2024 Learn Africa Programme

Introduction

For yet another year, the long-awaited Learn Africa postgraduate scholarship programme, a flagship of the Women for Africa Foundation, is back. With more than 10 years of history, the programme has reached the incredible figure of 350 female students from 35 different African countries. Many of them have successfully completed their studies in Spain or Morocco and have managed to successfully access the labour market in their countries of origin or have continued with doctoral studies.

In this new call for applications, the Women for Africa Foundation has made a solid commitment to doctoral scholarships –this is the year with the highest number of doctoral scholarships offered. In addition, the Foundation has kept up the trend of promoting academic programmes in STEM fields, adding innovative topics such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, food safety and sustainable construction, among others.

In this new edition, a total of 76 new scholarships and 22 continuity scholarships are being offered, thanks to the unswerving commitment of the programme’s 50-plus collaborators, including universities, business schools and private funders such as GMV, ASISA Foundation and ANESVAD Foundation.

Undoubtedly, the success of the programme is reflected not only in the number and variety of scholarships offered or in the impact that the Learn Africa experience has on the lives of its beneficiaries, but also in the wide range of partners involved in the programme, which continues to grow every year. Thus, for this new call, Learn Africa will have the honor of counting for the first time on the University of Almeria (UAL) and the ENAE Business School (Murcia); both institutions have started their journey in the programme with a strong commitment of two scholarships each.

Enrollment period

The registration period has been extended for some scholarships and will remain open until April 25, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. (Madrid).

Only applications received through the website will be accepted.

General requirements

• Be a woman, and have nationality and residence in an African country.
• Be enrolled in an African university or have a university degree issued in an African country. For postgraduate scholarships, a Bachelor’s degree is required. The degree required may vary depending on the scholarship applied for (see detailed information on each scholarship).
• Meet the specific requirements of the scholarship you are applying for.
• Only one application per person will be accepted.

Technical and academic requirements

• It is important to read carefully the information showed in the description of the studies you want to take, as well as on the university website (link attached to each scholarship), regarding the academic requirements.
• The beneficiary agrees to provide the host university with duly legalized, certified and translated copies of her university degree, academic record or any other required documentation. If you are selected, we recommend that you start the administrative process at the time you accept the scholarship, as the procedures you will need to take at the Embassy/Consulate and/or at the Ministries of Education or Foreign Affairs of your country may take long time.
• The beneficiary must also present a certificate issued by her university certifying that she has a degree that enables her to pursue the requested studies (master or Phd).
• If you apply for an online scholarship, you must have a computer properly equipped to follow online courses, taking into account the following aspects: Internet connection, web browser, operating system, desktop applications, webcam, Zoom/Microsoft Teams applications etc.

Language requirements

• Before applying, make sure you have the required language skills. A high level of the language in which the training is delivered will always be required (B2 or C1 depending on the host university). You must prove your language level through the presentation of an official language certificate or through a telephone interview with the university. 

• If you are selected, you will receive a notification email and — probably — a phone call from the Women for Africa Foundation to inform you personally. You will be requested to communicate with the foundation’s staff in the language of the scholarship you have applied for.

Required documents

IMPORTANT: The files with the required documentation must meet the following requirements:

• Format: png, gif, jpg, jpeg, pdf, doc, docx, ppt or rtf
• Maximum size: 4MB.

If the files do not meet these requirements, your documents will not be uploaded and your application will not be valid.

To apply for a scholarship you will need to attach the following documents:

• Passport or National identity document + Info

Passport or National identity document

×

If you are selected for an in-person scholarship, you must have a valid passport in order to apply for a visa at the Spanish Consulate/Embassy.

• Photo
• CV + Info

CV

×

Previous education, professional experience, languages spoken, skills and competences…

• Diploma / certificate / university degree (as required)
• Academic record
• Motivation letter + Info

Motivation letter

×

You must describe your professional competences and personal motivation: the reasons to take the study programme you are applying for, what you can offer to the programme and the host university, and why you consider yourself a suitable candidate. You must be able to instil the readers’ interest and convince them of your suitability for the scholarship.

It must be addressed to the host university and must show your interest and reasons for obtaining it.

The text has to have spacing (1.0) and normal margins.

Size: only one sheet, on one side.

Key content:

• The writing language must be the language of the scholarship you want to apply for.
• It must be short, concise and honest.
• It should reflect your personality, and provide details and interesting aspects about yourself that show that you are a suitable candidate.
• You must learn before hand about the host university. Show in your letter that you know well the institution and what it offers.
• The motivation letter is not a CV, it has to provide other information of interest. It is also a means to demonstrate your communicative skills.
• Reference letter(s) + Info

Reference letter(s)

×

A recommendation letter should highlight the student’s academic record, personality, career, or academic goals.

It must be addressed to the host university.

Who should write a reference letter?

