Application Information

What are the important dates and deadlines I should remember?

Applications will be open from the 2nd of August 2021 and the deadline to submit your registration will be on 28th January 2022. You must submit your registration form before you can submit the full application for the programme.

What is the registration form for?

The registration form allows us to register applicants in our system, and we will use
the information provided to determine if 1) the applicant fulfils all the eligibility requirements and 2) has a strong enough academic record to be considered for the programme. Only applicants who are eligible when assessed according to these criteria will be invited to complete the application.

What does the registration process consist of?

In the registration you will be asked to submit basic information about you such as your name, nationality, date of birth, email, status of mother and father, year of exam results, overall exam grades, desired field of study, etc. You will also be required to submit an identification document, your exam results, and your final/most recent high school transcripts.

What happens after I submit my registration?

Within a few weeks  of submitting your registration, you will be notified about whether you are eligible and have strong enough academic grades for the program. If you are invited to complete the full application for the programme, you will receive an email inviting you to proceed to the next round, the full application form.

What does the full application consist of?

Only applicants eligible for the programme will be invited to fill in the full application. The full application consists of detailed personal, family, academic and post-secondary/university information. You will also be asked about your leadership experiences and any extracurricular activities. The questions will be a mixture of multiple choice, short and long answer, including two essays. You will be required to submit a national ID card or passport, ID photo, birth certificate, death certificate for your parent(s), school transcripts, exam results (if available), letter of recommendation, university transcripts (if applicable), certificates, etc.

Do I have to apply online? What do I do if I am having difficulties with the online application?

We strongly recommend applying online, however if for any reason you cannot apply online, please email us at admissions.en@ashinaga.org for support. 

Can I apply after the deadline?

We do not accept applications after the deadline. We advise you to apply as early as possible with all the documents.

How will I hear about being invited to the Ashinaga Assessment (interview and exam)?

If you are selected for the Ashinaga you will receive an email with all the details in March 2023.

What is assessed during the final Ashinaga Assessment?

Applicants are assessed on their academic knowledge and aptitude, challenges faced and overcome, leadership experiences and future plans. You will be assessed through an examination and interview.

How much does it cost to apply?

All applications are free of charge.

If I applied last year, can I apply again?

If you still satisfy the requirements, you are welcome to apply again.

I have other questions; how should I contact Ashinaga?

If you have further questions, please contact us by email.

Eligibility and Application Documents

Can exceptions be made to the eligibility criteria?

You must meet all the eligibility criteria to apply for this programme.

My date of birth puts me just outside the age limit. Can I still apply?

We only accept students born on or after September 1st, 2000.

I don’t have a passport or national ID card, what should I do?

If you do not have a passport or national ID card, then another official document with your full name, age, and photo can be considered, such as a school ID card.

I do not have one of the required documents. What should I do?

All the required documents listed are necessary to apply, particularly proof of age and proof of the death or disappearance of a parent. If you do not have a death certificate, then any other official document can be considered, including a court record, affidavit, or an official letter from a local government official.

I cannot receive a letter of recommendation from my teacher, what should I do?

If you cannot receive a letter of recommendation from your teacher, you can submit a letter of recommendation from a school counsellor or someone who knows you in an academic setting.

Can I apply if I have not finished my secondary school studies yet?

We only accept students who have finished secondary school and have received their final results or will receive their final results before the28th of February 2022. This means that you can apply if you have not finished your studies, but only if you will have finished them and receive your exam results before the end of February.

I am currently attending school and residing in a different African country to the one for which I hold citizenship, am I still eligible?

You are eligible if you have citizenship and have completed/are completing secondary school in one of the following countries: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, CAR, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, DRC, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Kenya, Kingdom of Eswatini, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Seychelles, Sudan, Tanzania, The Gambia, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

My final grades and/or graduation from high school will be delayed due to COVID-19. What should I do?

We only accept students who have received their final secondary school exam results or are expected to receive them before the 28th of February. If you will not receive your results before this date, we advise you to apply the following year if you are eligible.

Programme Information

How many students do you select per country?

Ashinaga takes great care to select and develop our students. We believe in quality over quantity and invest a significant number of resources in those who are accepted into our programme. As a result of this, to ensure sustainability, we try to select about one student per country per year. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to select a student from each country every year.

Why is the age limit 23?

There are two reasons for this. The first is that Ashinaga wants to prioritise young people for this leadership programme, and the second is that students aged 23 or older typically have greater difficulty obtaining an undergraduate student visa to study abroad.

Why is the programme only for orphans?

Ashinaga is first and foremost an organisation that supports the education of orphaned young people.

What costs does the programme cover?

The Ashinaga Africa Initiative helps students access full financial support to study abroad that cover the costs of tuition, accommodation, insurance, flights, and provides a monthly stipend which covers necessary academic costs and food. The support covers the first possible qualification that can earned. The costs of a foundation or preparatory course will also be covered if required for the student to be admitted or properly prepared for their degree, or if the academic qualifications in the student’s country are not recognised in the potential country of study. However, AAI does not select students for a second degree or master’s degree.

Why only undergraduate level? Can Ashinaga support me for a Masters?

As there are many other organisations, universities, and foundations offering funding for Master’s degrees, we have decided to prioritise students applying for undergraduate university studies.

How will my university/country of study be decided?

This will be decided during the Ashinaga Study Camp for students selected for this programme. It will be decided together with the student, but the final decision ultimately lies with Ashinaga. It will depend on numerous criteria, including visa requirements, language requirements, academic grades, and the availability of the student’s desired course of study.

What happens If I have an offer of admission to university already, should I still apply to the programme?

You can apply for the programme, but you will need to participate in the AAI Preparation Year, and it is very unlikely you will go on to study at the university where you have already received an offer. You will instead apply to other universities with the support of Ashinaga.

Can I get a partial scholarship with Ashinaga?

We do not support individual students who have already received an offer of admission an partial funding for their studies. We only support students who are admitted to our leadership programme, the Ashinaga Africa Initiative.

What courses are not covered by the Ashinaga programme?

Ashinaga does NOT support medicine, veterinary, dentistry, and pharmacy degrees, although we do support three-or four-year undergraduate programmes related to medicine, such as biomedicine.

What language will I study in?

We have students studying in English, French, Portuguese, and Japanese. The language each student studies in varies according to the country of study and course. Applicants accepted to study in Japan will normally study in English, except applicants accepted to the Japanese Language Track. Japanese Language Track students will first study Japanese for one to two years before studying their desired course at university in the Japanese language.

I am from a French-speaking country but want to study in English. Can I still apply?

Yes, you may still apply. Some students from Francophone countries with sufficient quality English can study in English.