Yale Young African Scholars Program

2019 Application for Yale Young African Scholars Program is open!

The Yale Young African Scholars Program (YYAS) is an intensive academic and enrichment program designed for African secondary school students planning to pursue tertiary education and who wish to make meaningful impact as young leaders on the continent.

Yale Young African Scholars Program
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Participants will enhance their academic skills, receive university admission and financial aid application guidance, and join a network of young leaders from across Africa. Following the eight-day program, students will be paired with mentors who will help advise them throughout the university application process. There are no tuition, meal, or lodging costs for students to participate in YYAS.

YYAS is an official program of Yale University.

The Yale Young African Scholars Program is in proud partnership with the Higherlife Foundation and is a member of the HALI Access Network, with additional support from The Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale.

Application Requirements

Deadline to submit all materials: 06 February 2019 at 11:59pm EST

Completed application form

The application can be found online and must be filled out by the applicant. Students will be asked to complete one 500-word essay and two short responses, and must provide information on their extracurricular activities and the school that they currently attend.

You may preview the application here.

Official transcript or grade reports

A student transcript is an official document provided by the school and includes the applicant’s list of courses and grades received. Students must upload their official transcript or grade report(s) for each year of secondary school. National exam scores, if available, should also be submitted but are not required. If a student has changed secondary schools at any point, they must include records both from their previous AND their current school.Please refrain from uploading certificates or transcripts from primary school.

One (1) teacher recommendation

The recommendation must be written and submitted by a teacher who knows the student well. They may do so through a link that will be provided by the applicant on the online portal. Alternatively, the teacher may email a letter of recommendation in PDF (.pdf) format to [email protected] and our staff will upload it to the student’s application. Letters must be placed on institutional letterhead with signature. Recommendations from parents/guardians, siblings, relatives, family friends, and/or paid private tutors/counselors will NOT be accepted.

We place great importance on these recommendations because we understand that students come from a wide variety of backgrounds and education contexts. We appreciate teachers taking the time to write recommendations for their student(s). To ensure sincerity, we ask that teachers please refrain from sharing their recommendations with students.

You must click the “SUBMIT” button on the last page for your application to be considered.

YYAS reviews all applications holistically, and there are no minimum grade or standardized exam score requirements. However, a high level of English proficiency will be expected.

Decision Notification

Applicants will be notified electronically of admissions decisions by late March or early April.

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