Fully Funded YALE African Leadership Scholarship Programme
The Yale Young African Scholars (YYAS) 2027 programme is now open for applications to African secondary school students who are preparing for university and want to develop their academic, leadership and career skills.
YYAS is an intensive academic and enrichment programme administered under Yale University. It is designed to help African secondary school students prepare for tertiary education, understand university admissions and financial aid, explore career pathways, and connect with other young leaders from across Africa.
Important: YYAS is not an undergraduate or postgraduate scholarship. It is a free college-access, academic and leadership programme for secondary school students.
What the Yale Young African Scholars Programme Offers
For 2027, Yale will offer two programme options, and successful applicants can participate in only one of them:
1. YYAS Online College Prep Workshop
The online programme will run for 6 days, from 15–20 July 2027.
Approximately 240 students will be admitted from countries across Africa.
The programme will focus on:
- Career exploration
- Preparing for university applications
- Understanding the transition from secondary school to university
- University admissions guidance
- Financial-aid application guidance
- Academic preparation
- Connecting with other young African students
Participants will use online platforms such as Zoom and must have access to a mobile phone, tablet and/or computer with reliable internet throughout the programme.
Because the programme is only six days long, participants are expected to attend every day. Students who successfully complete the workshop will receive a PDF YYAS Certificate of Completion, which can be included in future university applications.
The online workshop is completely free.
2. YYAS Residential Leadership Summit – Rwanda
The residential programme will run for 9 days, from 7–15 August 2027, in Rwanda.
Approximately 110 students will be admitted.
In addition to the university-preparation topics covered by the online programme, the Residential Leadership Summit will focus on:
- Leadership
- Innovation
- Design
- 21st-century skills
- Academic preparation
- University admissions
- Financial-aid guidance
- Career exploration
- Building connections with other African young leaders
Students will stay on a residential school campus for the nine-day programme.
The Summit is tuition-free ($0) and provides participants with:
- Free accommodation
- Meals
- Academic curriculum materials
Participants who successfully complete the programme will also receive a PDF YYAS Certificate of Completion.
Travel Support for the Rwanda Summit
Students attending the Residential Leadership Summit must be able to travel to and from Rwanda.
Applicants are responsible for arranging and funding or fundraising for required travel documentation, including documents such as:
- Passport
- Travel visa
- Other required travel documentation
However, YYAS has a limited number of need-based Travel Grants for students who are admitted to the Residential Leadership Summit and live outside Rwanda.
All applicants are automatically reviewed for Travel Grant eligibility. If a student receives an admission offer, the offer will indicate whether a Travel Grant has been provided.
Students and their families can then decide whether to accept or decline the offer.
Students who do not receive or qualify for a Travel Grant must be able to arrange and fundraise for their own travel expenses. YYAS also encourages applicants who need assistance to contact the programme about travel assistance and fundraising resources.
Eligibility
Applicants must meet all of the following requirements:
- Be 14–18 years old on the first day of the programme, 15 July 2027.
- Be able to participate in a rigorous academic curriculum conducted in English.
- Be a citizen or permanent resident of an African country.
- Refugees living in an African country may also apply.
- Currently attend school in an African country.
- Be a current 10th- or 11th-grade student, or the international equivalent.
- Meet the required secondary-school graduation timeline.
For students studying in the Northern Hemisphere, applicants must graduate secondary school no earlier than May/June 2028 and no later than May/June 2029.
For students studying in the Southern Hemisphere, applicants must graduate secondary school no earlier than November/December 2027 and no later than November/December 2028.
Students who are already in their final year/term of secondary school, have already graduated from secondary school, or are currently university students are not eligible.
Previous YYAS or Yale Young Global Scholars (YYGS) alumni cannot apply or reapply for YYAS. However, YYAS alumni may apply to YYGS if they meet its eligibility requirements.
What Yale Looks For in Applicants
YYAS uses a holistic admissions process. There is no minimum grade or standardized examination score requirement, although applicants are expected to have a high level of English proficiency.
A typical successful YYAS participant demonstrates:
- Strong academic records
- Leadership potential
- Strong written and verbal communication
- Ability to work cooperatively with others
- Persistence and determination when facing challenges
- High standards of personal and professional conduct
- Ability to read, analyse and reflect on difficult material in English
- Maturity
- Interest in discussing intellectual, moral and political issues affecting Africa
YYAS primarily exists as a college-access programme and gives preference to high-achieving, low-income students, particularly those who do not have adequate university guidance in their schools or communities.
