ELECTRONIC APPLICATION DEADLINE: 30 APRIL 2021
On 15 February 2021, The Government of the Republic of Mauritius announced that it is offering scholarships to deserving students who are resident citizens of member states of the African Union or of African Commonwealth countries for full time, on-campus undergraduate (diploma/degree) and postgraduate (Masters/MPhil/PhD) programmes tenable in public Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Mauritius. Applicants from Eswatini need to check with the Ministry of Labour when applying for this scholarship, to ensure that they are applying for programs which are in alignment with the priorities of the Government of Eswatini. Today’s article contains general information on this scholarship, as published by the Government of Eswatini, and we emphasise that it is the responsibility of each applicant to visit the Ministry of Labour to ensure their application is compliant in Eswatini, and to ensure they meet country-level deadlines for this opportunity.
ELIGIBILITY
The Government of Mauritius is awarding scholarships to deserving students who are resident citizens of member states of the African Union or African Commonwealth countries, as per the following criteria:
1. For undergraduate programmes, applicants should be above 18 years of age and should not have reached their 26th birthday by the closing date of application.
2. For Master’s programmes, applicants should not have reached 35 years and, for PhD programmes, applicants should not have reached 40 years by the closing date of application.
SCHOLARSHIP BENEFITS
The Scholarship will support successful candidates in meeting their tuition fees and in contributing to their living expenses during their studies in Mauritius. Students are expected to supplement this amount to cover the cost of living in Mauritius. Furthermore, the scholarship covers a return airfare by the most economical route, however awardees will have to make their own arrangements to pay for their one-way air tickets and then apply for refund upon arrival in Mauritius by providing the necessary original receipts and documentation. This will be valid for travel from the country of origin at the beginning of the studies and back to the country of origin upon successful completion of studies. Awardees are required to send their quotation to studymauritius@govmu.org for approval before purchasing the ticket and booking for the accommodation for quarantine, failing which no refund will be processed.
All students will be required to undergo a 14-day quarantine upon arrival in Mauritius; the cost of which will be covered under this scheme. Cost of PCR tests will also be met. Additionally, if any student is tested positive for the Coronavirus (Covid-19) upon arrival, the related medical expenses will be covered under this scheme. However, the maximum quarantine cost (accommodation and health services) should not exceed Rs 48,500 for the whole quarantine period and this amount will be refunded as opposed to paid up front by the scholarship.
Scholarships will NOT be awarded for top-up degree programmes; foundation programmes; part-time courses; distance Education programmes; or mixed/blended modes (distance and on-campus learning);
HOW TO APPLY
All applicants are required to read the Guidelines and fill out the appropriate application form, both documents which can be found http://ministry-education.govmu.org and http://highereducationmauritius.com. The application form should be filled out electronically before being printed. An application under this Scheme is to be made solely through the Nominating Agency, which in Eswatini is the Ministry of Labour, and who is responsible for the processing of scholarships in the country of citizenship of the applicant. The Nominating Agency will then shortlist and endorse the applications of a maximum of FIFTEEN (15) eligible candidates (five in each category of Undergraduate, Masters and MPhil/PhD) and submit the duly completed application forms.
Candidates must also submit the fully completed Application Form and certified copies of the following documents as part of their application to their local Nominating Agency: (i) Birth Certificate; (ii) Relevant educational certificates and transcripts; (iii) Medical certificate to be filled and stamped by a registered medical practitioner in Section 6 of the Application Form; (iv) Copy of passport biodata page, if available; Copy of letter of conditional offer by a public Higher Education Institution in Mauritius (if available at time of application) OR copy of acknowledgement notice from a Mauritian public HEI that the application for a seat has been made and the appropriate application fee has been paid.
Applications, together with supporting documents as required should be forwarded to the Ministry of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology of the Republic of Mauritius at the address mentioned below, for a final selection. The Senior Chief Executive, Ministry of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology (Attn: Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Division) Level 2, MITD House, Pont Fer, Phoenix 73544. Republic of Mauritius (email: studymauritius@govmu.org).
All applicants must have already applied for at least one full-time on-campus programme at a public HEI of their choice. This application must be made as soon as the HEIs have opened their application windows on their respective websites. An applicant may either obtain a conditional offer (letter of admission) from their chosen Mauritian public HEI and submit this along with the scholarship application, or submit an acknowledgement notice from a Mauritian public HEI that the application for a seat has been made and the appropriate application fee has been paid.
DIPLOMA
Candidates must have: Either (i). A minimum of five (5) credits at School Certificate (S.C), or General Certificate of Education (G.C.E) ‘O’ Level or International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), inclusive of a credit in English Language.
The eligible universities are:
Fashion and Design Institute: www.fdi.mu
Mauritius Institute of Training and Development: www.mitd.mu
Polytechnics Mauritius Ltd: www.poly.ac.mu
BACHELORS DEGREE
Candidates should have successfully completed Form 5 and should satisfy the minimum grade requirements of as at least 21 points at GCE or A-Level which will be computed on the basis of the following grades obtained in three Principal subjects: A+=10, A=9, B=8, C=7 & D=6; OR at least an overall average of 60%.
The eligible universities are:
University of Mauritius - www.uom.ac.mu
University of Technology, Mauritius - www.utm.ac.mu
Université des Mascareignes - www.udm.ac.mu
Mahatma Gandhi Institute - www.mgirti.ac.mu
Rabindranath Tagore Institute - www.mgirti.ac.mu
POSTGRADUATE DEGREES
Applicants for postgrad courses should in addition submit Copies of all educational certificates, Copies of transcripts of educational certificates, a Detailed study/research plan (750 words for Masters and 1500 words for MPhil/PhD), and a Supporting statement from a named supervisor (for MPhil/PhD applicants). To learn more about the eligible institutions to study in Mauritius, please visit http://www.tec.mu/public_institutions. These are:
University of Mauritius - www.uom.ac.mu
University of Technology, Mauritius - www.utm.ac.mu
Mauritius Institute of Education - portal.mie.ac.mu
Mahatma Gandhi Institute - www.mgirti.ac.mu
Rabindranath Tagore Institute - www.mgirti.ac.mu
Open University of Mauritius - www.open.ac.mu
Université des Mascareignes - www.udm.ac.mu
Mauritius Institute of Training and Development: www.mitd.mu
Mauritius Institute of Health - mih.govmu.org
Fashion and Design Institute: www.fdi.mu