ALCHE Mastercard Foundation Scholarship 2027 in Mauritius: Eligibility, Deadlines and How to Apply

The ALCHE Mastercard Foundation Scholarship is a full-ride award for an undergraduate degree at African Leadership College of Higher Education (ALCHE) in Mauritius. It covers full tuition plus extra financial support for the whole degree, and it targets African students with strong grades, leadership experience and real financial need. Places are very limited in each intake.

The next intake starts in February 2027. International applicants must apply for admission by 14 November 2026, and Mauritian applicants by 23 January 2027. You apply for admission first; the scholarship application opens only after ALCHE finds you eligible for admission, so do not wait for the last week.

Key facts about the ALCHE Mastercard Foundation Scholarship

1. Host: African Leadership College of Higher Education (ALCHE), part of the African Leadership University group, in Mauritius.
2. Funder: the Mastercard Foundation, through its Scholars Program.
3. Level: undergraduate (bachelor’s).
4. Intake: February 2027.
5. Admission deadlines: 14 November 2026 for international students; 23 January 2027 for Mauritian students.
6. Application fee: none. ALCHE says it does not charge application fees or use agents.

Programmes you can study

ALCHE offers four bachelor’s degrees, all accredited by the Higher Education Commission of Mauritius.

ALCHE’s scholarship page does not say whether any of these is excluded from the scholarship. If you have a preference, ask admissions before you apply.

What the scholarship covers

ALCHE describes it as a fully funded, full-ride scholarship covering full tuition and additional financial support throughout your studies. Several scholarship sites list a monthly stipend, accommodation, travel to Mauritius, health cover and a laptop. ALCHE’s page does not itemise the package, so confirm the exact support in the Scholarship Application Guide linked on the official page, or in your offer.

ALCHE Mastercard Foundation Scholarship eligibility

ALCHE especially encourages women, people with physical or learning disabilities and applicants aged 26 or younger. ALCHE’s page does not set a hard age limit.

The B average is the requirement that trips up many applicants. ALCHE does not publish a conversion table, so if your country’s grades are not letter grades (WAEC credits, KCSE points or national exam percentages), ask admissions how your results map to a B before you submit.

Eligibility edge cases

• You are 27 or older: ALCHE encourages applicants aged 26 and below, but it does not publish a strict cap. You can still apply, though younger applicants are a stated priority.
• You are not African: the programme is aimed at African citizens or residents who can study in Mauritius. If you are from outside Africa, look elsewhere.
• You cannot get a Mauritian student residence permit: you must be readily eligible for one, so check the permit rules before you apply.
• Your family could pay part of the fees: the rule is that you cannot afford ALCHE tuition with any other aid. If you could pay with a partial scholarship or loan, you may not meet the need test.
• Your grades are just under a B average: ALCHE asks for at least a B. Do not apply hoping leadership will make up for it; ask admissions how your results convert first.
• You already started a degree elsewhere: ALCHE’s pages do not cover this case. Ask admissions whether you would count as a new undergraduate.

How to apply for the ALCHE Mastercard Foundation Scholarship

1. Apply for admission: on ALCHE’s application page, with your personal details, academic history and programme choices. Upload national exam and secondary school transcripts, proof of English and ID (a valid passport for international applicants).
2. Pass the eligibility check: only applicants eligible for admission can move to the scholarship, and you submit information that determines whether you qualify for it.
3. Complete the scholarship form: household income, personal circumstances (including humanitarian and guardianship status), how your secondary education was paid for, videos and essays on set themes, referral letters and documents proving everything you declare.
4. Take the ALCHE Fit Challenge: an online test that takes about 25 minutes and looks at how you would fit ALU’s learning model.
5. Wait for review: a scholarship committee assesses complete applications and selects scholars.

Documents checklist

• National exam results and secondary school transcripts.
• Proof of English proficiency.
• Passport (international applicants) or national ID.
• Official proof of household income and financial hardship.
• Referral letters from people in good standing in your community.
• Disability documentation, if it applies to you.

Your referral letters should describe specific things you have done in your community. Our recommendation letter samples show the level of detail that helps.

How to write the essays and record the videos

ALCHE asks for videos and essays on set themes as part of the scholarship form, but it does not publish the prompts outside the application. The themes follow the selection criteria: financial need, academics, leadership and commitment to your community. Plan your stories around those four.