Application Requirements and Document Checklist
Applicants should prepare the following:
1. Completed Online Application Form
The application must be completed by the student.
Applicants will be asked to provide:
- Personal information
- Household information
- Financial information
- Information about their current school
- Coursework and grades
- Extracurricular activities
- A 400-word essay
- Two short written responses
- Additional information that helps YYAS understand the applicant
2. Official School Transcript or Grade Reports
Applicants must upload official transcripts or grade reports covering each year of secondary school, generally the equivalent of Grades 9, 10 and 11.
National examination results can also be submitted if available, but they are not required.
If a student has attended more than one secondary school, records from both the previous and current schools must be provided.
Applicants should not upload primary-school certificates or transcripts.
3. One Teacher Recommendation
One teacher recommendation is required.
The recommendation is completed through YYAS’s Online Recommendation Form. After the student enters the teacher’s contact details, the teacher receives an email containing the recommendation link and instructions.
The recommender should be a teacher who knows the student well.
YYAS does not accept recommendations from:
- Parents or guardians
- Siblings
- Relatives
- Family friends
- Paid private tutors
- Paid private counsellors
Teachers are also asked not to share their recommendations with students because YYAS places importance on the sincerity of the recommendation.
How to Apply
The YYAS application process is completed online.
Applicants should:
Step 1: Review the eligibility requirements.
Step 2: Review all application requirements.
Step 3: Review the sample blank YYAS 2027 application and begin preparing answers to the questions.
Step 4: Contact the relevant parent/guardian, teacher and/or school official early and collect the information required for the application.
Step 5: Start the online YYAS application and save the email address and password used to access it.
Step 6: Use the application’s Review page to check for missing information or incomplete sections.
Step 7: Once everything is complete, go to the Review page and click Submit Application.
Step 8: Check your email for the YYAS confirmation receipt. Confirmation emails normally arrive within 24–48 hours, although occasional delays may occur.
YYAS strongly recommends contacting its staff early if you have questions or encounter difficulties with the application.
Important: The sample PDF application is only for preparation. Applicants cannot complete the PDF and email it to Yale. Applications submitted by email, post or courier will not be accepted.
Application Deadlines
YYAS 2027 has two application pools.
Early Action
Application deadline: 11:59 PM ET, 20 October 2026
Admission decision: By 11:59 PM ET, 18 December 2026
Deadline to accept or decline offer: 11:59 PM ET, 5 January 2027
Regular Decision
Application deadline: 11:59 PM ET, 20 January 2027
Admission decision: By 11:59 PM ET, 20 March 2027
Deadline to accept or decline offer: 11:59 PM ET, 25 March 2027
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. However, Yale will not release decisions until applications from the relevant applicant pool have been reviewed.
All admissions decisions are expected to be released by the end of March 2027.
YYAS 2027 Programme Dates
| Programme | Date | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Online College Prep Workshop | 15–20 July 2027 | 6 days |
| Residential Leadership Summit, Rwanda | 7–15 August 2027 | 9 days |
Students may indicate their preferred programme(s) on the application, but they can only be admitted to one of the two programmes.
Is the Yale Young African Scholars Programme Fully Funded?
YYAS itself has no tuition cost.
The online programme is entirely free.
The Rwanda Residential Leadership Summit is also tuition-free and provides accommodation, meals and academic materials.
However, applicants should understand that the programme does not automatically cover every travel expense. Students attending the Rwanda Summit must arrange the required travel documents and travel to and from Rwanda. A limited number of need-based Travel Grants are available for admitted students living outside Rwanda.
Important Things Applicants Should Know
YYAS is designed for secondary school students preparing for university, not students who are already in university.
There are no minimum GPA or standardized-test-score requirements, but strong academic potential and English proficiency are expected.
The application should be completed by the applicant, and the essays and responses should accurately represent the applicant’s own experiences, interests and ambitions.
Applicants should also begin communicating with their teacher recommender and collecting school records early rather than waiting until the deadline.
Conclusion
The Yale Young African Scholars programme gives eligible African secondary school students an opportunity to strengthen their academic preparation, explore university and career options, develop leadership skills and connect with peers from across the continent. For 2027, students can apply for either the online College Prep Workshop or the Residential Leadership Summit in Rwanda.
