Mastercard Foundation Scholars in Canada: 2027 status

For 2027 planning, the Mastercard Foundation routes at UBC, McGill and Toronto support graduate study for African applicants. McGill's Fall 2027 cohort is closed. UBC's first deadline has passed, and Toronto now names 2028-29 recruitment. If you're finishing high school, look at separate undergraduate awards before counting this funding in your plan.

Reviewed October 18, 2026. Current intake notices take priority over old award announcements. UBC's page has unresolved age and birth-year wording. Toronto's future eligibility details are pending until its May 2027 update. No open general Canadian undergraduate Mastercard intake was confirmed in the sources below.

Which Canadian universities participate?

The Foundation lists UBC, McGill and Toronto as postgraduate partners. Each university decides who can apply and when. Queen's also describes a specific graduate partnership with Ethiopia's University of Gondar. Those links establish different routes. They don't create one national award that you can take to any degree or Canadian campus.

Start with your level of study. An undergraduate degree is normally your first university degree. A master's is later study after a bachelor's. A page about past scholars can include people who entered under an earlier phase. Their stories don't prove that the same entry route accepts new applications today.

The Foundation's application directory sends you to its partners. It doesn't run a single central form for Canada. Its institution list wasn't showing when we checked, so we used the named partner pages too. The dated university instructions below are the next check before you act.

UBC: selected master's programs and an elapsed first deadline

UBC's current application page requires a completed bachelor's degree. You must not already hold a master's. It names citizens or refugees of African countries and requires entry to an eligible master's program. You must also meet that degree's academic rules. Being a citizen of an eligible country doesn't replace the required degree or subjects.

The program list includes Food and Resource Economics and Food Science. Forestry options include Sustainable Forest Management, International Forestry, Urban Forestry Leadership and Geomatics for Environmental Management. It also names thesis-based MSc/MASc Forestry and Data Science. This isn't an award for every UBC master's. Match the exact program title before making an academic application.

The expression-of-interest deadline was September 6, 2026. UBC then listed invitations during September 15 to 30. The November 1 to 20, 2026 faculty stage is for successful candidates who receive instructions. It doesn't reopen the first stage. A visible application link isn't enough evidence that a new candidate can enter late.

UBC's age wording needs clarification. It states an age of 35 or younger, but also says born in 1990 or after. Those tests don't give the same answer for every application date.

UBC calls the intake Winter 2027. Its dated calendar uses Winter Session for September 2027 to April 2028. The Scholars timetable places offers in February and arrivals in August. Follow your degree's arrival instructions; don't assume January entry.

The Foundation's UBC listing says admissions are open, despite the elapsed first deadline on UBC's page. Ask the program team whether any later call applies to you. No later first-stage deadline was confirmed here. If invited to the faculty stage, use the fee-waiver instructions before paying. UBC says it can't refund an application paid without the waiver.

McGill: Fall 2027 is closed, with a staged admission process

McGill's eligibility page states that the Fall 2027 cohort is closed. Its current phase funds master's study. You need a relevant bachelor's degree and must be eligible for a listed program. The school also requires a person who has never registered for a master's, even without completing it. This is stricter than only ruling out an earned master's degree.

McGill requires African citizenship and residence in an African country. Its rules exclude people with dual citizenship, asylum, refugee or permanent-resident status in the US, Canada, UK or EU. Read that clause against your own status before relying on a general statement about priority for displaced people. Priority isn't a waiver of the other conditions.

The age limit is 35 or younger when you apply. McGill also looks for service and leadership, a plan to support your home community, and financial barriers to education. It gives priority to women, people affected by forced displacement and people with disabilities. Its published eligibility floor doesn't promise an award to everyone who meets it.

The eligible list contains named thesis and non-thesis degrees. It includes fields such as Public Health, Public Policy and Biostatistics, alongside food and agriculture programs. Check the complete current list. For its thesis route, McGill tells candidates to apply to the scholarship first and wait for instructions about finding a supervisor.

McGill requires an information session before eligible candidates receive its application link. The published 2026 sessions have passed. Under its selection timeline, December 1, 2026 is for candidates who received a fee waiver. A new general degree application won't bypass that earlier screening process.

The FAQ makes the consequence clear. Only fee-waiver recipients can be considered through this route. Admission is conditional on winning the scholarship. If you don't receive it, that conditional offer is withdrawn. Don't treat it as an ordinary self-funded place. The dated timeline and FAQ also give different decision windows; follow your direct instructions rather than choosing one.

