Pan African University (PAU) Scholarship

Each year the African Union Commission issues a call for scholarship applications for the upcoming academic year, most recently for 2026-2027, inviting outstanding African students and diaspora members to apply for fully funded Master's and PhD places. The scholarship is structured to grow a new generation of African scientists, engineers, and policy specialists who study in Africa rather than defaulting to Western institutions, while still meeting rigorous international academic standards.

Age limits apply and are stricter than many global scholarships: Master's applicants must generally be under 25 (male) or 28 (female), while PhD applicants must be under 28 (male) or 30 (female), reflecting a deliberate policy to prioritize early-career African researchers and to encourage gender parity through slightly relaxed limits for women. Master's applicants need at least a second-class upper division bachelor's degree in a relevant field; PhD applicants need a master's degree from PAU or another internationally recognized university.

The scholarship covers full tuition, accommodation, and a living stipend for the duration of study, along with access to research supervision networks that span PAU's institutes and partner universities globally. Because PAU emphasizes applied, development-relevant research (STEM, governance, water and energy, life sciences), successful candidates often go on to work in African ministries, regional bodies, and research institutions.

Applications must be submitted entirely online through the AU-PAU submission portal within a roughly one-month window each cycle (the 2026-2027 call ran from mid-November to mid-December). Given the tight window and detailed documentation requirements, applicants are strongly advised to prepare transcripts, recommendation letters, and research proposals (for PhD applicants) well in advance of the call opening.