Call for applications

East African Community Students’ mobility scholarship scheme (eacsms) 2023/2024 (cohort 1 postgraduate programmes).

IUCEA invites suitably qualified Nationals of the East African Community (EAC) partner States to apply for cohort 1 Postgraduate programs of the East Africa Community Student’s Mobility Scholarship Scheme (EAC-SMS). The EAC-SMS is funded by a consortium of IUCEA- Member Universities, The IUCEA, and Parents/ Guardians/Self.

Important Timelines:

CALL OPEN: August 2nd, 2023

CALL CLOSES: August 23rd, 2023 not later than 17:00 hours, East African Time.

SELECTION AND ANNOUNCEMENT: August 30th, 2023.

Eligibility: Nationals of the EAC Partner states (Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda).

Duration of the Scholarship: Depending on the selected University program for the Masters’s or Doctoral.

1. BACKGROUND
The Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) is mandated by the IUCEA Act 2009, to coordinate higher education in the East African Community (EAC). In the operationalization of her mandate as per the Act, access to and affordability of

 higher education in the EAC region has been high on the agenda. Over the years, IUCEA has implemented some strategies and operations on academic mobility to facilitate student and staff mobility to promote regional integration. The students’ mobility programme including scholarships has attracted several initiatives, namely uniform fees for EAC citizen students to be charged in EAC countries’ host universities, and scholarship programmes for undergraduate and postgraduate students.

The Students Mobility programme in East Africa was first facilitated in the form of an exchange programme between Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda through the University of East Africa established in 1963 and it continued until 2004. Following the above rich history of regional students’ mobility and scholarship programme, and the resolutions of the IUCEA Annual Meeting held in Kigali in

2019, IUCEA started the process to revive the East African Community Students Mobility program. Compared to the high demand for scholarships and the limited available opportunities, the 10th IUCEA Annual meeting held in June 2019 in Kigali, Rwanda, encouraged IUCEA member universities to provide at least 1 slot for students from the EAC Partner States other than their own.  Hence many

Universities committed to offering scholarships by waiving Tuition and examination fees, while IUCEA will provide traveling expenses and Health Insurance, and the remaining cost will be on the side of the parents/ guardians/self. (See the responsibility of each party at the end of the call)

The postgraduate scholarship supports Master’s and Ph. D’ students in the selected programs (Table 1).

The students are required to apply to study in another EAC country (not their country of origin/citizenship).

2. SCHOLARSHIP PACKAGE
46 postgraduate scholarships are available in the 2023/2024 academic year.

Responsibility of the parties:

1. IUCEA- Inter-University Council for East Africa
   1. Provide medical insurance.
   2. Provide transport facilitation by road whenever applicable at the beginning and the end of the academic programme.

1. Provide Masters and Ph.D. students with a lump sum for research (aftercompletion of coursework).

1. Universities
   1. Offer scholarships through tuition and examination fees waiver.
   2. Offer admission and induction to the scholarship awardees.
   3. Provide a contact person for liaison with IUCEA and Parents/guardians.
   4. Monitor and provide regular progress reports on the performance of thescholarship programme.
2. Parents / Guardians/self/Sponsors
   1. Cater for accommodation and living expenses.
   2. Cater for other university fees (except tuition and examination- provided inthe scholarship).
   3. Provide any other material/ information as may be required.
3. Students
   1. Apply to the universities of their choice in the region whose programmeshave been selected for the scholarship scheme.
   2. Mobilise any additional resources to support their studies.
   3. Provide information on their academic and social welfare to IUCEA,University, and Parents.

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS- EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY STUDENTS’ MOBILITY SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME (EAC-SMS) 2023-2024 (COHORT 1 Postgraduate programmes) – Inter-University Council of East Africa