University professors, counselors, administrators and supervisors can write these letters for students.

It is recommended that the format of the recommendation letter be as follows:

• It must be short and concise with normal spacing (1.0) and normal margins
• Size: only one sheet on one side
• It should include the telephone number and email address of the author under his/her name and signature
• Official language certificate (if required) + Info

Official language certificate (if required)

×

Necessary only if required by the scholarship.

• Other documents required for the scholarship + Info

Other documents required for the scholarship

×

Necessary only if required by the scholarship (concept note, entrepreneurship project, etc.)

Scholarships 2024-2025

All the scholarships offered in this call will begin during the 2024-2025 academic year and may unfold over several years, depending on the scholarship applied for.

2024 Learn Africa scholarships

Scholarship coverage

• Online scholarships cover only tuition fees.
• Face-to-face scholarships cover the following costs:
  • Tuition fees
  • Round trip
  • Accommodation and meals (either in a University Hall or through the provision of a monthly allowance)
  • Health insurance

IT IS NOT guaranteed that scholarships will cover other expenses such as:

• Re-enrollment fees for subjects failed at the ordinary or extraordinary exams.
• Internet connection for online scholarships.
• Costs associated to the issuance of the visa to travel to Spain.
• The legalization, recognition and translation of university degrees and academic records (the host University will require these documents).
• The issuance of the certificate once the studies in Spain have been sucessfully completed.
• Any other daily expenses including, but not limited to, warm clothing, hygiene articles, footwear, leisure, or local transport.
• Each scholarship is just for a single person; in no case will support of any kind (financial, consular, accommodation, etc.) be granted for potential accompanying family members (children, parents, siblings, spouse, etc.).

How to apply

(Download here: Step-by-step application procedure)

Before applying for a scholarship, please read all the sections of the call to find out about the conditions and requirements to apply for a Learn Africa scholarship, especially: General requirements, Required documents and Key considerations.

STEP-BY-STEP APPLICATION PROCEDURE 

1. Prepare ahead of time each and every document required to apply for a scholarship (Required documents)

2. Go to Scholarships 2024-2025. You will find two groups of scholarships in green:

• 2024 Learn Africa Scholarships
• Bourses Learn Africa exclusives pour les étudiantes marocaines 2024
  (These are exclusively for Moroccan women. If you are not a Moroccan woman, your application for these scholarships will not be considered or evaluated.)

3. Click on each group to see the scholarships available. The list of scholarships available will be displayed.

4. Click on each scholarship to find more information on it. The scholarship profile will be displayed. Click on the green links to see more information.

5. Once you have made a decision about the scholarship you want to apply for, click on the orange Apply button, which can be found in two different locations: in the 2024 Scholarships section and within each scholarship profile.

• If you already have a user, go to “User access“. If you do not remember your password, click on “Recover password” and follow the instructions.
• If you do not have a user, go to “Register” to create a user.

6. Once you have logged in with your username and password, the application form will open.

7. In the drop-down menu, select the scholarship you wish to take. Remember: Only one application per person will be accepted!

8. Fill in the form with all your data.

9. Attach the requested documents. The files must comply with the following requirements:

• Accepted formats: png; gif; jpg; jpeg; pdf; doc; docx; ppt and rtf.
• Maximum file size: 4MB

10. To finish the application process, click on the Submit button.

Important: Before submitting the application form, please review all information and attachments carefully, as once the application is submitted, it cannot be modified.

Once you have submitted the application form, the message “Your request has been sent successfully” and a summary of the details of the scholarship you have applied for will appear on the screen.  If you have received this message, congratulations, you have successfully submitted your application!

You will also receive a confirmation email. If you do not receive this email, please check your SPAM folder.

Now you don’t have to do anything but wait until we publish the results of the selection process on our website. If you have been selected, you will receive an email notification. If you are not selected, you will not receive any communication.

For really urgent questions that are not answered in this document, you can send an email to: learnafrica@mujeresporafrica.es

IMPORTANT: We will not respond to queries that are answered in this document.

Evaluation criteria

A specialised comittee will make a first evaluation of all the applications based on the following documents:

• CV
• Reference letter(s)
• Motivation letter
• Language skills
• Project/concept note (if required)

The final selection of candidates will be agreed upon with each of the partner universities and the outcome will be made public on our website in June (www.mujeresporafrica.es). Selected candidates will also receive a personal notification through e-mail (to the e-mail address provided in the application form) and, in some cases, a phone call.

The final outcome will not be personally communicated to unsuccessful candidates.

Scholarship acceptance and obligations

Once the selected candidates have been notified by e-mail, they will have 7 working days to accept the scholarship. Failure to express acceptance within the established period implies the loss of the scholarship and its reassignment to another applicant according to the order established on a reserve list.

