Apply Now: 2025 African STARS MSc Fellowship (Fully Funded)

Applications are now open for the 2025 African STARS MSc Fellowship. This fully funded programme gives young African researchers the chance to study bioinformatics of infectious diseases at Stellenbosch University in South Africa.

The Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI) and Institut Pasteur de Dakar, with support from the Mastercard Foundation, run the fellowship. It’s open to those born in or living in Africa, especially women and early-career scientists.

If you care about disease research and want to use data to solve real health problems, this might be your next step.

What the Programme Offers

This is a full-time, two-year master’s degree with a strong mix of classwork and lab research.

You’ll start with a 9-month lecture block that includes:

• Core modules in statistics and bioinformatics
• Elective options in infectious diseases or pathogen genomics

Then you’ll move into over a year of lab-based research at Stellenbosch. There’ll also be:

• Career workshops made for researchers in Africa
• Support from a team of supervisors throughout your time

What the Scholarship Covers

• Tuition
• Housing
• Monthly allowance
• Research costs
• Return flight tickets
• Health insurance

You won’t need to pay anything out of pocket once accepted.

Who Can Apply

To apply, you must:

• Be born in Africa or currently living there
• Be 35 years old or younger
• Hold a four-year degree or BSc Honours (with at least 65%) in one of these fields:
  • Bioinformatics
  • Data Science
  • Computer Science
  • Mathematics or Statistics
  • Biochemistry
  • Genetics
  • Molecular Biology
  • Other close subjects

Women are strongly encouraged to apply.

How to Apply

There are two steps, and both are required:

Step 1: Apply for the Scholarship

• Fill the scholarship form on this page
• Deadline: 26 June 2025

Step 2: Apply to the University

• Submit your MSc admission form at this official university site
• Deadlines:
  • 31 August 2025 (for non-South Africans)
  • 30 September 2025 (for South Africans)

More Details

Visit the African STARS MSc Fellowship information page to get full details.