On Thursday 21^st September 2023, Ms. Pamela Chen visited Makerere University to create awareness and broader understanding of scholarship opportunities at the University of Cambridge. Ms. Chen is the Manager responsible for international recruitment in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America at the University of Cambridge.

In a strategic meeting involving staff from the Makerere University International Office, Public Relations Office and the Project Implementation Team of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, Ms Chen highlighted that the University of Cambridge in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation provides scholarships to students who have excelled in academics at the undergraduate level to study specific Master’s degree programmes at the University of Cambridge.

In the implementation of the scholarship programme, the University of Cambridge collaborates with reputable universities that are leading in the provision of quality education at the regional and continental levels. She stated that Makerere is one of the leading universities in Africa and in line with this benchmark, her visit was to express the University of Cambridge’s interest in recruiting the best performing students at undergraduate level.

As such, Makerere University graduates with a minimum CGPA of 4.40 out of 5.0 in the respective disciplines will be eligible to apply for scholarships to pursue their Master’s degrees at the University of Cambridge. Ms. Chen explained that the scholarships are highly competitive with special preference for excellence in academics, and a high standard of teaching and research at the sending institution. She added that the application fees are waived for applicants from Uganda.

The officials commended Ms. Chen for reaching out to Makerere University in order for the students to tap into these opportunities. The Mastercard Foundation teams from Makerere University and Cambridge University respectively were working together in this visit to raise awareness of the Mastercard Foundation Scholar Programme, which provide specific slots for persons with disabilities and learners with a refugee status.

Upon receipt of the call for scholarships, Makerere University Public Relations Office will disseminate the information to the respective Colleges and on various online platforms so that those who qualify may apply. To further enhance dissemination of the scholarship opportunities, Mr. Abel Walekhwa, an alumnus, Research Associate at Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) and a PhD student at the University of Cambridge will work with the International Office and the Public Relations Office to organize a webinar for students and staff.