Toronto: the next recruitment notice names 2028-29

Toronto's live recruitment notice names the 2028-29 academic year. It says eligibility, timelines and process details will be available in May 2027. That is a future update date. It isn't a deadline to start a funded degree in September 2027. The page describes graduate study and a focus on health work in Africa.

An older official PDF still explains the historical 2026-27 competition. It required citizenship and current residence in a sub-Saharan African country. Candidates had to be graduating from, or graduates of, an Africa Health Collaborative partner institution. They also had to be under 35 and not yet have started graduate study. These are historical requirements, not confirmed rules for 2028-29.

That PDF named partner institutions including Addis Ababa, Ashesi, KNUST, Moi and Cape Town. It listed specific graduate degrees, such as Biomedical Engineering and Health Informatics. Its deadline was November 3, 2025 at noon Toronto time. Don't carry that date forward a year, or assume any African bachelor's degree qualified under that partner-restricted call.

The same prior-cycle announcement described full support for tuition and travel, with housing, food and books. It also described an orientation and support network. Those details explain the award's past scope. Future benefit terms remain pending with the new recruitment rules. If you're preparing early, keep a reminder for May 2027 rather than paying for an invented 2027 form.

Queen's participation has a specific Gondar scope

Queen's partnership description names students and faculty from the University of Gondar. It concerns graduate training related to disability in Ethiopia and Africa. This is useful context for a Gondar applicant. It doesn't establish open entry for every African school-leaver, or a general award attached to any Queen's undergraduate offer.

Queen's also names the Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship on Entrepreneurship. That's a separate virtual training route in its description. A fellowship title alone doesn't mean a funded Canadian degree or travel to Kingston. Check what the named opportunity actually provides. No general Fall 2027 Queen's Mastercard degree application deadline was confirmed in the reviewed sources.

What does fully funded cover?

Use each university's benefit list as your starting point. UBC publishes support for tuition and books, flights and immigration, room and board, living expenses and health insurance. McGill names full international tuition, on-campus housing and a personal monthly stipend. Its support also includes academic tools and transition expenses. Neither list supplies a cash stipend amount used in this comparison.

A headline saying fully funded doesn't settle every expense. Ask when the first payment arrives and which costs you must pay before departure. Check whether the support is paid to you or straight to the university. Keep the award's duration beside the degree length. Ask about dependants if family will accompany you; don't add their costs to a single-person award by assumption.

If you're finishing high school, check the undergraduate route

UBC's International Scholars Program is a separate undergraduate award route. Its award categories include the Karen McKellin International Leader of Tomorrow Award. The 2027 rules require direct entry from an accredited secondary school for your first undergraduate degree. Graduation must be no earlier than June 2026. It also assesses strong grades, leadership and serious financial need.

You need a nominator and a different teacher referee. Apply for UBC admission before starting the award form. Both admission and the award application are due November 15, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PST. The document and English deadline is January 31, 2027. Some degrees are excluded, including Nursing. Applying for International Scholars also removes consideration for UBC's merit-based awards, so check that choice first.

Toronto's Pearson award is another separate undergraduate route. For September 2027 entry, its nomination and admission dates of October 9 and October 16, 2026 have passed. November 6 remains the scholarship form and document deadline for eligible candidates who completed those earlier steps. It isn't a fresh opening for a new nominee. Pearson also excludes applicants already attending postsecondary study.

Use the international scholarship list to compare other awards before accepting an offer you can't fund. Match each award to your entry level. The Ethiopia admission guide and Ghana admission guide handle school credentials. An accepted school certificate can qualify you for degree assessment while leaving the scholarship decision separate.

A scholarship letter supports a permit application

IRCC accepts proof of a scholarship as funding evidence. You must still show available support for tuition, living costs and transport without depending on Canadian work. A tuition-only award leaves other costs to prove. For a longer degree, explain the funding plan beyond the first year. An award letter doesn't by itself grant a study permit.

For one person outside Quebec, the current living-funds amount is CAN$23,448 for applications from September 1, 2026. Tuition and travel are extra. The threshold changes each year, so check it at application time. McGill is in Quebec, where separate financial-capacity rules apply.

The attestation rules exempt degree-granting master's and doctoral programs at public designated learning institutions starting January 1, 2026. Most international students in Quebec still need a Quebec Acceptance Certificate, or CAQ. A Mastercard award isn't the exemption test. Use your actual degree and institution, then follow the current document checklist with university support.

