Harvard South Africa Fellowship Program 2023-2023|Fully-Funded
Do you know that the Harvard South Africa Fellowship scholarship is up for grabs again this year? Well, if you have ever dreamed of studying in the ivy league university called Harvard, this is your opportunity.
Currently, the prestigious university is at it again, accepting applications from candidates that are eligible for the Harvard South Africa Fellowship Program (HSAFP).
Candidates that will be selected will be on their way to the United States to study at Harvard University. Meanwhile, the fellowship is already fully-funded. This means that you get to study in a prestigious school at no cost at all.
A brief history about Harvard South Africa Fellowship Program
As far back as 1979, Harvard University president Derek Bok established the Harvard South Africa Fellowship Program to address the need of South Africans that were denied access to advanced education by the apartheid system.
Therefore, the creation of the Harvard South African Fellowship Program was a direct response to the strong movement by Harvard students and faculty during the divestment campaigns of the 1970s. So, the Harvard South Africa Fellowship Program continues to serve as an intellectual resource for talented South Africans. This program has the goal of providing a ‘transformational experience’ at Harvard University during the fellowship year.
Furthermore, the Harvard South Africa Fellowship program was established and is still intended for mid-career professionals educationally disadvantaged by past laws and resource allocation in South Africa. This program is open to all South Africans that are qualified.
Moreover, candidates whose interest in the program is only in seeking an advanced degree or professional certification to advance their own career interests are not the ideal candidates. Again, this free fellowship is up to one year of study in one of Harvard’s professional schools or graduate school for Arts and Sciences.
Why Harvard University
Harvard University is a private league research university. It is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was founded in 1636. Certainly, it is the oldest university in the United States of America.
Back then, it was called Harvard college and named after clergyman John Harvard. Harvard University is among the prestigious universities in the world today. Harvard has three main campuses and ten faculties. In addition, the Harvard Library is the world’s largest academic library system. It is made up of seventy-nine individual libraries holding about twenty point four million items. Harvard University alumni include eight United States of America presidents and one hundred and eighty-eight living billionaires.
Interestingly, during the divestment from the South Africa movement in the late 1980s, student activists erected a symbolic ‘shantytown’ on Harvard yard and blockaded a speech by South African Vice-Consul, Duke Kent-Brown. So, the university had to eventually reduce the holdings in South Africa by two hundred and thirty million out of the four hundred million dollars. obviously, this happened in response to the pressure.
Additionally, Harvard offers fifty undergraduate majors, one hundred and thirty-four degrees, plus thirty-two professional degrees. The school is a founding member of the Association of American Universities.
Requirements for Harvard South Africa Fellowship Program
- Candidates that have shown considerable skill in their chosen fields.
- Candidates who have just completed or who have not yet completed the first degree are not selected.
- Candidates are usually 30 – 45 years.
- You must be a South African
- Priority will be given to mid-career applicants from historically marginalized or underrepresented groups from rural areas outside urban centers.
- Ideal candidates are those who seek to model ethical leadership, knowledge sharing, and service to improve their communities.
- Candidates will be made to enter their education history including name and location of the institution, dates attended, degree, and field of study.
Selection Criteria
- Applications are opened annually in January to citizens and permanent residents of South Africa.
- Forms are submitted directly to the Centre for African Studies.
- The Centre for African Studies will conduct a review to check to make sure candidates submit complete forms.
- Applications that are not complete or failed to follow the instructions will be disqualified.
- Short-listed candidates will be invited to participate in an interview with a selection committee. This selection committee comprises the Harvard South African Fellowship Program (HSAFP) Faculty Director. The CAFS Executive Director, the HBS Africa Research Centre Executive Director, and HSAFP Program Alumni will seat over the interview.
- In addition, interviews will be just thirty to forty minutes in length. This will help the selection committee to learn more about the candidate beyond his or her application form. Also, it will help the candidate ask questions they have about the program and Harvard University.
- Finally, the selection committee under the HSAFP Faculty Director will make their final decision and the candidates will be selected and offered the fellowship program.
The selection is made under the following:
- Academic strengths
- Disadvantages faced or adversity overcome
- Financial need
- Chances of admission and the ability to succeed in the program and the expected impact the candidate will have on South Africa upon returning.
- Candidates are evaluated in their entirety, that is, every factor will be checked and decided upon.
Finally, If you are selected, you will be invited to apply for admission to the graduate or professional school.
Candidates that were not selected can reapply next time.
Importantly, candidates will be interviewed virtually through zoom meetings in August 2023. Candidates will be notified of their selection status by September 2023.
Benefits:
- Full payment for the tuition fee throughout the fellowship duration
- Flight fare to and fro
- Monthly stipends
However, you get to pay for your books and other learning materials.
Your medical bills throughout the fellowship duration are on you.
Also, you will purchase an American health insurance plan as stated by Harvard.
The application closes on: April 30th, 2023.
For more information: https://africa.harvard.edu/south-africa-fellowship-program
For application instructions: https://africa.harvard.edu/application
To Apply:
Complete the application on Qualtrics and upload required documents as prompted
Candidates must register to access the application: HERE
Registration for Harvard South Africa Fellowship Program is ongoing. If you are a South African citizen and ready to fly higher in the cause of your career start now. The prestigious ivy league University is waiting for you with open hands. A chance for you to identify with the best minds in your field.