The Mandela Rhodes Scholarship is a life-changing leadership journey.
https://www.mandelarhodes.org/scholarship/apply/
The scholarship combines financial support with a leadership programme that will challenge you, grow you, and connect you to young African changemakers – just like you.
See if you qualify
Photo of MRF scholars
The leadership development programme
Our programme is built on our founding principles of reconciliation, education, entrepreneurship, and leadership, and a belief that leadership begins with inner transformation. We aim to keep Nelson Mandela’s legacy alive by equipping young African leaders with the competence and courage to transform the continent into a place where everyone has equal opportunity to thrive. Our programme is delivered primarily through a series of week-long residential workshops which you will attend during your time in residence.
Financial support
The Mandela Rhodes Scholarship offers comprehensive funding for the core costs associated with your studies. It covers tuition for a one-year Honours degree or a two-year Masters degree in any field at a recognised South African institution of higher education. This includes tuition and registration fees, allowances for study materials, research, and medical aid, accommodation and meals, personal allowance and economy class travel to and from your home country to your South African university at the beginning and end of your degree.
Young African, could you be a Mandela Rhodes Scholar?
See if you qualify:
I can study at a postgraduate level in English. Take this free test if you’re unsure.
I am a citizen of an African country
I am between the ages of 19 and 29 in the year of applying
By 1 Jan 2026, I will have an undergraduate degree with excellent academic results (above 70% or upper-second class Honours)
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How are Mandela Rhodes Scholars selected?
We look for young leaders who aspire to the principles below and who have demonstrated the potential to live them out.
Leadership
Do you aspire to be a visionary leader who has moral authority? Do you see leadership as more than just personal ambition – as a way to pursue the advancement of equality and freedom, human rights and human dignity? And do you want to guide and inspire others to reach their full potential?
Reconciliation
Do you believe that reconciliation – combined with reparation – is the key to harnessing an imperfect past to develop a more just world? And are you prepared to start the process by looking at your own internal landscape?
Education
Do you have excellent academic results but believe that your education should not only benefit you but make a difference for others? And do you agree that intellectual excellence must be accompanied by character and a rounded personality?
Entrepreneurship
Do you want to see Africa take its rightful place as an equal and competitive presence in the global world? Have you demonstrated individual effort, innovation and creativity to this end?
Read the Characteristics sought in a Mandela Rhodes Scholar.
Are you ready to grow?
To benefit from our programme you must be curious about doing the personal, internal work of leadership. This means a commitment to developing self-awareness by engaging with difficult parts of yourself, an openness to learning from the diversity and differences in your cohort, and a willingness to explore and embrace complexity within yourself, others, and the systems around you.
For scholars from outside South Africa…
Important: Applicants from outside South Africa may need to complete SAQA verification to start their studies at a South African university. Please see the relevant FAQs and the information under “Step 3: Get your documents ready” below.
“To be part of that cohort transformed my life in ways unimaginable. You meet people who share similar ambitions as you in terms of transforming the spaces that you occupy and eventually, the African continent.”
— Lehlohonolo Mofokeng (South Africa & University of the Witwatersrand, 2015)
Lehlohonolo Mofokeng
“One of the things that I will be forever grateful for is that during that time I got to voice and make conscious the values by which I want to live in this world as a leader and as an entrepreneur.”
— Pie-Pacifique Kabalira Uwase (Rwanda & UKZN, 2006)
Pie-Pacifique Kabalira Uwase
“The Mandela Rhodes Scholarship gave me a space to pursue my true purpose, to use my voice and to express myself in the truest way.”
— Reem Elsayed (Egypt & UWC, 2018)
Reem Elsayed
“The Mandela Rhodes Foundation broadened my perspective by connecting me with diverse mentors and leaders, showing me that social work isn’t just about helping—it can also be entrepreneurial. This shift helped me see that systemic change is both social and economic.”
— Jessica Baker (South Africa & Stellenbosch University, 2013)
Jessica Baker
“To be part of that cohort transformed my life in ways unimaginable. You meet people who share similar ambitions as you in terms of transforming the spaces that you occupy and eventually, the African continent.”
— Lehlohonolo Mofokeng (South Africa & University of the Witwatersrand, 2015)
Lehlohonolo Mofokeng
“One of the things that I will be forever grateful for is that during that time I got to voice and make conscious the values by which I want to live in this world as a leader and as an entrepreneur.”
— Pie-Pacifique Kabalira Uwase (Rwanda & UKZN, 2006)
Pie-Pacifique Kabalira Uwase
FAQs
Funding and finances
What costs are covered?
What costs are not covered?
How do the finances work?
Passports and visas
Does the MRF provide support and assistance with my visa process?
Your application form states that I have to submit a copy of my passport. I do not have the means to acquire a passport, can you assist me?
The application process
How do I apply?
What is the application deadline?
Do I apply for SAQA verification now?
Studies and university acceptance
Do I have to study in English?
Where can I study?
Do I have to apply to a university before completing the application form?
Does the MRF apply to the university for me?
How do I know if I meet the entry requirements for the course I want to complete in South Africa?
Eligibility questions
Do I need straight As?
Is there an age limit?
I am a citizen of an African country outside of South Africa. Am I eligible?
What courses of study do you support?
Do you fund undergraduate study?
Can I apply if I am only completing my undergraduate degree this year?
Questions about the programme
How long is the tenure of the Scholarship?
Is it mandatory to participate in the leadership development workshops?
Apply now
Our applications timeline runs from March to November of each year, for the following year’s intake. Applications open on 17 March 2025 and close 21 April 2025. You will apply online, and access our application platform through our website.
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Applications are
openApplications for 2026 close
21 April 2025
Step 1: Check the timeline
Step 2: Check programme requirements
Step 3: Get your documents ready
Ready? Let’s go!
See if you qualify