Build a plan around a real intake

Keep the scholarship stage and the degree stage in separate calendar entries. A faculty deadline can be months after the first scholarship screening closes. Save the university's invitation if it tells you to proceed. If you haven't passed that first stage, ask what next call is available before paying a general application fee.

If you're a school-leaver, settle the academic route alongside the funding search. A graduate award may be a future goal after a bachelor's, rather than funding for your next September. Compare a funded degree at home with the full cost of an overseas offer. Don't enrol in a program only because an old scholar's biography suggests the same award will fund your next step.

For undergraduate dates, use the Canadian university deadline guide. For the award letter and family budget, use the international-family guide. Keep an alternative plan until you hold a final award and can meet its conditions. A possible scholarship belongs on your research list, while confirmed funding belongs in the amount you can spend.

Official sources

• Mastercard Foundation: where to apply. Checked 2026-10-18. Current partner-led application and fraud guidance. Its institution list wasn't showing when checked, so use the named partner pages too.
• Mastercard Foundation: UBC partner. Checked 2026-10-18. Current postgraduate partner entry says admissions open; this conflicts with UBC's elapsed September 6, 2026 expression-of-interest deadline.
• Mastercard Foundation: McGill partner. Checked 2026-10-18. Current Canadian postgraduate partner listing; university controls the actual cohort and application process.
• Mastercard Foundation: Toronto partner. Checked 2026-10-18. Current postgraduate partner listing says admissions closed; Toronto's current recruitment notice names 2028-29.
• UBC: graduate application and eligible programs. Checked 2026-10-18. Current page labels Winter 2027 and September 6, 2026 first-stage deadline; age/birth-year wording needs clarification. Later faculty dates are invitation-only.
• UBC: prospective scholars and funding. Checked 2026-10-18. Current coverage list, no intake year given, and staged timeline; no stipend amount or new first-stage application window confirmed.
• McGill: current program. Checked 2026-10-18. Current 2024-34 phase explicitly supports master's degrees; historical undergraduate participation isn't a current school-leaver offer.
• McGill: eligibility and eligible programs. Checked 2026-10-18. Confirmed Fall 2027 cohort closed; next-cycle information expected Spring 2027. Country, residence, status and prior-master's restrictions still apply.
• McGill: selection process. Checked 2026-10-18. Dated 2026-27 stages; December 1 is for fee-waiver recipients. Its decision window differs from the FAQ, which gives no year.
• McGill: information sessions. Checked 2026-10-18. Confirmed Fall 2027 closed notice and mandatory information-session step; published June/July 2026 sessions have passed.
• McGill: frequently asked questions. Checked 2026-10-18. Current master's-only, fee-waiver and conditional-admission rules; later decision timing than the selection page is disclosed as a conflict.
• McGill: funding and program experience. Checked 2026-10-18. Current full international tuition, housing, monthly stipend and academic-support list; no cash stipend amount inferred.
• Toronto: current recruitment notice. Checked 2026-10-18. Origin page confirms next recruitment for 2028-29, with details expected May 2027. Search-index text still shows an older 2026-27 page and isn't used as current status.
• Toronto: 2026-27 graduate announcement. Checked 2026-10-18. Historical 2026-27 partner-university, age, citizenship, program and funding rules only; November 3, 2025 deadline passed. Future rules remain pending.
• Queen's: Gondar partnership. Checked 2026-10-18. Current university description of a specific Gondar graduate-training partnership and separate entrepreneurship fellowship; no open Fall 2027 general degree intake confirmed.
• UBC: International Scholars. Checked 2026-10-18. Confirmed September 2027 undergraduate award route, separate from Mastercard; nomination, school history, need, excluded degrees and merit-award restriction checked.
• UBC: undergraduate dates. Checked 2026-10-18. Confirmed November 15, 2026 admission/award deadline and January 31, 2027 document/English deadline for International Scholars; Winter Session is September 2027 to April 2028.
• Toronto: Pearson scholarship. Checked 2026-10-18. Confirmed September 2027 undergraduate eligibility; October 9/16 steps have passed. November 6 is for eligible nominees who completed earlier steps.
• IRCC: financial support. Checked 2026-10-18. Current funds rule from September 1, 2026, scholarship evidence and separate Quebec rules. The amount changes each year; check it when you apply.
• IRCC: study-permit documents. Checked 2026-10-18. Current acceptance, identity, funds and local-checklist requirements; an award isn't permit approval.
• IRCC: attestation requirements. Checked 2026-10-18. Confirms the public-DLI master's/doctoral exemption from January 1, 2026 and the separate CAQ requirement; its letter-validity details aren't used here.