Who can apply
- Resident citizens and nationals of Uganda, Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania or Zimbabwe
- Applicants from financially disadvantaged backgrounds who would not otherwise be able to study at Manchester
- Applicants holding a bachelor's degree from an institution recognised under the Equity and Merit Scholarship rules
- Applicants whose bachelor's degree was awarded before September 2025
- Applicants with at least two years of professional experience related to their proposed field of study
- Applicants committed to returning home after their studies
- Applicants able to demonstrate potential to contribute positively to development in their home country
- Applicants with a clear explanation of how Manchester study will benefit their career and wider community
- Applicants who have not previously studied outside Africa, except for training lasting six months or less
- Women are particularly encouraged to apply
Focus areas
- Engineering
- Computer science
- Artificial intelligence and cyber security
- Global development
- Environment and climate change
- Education
- Humanitarian and conflict response
- Public health and health sciences
- Law
- Renewable energy
- Project management
- International development
- Data science
- Sustainable development
- Other eligible Master's programmes listed by the University
Requirements
- Applicant must be a resident citizen and national of one of the six eligible countries
- Bachelor's degree must have been awarded before September 2025
- Bachelor's degree must come from an institution recognised under the Equity and Merit Scholarship's country-specific requirements
- Applicant must meet the required minimum academic grade for their country
- Applicant must have at least two years of professional experience related to the chosen field of study
- Unpaid internships and voluntary work do not count towards the two-year professional experience requirement
- Applicant must not previously have studied outside Africa, except training lasting six months or less
- Applicant must demonstrate commitment to returning home and contributing positively to their country
- Applicant must submit a signed professional reference
- Applicant must submit degree certificate and academic transcripts
- Eligible candidates must provide an accepted English-language qualification by 30 November 2026
- Applicant must ultimately receive an unconditional offer for the chosen Master's course before scholarship shortlisting
Application steps
- Check the official country-specific academic requirements and confirm that your university and degree result meet the Equity and Merit eligibility rules
- Prepare your signed professional reference, bachelor's degree certificate, transcripts and English-language certificate if already available
- Select an eligible Master's programme aligned with your professional experience and development goals
- Complete and submit the official Equity and Merit Scholarship application form before 31 August 2026 at 17:00 BST
- If your scholarship application passes eligibility screening, follow the University's invitation to apply for academic admission to your selected Master's programme
- Secure the required English-language qualification and unconditional academic offer within the University's later scholarship-selection timeline
This scholarship has unusually strict eligibility filters, so applicants should check them before investing significant time. The most important are the recognised-university list, country-specific minimum academic grade, bachelor's degree awarded before September 2025, at least two years of relevant paid professional experience, and the rule against previous study outside Africa except short training of six months or less. For Ugandan candidates, a general University of Manchester admission qualification is not automatically enough: the Equity and Merit Scholarship uses its own narrower list of recognised institutions and grades. Applicants whose institution is not on the scholarship's official list should not assume they are eligible. Strong applications should connect professional experience, the chosen Master's programme and a realistic development contribution back home. The University specifically asks applicants to explain how the degree will improve both their career and the lives of others, and it expects responses to reflect the applicant's own experiences and voice rather than relying heavily on AI-generated content.