Over 250 students secure Mastercard Foundation scholarships
The 258 students constitute Cohort Nine of the program. The application process began in March 2026, with the university advertising the scholarships through newspapers, social media, and digital platforms.
Officials and some of the students who were awarded scholarships. This was during the MasterCard Foundation award ceremony at Makerere University on August 21, 2026. (Photo by Nancy Nanyonga)
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A total of 258 students have secured Mastercard Foundation scholarships at Makerere University for the 2026/2027 academic year, after the university received 3,664 applications for the available opportunities.
The beneficiaries, comprising 245 undergraduate students and 13 master's degree candidates, were awarded the scholarships on Thursday during the third Scholarship Award Ceremony for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere University's School of Public Health Auditorium.
Officials and some of the students who were awarded scholarships. This was during the MasterCard Foundation award ceremony at Makerere University on August 21, 2026. (Photo by Nancy Nanyonga)
The 258 students constitute Cohort Nine of the program. The application process began in March 2026, with the university advertising the scholarships through newspapers, social media, and digital platforms.
The program received 2,904 undergraduate applications and 760 master's applications, according to figures presented at the ceremony.
Of the applicants, 1,440 undergraduate candidates and 280 master's candidates had already been admitted to Makerere University on private sponsorship.
From the undergraduate pool, 650 applicants were shortlisted for interviews, while 446 proceeded to home validation. For the master's category, 58 applicants were shortlisted for interviews, and 26 proceeded to home validation.
Charles Ssentongo, from Makerere University's Academic Registrar's Unit, said the final selection was made after the committee assessed the applicants against the program's selection criteria.
Officials and some of the students who were awarded scholarships. This was during the MasterCard Foundation award ceremony at Makerere University on August 21, 2026. (Photo by Nancy Nanyonga)
“More young people need scholarships than there are scholarship opportunities available through the Scholars Program,” Ssentongo said.
He told the successful candidates that being selected from the large pool of applicants meant they had been identified as the most deserving candidates under the programme's criteria.
Women accounted for the majority of the new cohort, with 196 female students and 62 male students.
The cohort also includes students from groups identified under the program's diversity and inclusion criteria.
The university reported 56 refugees, representing about 22% of the 258 scholars, while 27 students with disabilities account for about 10%.
Prof. Justine Namaalwa, Director of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere University, said the large number of applications demonstrated the scale of demand for scholarships.
Justine Namaalwa, Program Director, MasterCard Foundation at Makerere University, addressing participants during the MasterCard Foundation award ceremony at Makerere University on August 21, 2026. (Photo by Nancy Nanyonga)
“We advertise 258, and you get over 4,000 applications. That shows the need,” Namaalwa said.
Namaalwa said the selection committee therefore has to undertake a rigorous process to identify the beneficiaries.
“So imagine what we go through to select 258 from 4,000,” she said, explaining that the process requires an objective and credible assessment of applicants.
She said the program has repeatedly received more applications than the number of scholarships available.
“Every other year, we get more applicants than the scholarships have ever advertised. And the number just keeps growing,” Namaalwa said.
She linked the demand to Uganda's large youth population and the number of young people seeking higher education but unable to afford it.
“The young people want to go to school, but they can't afford it,” she said.
Adrian Bukenya, Country Director, MasterCard Foundation, addressing participants during the MasterCard Foundation award ceremony at Makerere University on August 21, 2026. (Photo by Nancy Nanyonga)
“Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program only makes a small contribution to the bigger pool that is looking for scholarships,” she said.
She said expanding access to higher education financing requires a broader response involving government and other stakeholders.
Ibrahim Michael Okumu, Dean of Makerere University's School of Economics, said the demand for higher education is high, particularly because of the country's growing youth population.
“The demand for education is high, especially on account of the youth population explosion,” Okumu said.
He said universities should seek more partners to contribute to financing higher education.
“As a university, all we have to do is to identify as many partners as possible that can put money in the pool to finance higher education,” Okumu said.
Okumu said government funding also has to be considered against the country's available resources.
Asked whether he would support free higher education, he said the question should be considered in relation to the country's ability to finance it.
“Ultimately, what matters is whether the economy can afford higher education, because budget constraints are real,” Okumu said.
He added that universities need to identify sustainable sources of funding for students.
“Ultimately, universities need to identify potential sources of funding,” he said.