.
2. University of Oxford Clarendon Fund Scholarships
The next on the list of Scholarships in Europe for African students is the Clarendon Fund Scholarship. With the University of Oxford as the host University, this scholarship is a fully-funded scholarship which is awarded to students who have exceptional academic performance from all parts of the world, Africa inclusive.
The Clarendon Fund scholarship is offered for both Masters and PhD programs. This scholarship covers tuition fees and offers a generous living allowance. Successful applicants of this scholarship get about £15,009 annually as living allowances.
Application for the 2024/2025 academic year is currently open and application deadline is December/January 2024. It is important to check the website for the specific deadline of the course of your interest. Upon completion of their studies, students who were awarded this scholarship will become part of the Clarendon Scholars Association.
3. Swiss Excellence Scholarships for Foreign Students
The Swiss Excellence Scholarships is one of the many Scholarships in Europe for African Students. The scholarship is awarded to international students, including those from Africa, who are researchers and wish to further their postgraduate studies in Switzerland. This scholarship covers tuition fees, living expenses, and health insurance, and is available for master’s, doctoral, and postdoctoral programs.
Application deadline for the 2024/2025 academic year varies from country to country but it’s between October to December 2024. For the 2025/2026 academic year, young researchers who wish to apply for this scholarship are expected to have completed their masters degree program or equivalent before 31 July, 2025. The Swiss Excellence Scholarship program for the 2025/2026 academic year starts 1 September, 2025.
After the application and selection process, successful applicants of this scholarship get paid CHF 1 ‘920 monthly and successful applicants for post doctoral scholarship get CHF 3’500 monthly for living allowances.
4. Università Bocconi Scholarships
Università Bocconi in Italy is another scholarship in Europe for African Students. This scholarship is a fully-funded scholarship and it is available for students who wish to run either Undergraduate or Masters programs. This scholarship is granted to students based on their academic performance and the strength of their application.
Some of the documents that may be required during the application process includes an online application form, Academic Transcripts, Proof of Admission into any of the universities, Curriculum Vitae (CV), Personal Statement, Letters of Recommendation etc. Applicants are expected to get these documents ready and start the application process on time.
For the 2024/2025 academic year, application deadline for undergraduate program is 14 April, 2025 and for Masters program 21 April, 2025.
5. The University of Amsterdam Scholarships
The scholarship programs offered by the University of Amsterdam can also be considered as Scholarships in Europe for African students. The University of Amsterdam (UvA) offers different scholarships for African students to study in Europe.
Some of the scholarships offered by University of Amsterdam are the Amsterdam Scholarships (AMS) which is open to international students, including those from Africa, who are pursuing a Master’s degree at the University of Amsterdam. The next is the UvA (University of Amsterdam) Scholarships for International Students which is opened for students pursuing a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree. The Orange Knowledge Program (OKP) is a Dutch government scholarship that is opened to students from developing countries, including many African nations, who wish to further their education in the Netherlands.
The Netherlands Fellowship Program (NFP) is another scholarship offered by the Dutch government to students from developing countries who wish to pursue a Master’s or PhD at the UvA. Lastly, the African Excellence Fee Waiver is also a scholarship program under the University of Amsterdam that is targeted at students from African countries who are pursuing a Master’s degree at the Faculty of Science of the University of Amsterdam.
These different scholarship programs may cover tuition fees, living expenses, health insurance and travel allowances. Application deadline for the Amsterdam Merit Scholarship is 15 January, 2025, 23:59 CET. This is the final date for submissions. For other scholarships, you can check the University website to be well informed.
6. Erasmus Mundus Scholarship Program
The Erasmus Mundus Scholarships is known to be one of the most prestigious scholarships in Europe. It is a fully-funded scholarship program that is sponsored by the European Commission. This is a scholarship program that is backed up by the European Union and offers scholarships to students from all parts of the world, not only Africa, to study in Europe.
The application for the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship will open in November 2024 and submissions for application is March 2025. Students who wish to apply for these scholarships should check the official website for updated information on the application process and requirements.
There are so many benefits that applicants who are awarded the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship will enjoy. One of the major benefits of this scholarship is that it helps to support students financially.
The scholarship covers tuition fees, travel costs, living allowances, and insurance, which helps to lessen the financial burden of studying abroad. The Erasmus scholarship program is open to students from all parts of the world, from non-EU countries and also EU countries. Students who are awarded this scholarship will be paid EUR 1100 -1500 monthly.
7. Holland Scholarship
The Holland Scholarship now called NL scholarship is open to students from African countries who wish to further their studies in Europe.
The Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, Dutch research universities and universities of applied sciences are the backbone of this scholarship. This is not a fully-funded scholarship. Successful applicants are paid €5,000 which can help to pay part of the tuition fees during their first year.
Application for the 2024-2025 academic year is currently ongoing and application deadline is February – June 2025. It is important that applicants visit the website of the University of their interest to know the specific deadline to submit their application.
Conclusion
In this article we’ve looked at 7 scholarships in Europe for African students. Being awarded any of the scholarships in Europe for Africa students would go a long way in aiding students who cannot afford the tuition fees to continue their education in their dream university.
It is important that applicants should be adequately informed of the eligibility criteria, application processes, and submission deadlines for any of the scholarships and schools they are applying for.
These Scholarships in Europe for African students helps to empower African students so they can have access to standard education as they pursue their dream.