By accepting the scholarship granted, beneficiaries agree to comply with all the conditions and requirements established by the Learn Africa programme and the host university. Acceptance of the scholarship implies a serious commitment and an acknowledgement of the responsibility that comes with receiving this financial and academic support.

In the event that a beneficiary decides to withdraw from the scholarship programme after having been selected and having formally accepted the offer without compelling reason under MxA’s criteria, a penalty will be applied. This penalty may include prohibition from applying for future Learn Africa scholarships for a specific period of time (minimum of 2 years). In addition, the candidate may lose certain privileges associated with participating in additional programmes or events organized by the Women for Africa Foundation.

MxA understands that individual circumstances may change, and candidates may need to reconsider the acceptance of a scholarship if they come upon a serious illness, a family death, or if they get pregnant, for instance. However, we encourage beneficiaries to contact us and the host university as soon as possible if they encounter significant difficulties or changes in their situation that may affect their ability to fulfill the terms of the scholarship programme.

Key considerations

1. Before submitting your application

• Keep in mind that only one application per person will be accepted. Choose carefully the scholarship you want to apply for, as no changes will be allowed once the application has been submitted.
• Before applying, make sure you meet both the general requirements and the specific ones found in the scholarship description you want to apply for.
• Prepare beforehand all the required documents to apply for the scholarship. If you are interested in an in-person scholarship, make sure your passport is valid for more than 6 months.
• If you are interested in an online scholarship, make sure your internet connection is good enough and you have the necessary computer equipment to follow the classes remotely.

2. If you are selected

• Check your inbox daily (the email address you provided in your application). Remember that if you are selected, you will have 7 calendar days to accept the scholarship after receiving the notification in your inbox.
• You must provide your host university with duly legalized, certified and translated copies of your university degree certificate, the academic record and any other required documentation. We recommend initiating the process of legalization at the moment you accept the scholarship, as these are lengthy and tedious procedures that you will need to carry out either at the Spanish Embassy, Consulate and/ or Ministries of education or foreign affairs of your country.
• You will also need to present a certificate issued by your university confirming that you hold a degree that qualifies you to pursue the requested studies (master or doctorate). Here you have an example that might be helpful: Certificated model access to master

3. Expenses NOT covered by the scholarship programme

• There are some expenses associated with the scholarship that must be covered by the beneficiary herself (visa, translation and legalization of academic degrees, issuance of certificates, etc.).  Consult all of them in the Scholarship coverage.
• The programme grants one-person scholarships, and in no case will the accompaniment of family members be covered by the programme.
• It is recommended that you bring some savings to Spain to meet any unforeseen expenses not covered by the scholarship, such as transportation, personal hygiene items, and leisure and cultural activities.
• Check the weather conditions of your destination city as, in many cases, it will be necessary to bring to Spain warm clothing suitable for cold weather.

4. Transparency and good practices

• If your personal circumstances change during the scholarship acceptance and university admission processes, and these changes (e.g., unexpected illness, medical treatment, family death, pregnancy, etc.) affect your ability to fulfill the terms of the scholarship programme, we encourage you to contact us and your host university as soon as possible so that we can try to work out a mutually agreed solution.
• If you decide to withdraw from the scholarship programme after you have been selected and have formally accepted the scholarship without compelling reason under MxA’s criteria, a penalty will be applied. This penalty may include prohibition from applying for a future Learn Africa scholarship for a specific period of time (minimum of 2 years). In addition, you may lose certain privileges associated with your participation in other programmes or events organized by the Women for Africa Foundation.
• If you have also applied for a scholarship from another institution and you get selected for it, it is important that you let us know as soon as possible and that you confirm if both scholarships are compatible. In case of incompatibility, we will ask you to make a quick decision on which scholarship you will accept.

Commitments following the scholarship

Once the studies for which the scholarship was requested have been completed, beneficiaries agree to:

• Inform the Foundation of their academic results and the date of your return to their country.
• Provide the Women for Africa Foundation a brief report on their academic and personal experience lived.
• Fill in a survey so that the Women for Africa Foundation can carry out an evaluation of the scholarship programme results and, where appropriate, introduce modifications and improvements to it.
• Beneficiaries will become part of the Learn Africa programme alumnae network and will be invited to participate in follow-up, exchange and training activities (mentoring, coaching, peer support, etc.) that will be organized to ensure the sustability of the programme’s impact.
• Authorise the Women for Africa Foundation and the Spanish universities to make full or partial use, on their website or in any of their publications, of the content of the report submitted upon completion of their scholarship.

Frequently asked questions

Contact

If you have any questions, it is very important that you read carefully the Key considerations and Frequently asked questions sections.

IMPORTANT: We will not answer any questions that are already answered in these sections.

For truly urgent questions that are not answered in the previous sections, you can send an email to:

learnafrica@mujeresporafrica.es

Privacy Policy

To consult the Foundation’s privacy policy, please refer to the following link: Privacy Policy