Inter-University Council of East EAC Student Mobility Scholarship Scheme 2025/2026

Deadline: 30th June 2025

Call for Application – Inter-University Council of East EAC Student Mobility Scholarship Scheme 2025/2026. The Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) invites suitably qualified students who are nationals of the East African Community (EAC) Partner States to apply for the EAC Student Mobility Scholarship Scheme (EAC-SMS) for the academic year 2025/2026.

What is the EAC-SMS?

The EAC-SMS is a regional scholarship programme designed to promote student exchange across the EAC Partner States. It supports students to pursue undergraduate, Master’s, and PhD studies at universities in a Partner State other than their own.

Scholarship Coverage

This is a cost-sharing programme supported by:

Host universities: Waive tuition and examination fees for students from other Partner States.
IUCEA Secretariat: Covers travel expenses, health insurance, and research costs.
Parents/Guardians/Students: Cover remaining costs such as accommodation and daily living expenses through personal means or other available support schemes.

A total of 177 scholarships are available in various disciplines:

• 91 Undergraduate
• 76 Master’s
• 10 PhD

Where to Study?

Participating universities from across the EAC Partner States are offering the scholarships for specific programmes. The full list of programmes, institutions, number of slots, and intakes is available in Table 1 of the official call document which can be accessed through this link: https://www.iucea.org/call-for-applications/

Inter-University Council of East EAC Student Mobility Scholarship Scheme 2025/2026 Eligibility Criteria

The following are the eligibility criteria for applicants to EAC-SMS:

• Be a national and resident of a partner state in the East African Community. (Provide national ID/Passport/Birth Certificate).
• Willing to apply to an eligible program (provided in Table 1) offered by a university in a country other than their countries of citizenship (g. applicants from the Republic of Uganda are eligible only if they apply to a participating university from other countries of the EAC other than Republic of Uganda).
• Excellent academic performance records as per programs’ entry requirements provided by participating universities.
• Possess at least an Upper Second-Class Honours or “Distinction” or equivalent if applying for Master’s and PhD programs.
• Age limit (less than 35 and 45 for Master’s and PhD programs, respectively, at the time of application.
• Work experience will be an added advantage for PhD programs.

Responsibilities

A . IUCEA– Inter-University Council for East Africa

• Provide medical insurance.
• Provide transport facilitation by road whenever applicable at the beginning and end of the academic program.
• Provide Master’s and PhD students with a lump sum for research (after completion of coursework and approval of thesis proposal).

B . Member Universities

• Offer scholarships through tuition and examination fee waivers.
• Offer admission and induction to the scholarship awardees.
• Provide a contact person to be a liaison between IUCEA and parents/guardians.

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Monitor and provide regular progress reports on the performance of scholarship beneficiaries

C . Students

• Cater for accommodation and living expenses.
• Cater for other university fees except tuition and examination fees provided in the scholarship.
• Provide any other material/ information as may be required.
• Gather the necessary documents from the universities of their choice in the region that offer programs under the scholarship scheme. (cfr Table 2)
• Submit regular progress reports on their academic performance and social welfare to IUCEA, the University, and Parents as required under the Scheme.

Inter-University Council of East EAC Student Mobility Scholarship Scheme 2025/2026 Application Process

The application process is two-fold, and each MUST be completed separately.:

Application for admission: An applicant shall identify the programme and university of their choice from amongst the eligible programmes as presented in Table 1. Table 2 contains the university admission links for each university that offered scholarships.
Applicants are required to consider the programme admission requirements that are provided by universities.

2. Application for the EAC-SMS Scholarship: Application for the EAC-SMS scholarship shall be made through the IUCEA website as follows:

a) Register online for the scholarship through the link: https://www.iucea.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/090525-SCHOLARSHIP-APPLICATION-FORM.docx

b) Download and complete the Scholarship Application Form here.

The following are the required documents which will support the application:

2. A letter of motivation for applying for the scholarship.
3. Up-to-date and signed Curriculum Vitae.
4. Certified copies of all academic certificates and transcripts.
5. A copy of the university Application Form and its attachments
6. A recent passport photograph in the colour of your head and upper shoulders.
7. Evidence of Nationality of a Partner State in the East African Community, such as a copy of the national identity card/ passport/birth certificate.
8. Proof of Residency (provide a certificate from the local government)
9. Provide evidence of any awards, e.g., leadership, community service, etc.
10. Any other evidence required in the application form, e.g., medical reports, letters of reference, etc.

Submit the required documents in PDF format, zipped in one folder, electronically to eacsms@iucea.org and [email protected].  Indicate the subject line of your submission email with YOUR NAME, EAC-SMS Application, MONTH & YEAR, e.g., Amani Africa, EAC-SMS Application, 30^th June 2025.

NOTE:

• Applicants for EAC-SMS scholarships are not required to apply for admission directly to universities instead they  should submit  their applications for scholarship  with all documents required for admission to IUCEA.
• IUCEA will receive and process all application documents for qualified candidate and submit  the relevant documents for admission directly to universities.
• There is no need for applicants of EAC-SMS to pay for application fees to universities

Application Deadlines 

• Admission deadlines shall be provided by the university admission systems.
• The deadline for applying for the EAC-SMS scholarship at IUCEA is 30th June 2025, EAT by midnight.

Note:

1. Applicants with academic qualifications obtained from foreign institutions must be equated by the authorised national agency (National Council/ Commission for Higher Education) in their respective countries.
2. Applicants with supporting documents (transcripts, certificates, among others) in languages other than English must submit both the originals and copies translated into English by an accredited language translation provider.
3. Candidates may apply to more than one University. But only one scholarship can be offered.
4. Candidates who meet the scholarship requirements and have already been admitted to any university offering the scholarship can still apply to EAC-SMS.