1. Your circumstances: explain your household situation plainly and match it to the documents you upload. ALCHE asks for documents proving everything you declare, so the two must agree.
2. Leadership you can prove: one or two examples where you organised people or solved a problem, with numbers and dates, and a referee who saw it.
3. Giving back: what you have already done for your community and what you want to do after ALCHE. Link it to your chosen degree.
4. Why ALCHE: ALCHE is part of the African Leadership University group. Show that you know how ALU-style learning works and want it, since the Fit Challenge looks at how well you would fit that model.

A short example opening: “When our school’s only computer teacher left in 2024, I taught myself Python from library books and ran lessons for 18 classmates every Saturday. I want to study Software Engineering at ALCHE so I can build learning tools for schools like mine.” It shows need, leadership and a plan in three lines.

For videos, record in a quiet place with good light, speak directly to the camera and keep to the time you are given. Write notes, not a script you read word for word. Upload a test clip to check sound before the final recording.

What happens after you apply

1. Admission review: ALCHE reviews admission applications on a rolling basis and usually decides within two to four weeks.
2. Scholarship eligibility check: if you are eligible for admission, you answer questions that decide whether you can apply for the scholarship.
3. Scholarship form and Fit Challenge: you submit the form, documents, essays and videos, and take the 25-minute online challenge.
4. Committee review: a scholarship committee assesses complete applications and selects scholars. ALCHE does not publish an interview stage or a results date.
5. Offer and travel: successful applicants receive an offer, then start the Mauritian student residence permit process for the February 2027 intake.

A realistic timeline for the 14 November deadline

After School Africa’s listing says every part of the application, including the scholarship form and Fit Challenge, is due by 14 November 2026. With ALCHE taking two to four weeks to decide on admission, the window is tight if you start now:

If your admission decision has not arrived by early November, email ALCHE admissions and ask whether your scholarship file can still be completed in time.

Costs you may still face

Scholarship listings say the package includes a stipend, accommodation, travel, health cover and a laptop, but ALCHE’s own page only says full tuition plus additional financial support. Until your offer letter confirms the details, budget for:

• Passport fees, if you do not already have one.
• Getting documents certified, translated or sent for verification.
• Data and a phone or computer for the online forms, videos and Fit Challenge.
• Costs linked to your student residence permit, such as medical checks or police certificates if they are required.
• Personal spending in your first weeks before any allowance arrives.

Common mistakes

• Starting in the last week, when admission decisions take two to four weeks and the scholarship form only opens after that.
• Claiming hardship without official documents to back it up.
• Sending referral letters that praise you in general terms with no examples.
• Recording videos in noisy rooms or reading from a script.
• Paying an agent. ALCHE does not charge fees or use agents.

How it compares with similar scholarships

Who should apply, and who should not

Apply if you are an African student with at least a B average, real financial need you can document, and a track record of leadership or community work, and you want a business or technology degree. Women, applicants with disabilities and those aged 26 or under are especially encouraged.

Skip it if your family can pay part of the fees, your grades are well below a B, or you want a subject ALCHE does not teach, such as medicine or engineering. The options in the table above may suit you better.

Other Mastercard Foundation options in Africa and abroad

Because ALCHE has very few places, apply to more than one Mastercard Foundation partner. Our guides to the UC Berkeley Mastercard Foundation Scholarship and University of Cape Town scholarships cover two other partners, and our list of scholarships for African students has more fully funded options with their deadlines.

FAQs on the ALCHE Mastercard Foundation Scholarship

What is the ALCHE Mastercard Foundation Scholarship deadline for 2027?

For the February 2027 intake, international applicants must apply for admission by 14 November 2026. Mauritian applicants have until 23 January 2027.

Is there an application fee for ALCHE?

No. ALCHE says it does not charge application fees and does not authorise agents, so report anyone who asks you to pay.

Can I apply if I am older than 26?

ALCHE’s page encourages applicants aged 26 and below but does not state a strict upper age limit. If you are older, confirm with admissions before you apply.

Does the ALCHE scholarship cover accommodation and flights?

ALCHE says it covers full tuition plus additional financial support. It does not itemise that support on its scholarship page, so check the Scholarship Application Guide or your offer letter.

Sources and updates

Eligibility, application steps and the Fit Challenge come from ALCHE’s Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program page. Intake, deadlines, programmes, accreditation, documents and the no-fee statement come from ALCHE’s Apply Now page. The rule that every application component is due by 14 November 2026 and the package items listed by third parties come from After School Africa’s 2027 listing. Checked on 24 October 2026. I will update this post when ALCHE announces deadlines for its next intake.

Jude Chinecherem

I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.