AltSchool Tech Scholarships 2025/2026 for African Students
AltSchool Africa offers full tuition scholarships across its diploma programmes in engineering, data, product, and business, awarded to candidates who pass its entrance assessment and meet the specific conditions of individual scholarship funds.
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The named funds in older guides — Cresco, Cleva-AltSchool, Binance, and Ayoba — carried deadlines in September and October 2025 and have since closed. AltSchool doesn’t run these as a single annual batch, though: it maintains an ongoing, rolling portfolio of scholarship funds tied to specific cohorts, currently including funds attached to its Baraka 2026 and Karatu 2026 cohorts, with new funds appearing and old ones closing as cohorts turn over. This guide explains how the system actually works, the real costs involved, and how to find whichever funds are currently live.
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How AltSchool’s Scholarship System Actually Works
AltSchool Africa runs its diploma programmes in cohorts — named groups of students starting together, similar to how a bootcamp intake works rather than a traditional academic year. Each cohort typically has its own set of scholarship funds attached, sponsored or partnered with different organisations, which is why the specific fund names change over time: Cresco, Cleva-AltSchool, and Binance were tied to particular past cohorts, while the current live listing includes different named funds tied to the Baraka 2026 and Karatu 2026 cohorts instead.
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Some funds come from corporate or fintech partners — the current listing includes a scholarship tied to completing KYC verification on a specific investment app, and another tied to a partner charity foundation project — which is unusual structuring worth understanding before applying, since it means eligibility sometimes depends on actions outside AltSchool itself, not just your own academic profile. What stays consistent across virtually every fund is the entrance exam requirement: every scholarship applicant needs to pass AltSchool’s own assessment first, typically at a stricter threshold than regular admission.
AltSchool Tech Scholarships Summary
| Scholarship Name ⇒ | AltSchool Tech Scholarships |
| Host Country ⇒ | African Countries |
| Study Level ⇒ | Diploma |
| Benefits ⇒ | 100% tuition waiver for the diploma programme |
| Funded by ⇒ | AltSchool Africa, with several funds co-sponsored by corporate partners |
| Eligible Countries ⇒ | Varies by specific fund — some open to all Sub-Saharan Africa, others restricted to specific countries (Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Kenya have all appeared as restrictions on individual funds) |
| Application Deadline ⇒ | Rolling — specific funds open and close as cohorts turn over. The funds named in older guides (deadlines September–October 2025) have closed; check AltSchool’s official scholarship page for whichever funds are currently live |
Before You Apply — The Real Cost of the Entrance Exam
This matters enough to state upfront: sitting AltSchool’s entrance assessment isn’t free. Independent reviews of the process confirm an application fee of roughly ₦20,000 for diploma programmes, required before you can take the assessment that determines your scholarship eligibility. The regular admission pass mark is around 70%, but most scholarship funds require a stricter 85% or higher. This is a real financial commitment before you know whether you’ll receive a scholarship, so budget for it as part of your decision to apply rather than assuming the entire process is cost-free simply because the end result is a “scholarship.”
Common Requirements Across Most Funds
- You need to score at least 85% on AltSchool’s entrance assessment — this threshold is consistently higher than regular admission across nearly every scholarship fund.
- You need to be prepared to commit fully to the 12-month virtual training programme, including all required activities — AltSchool treats partial commitment as a disqualifying risk given how demanding the schedule is.
- You’ll typically need valid government-issued identification.
- Depending on the specific fund, you may need to write a personal essay — some funds have required up to 1,000 words explaining your background and how the scholarship would help you.
Types of Funds That Have Appeared (Illustrative, Not Current)
Because funds rotate, treat these as examples of the kinds of scholarships AltSchool runs rather than funds you can currently apply for:
- Country-restricted funds — some past and current funds have been limited to specific countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, or Kenya specifically, rather than open pan-African funds.
- Female-only funds — AltSchool has run scholarships specifically for female applicants, requiring computer literacy and full programme commitment alongside the standard exam threshold.
- Partner-sponsored funds with unusual conditions — some current funds require actions tied to a corporate partner, such as completing account verification (KYC) on a specific fintech app, or committing to a project with a named partner organisation after the diploma ends.
- Track-specific funds — some funds are tied to a particular School (Engineering, Product, Data, Business) rather than being open across all AltSchool’s programmes.
- Undergraduate-status funds — at least one current fund is specifically for applicants already enrolled in an undergraduate degree at any university, regardless of discipline.
Documents to Prepare
- Proof of passing the AltSchool entrance exam.
- A valid government-issued ID.
- Proof of tertiary enrollment, for funds that specifically require it.
- Any partner-specific proof required by that fund — a verified account with a named financial partner, for example, where applicable.
- Access to a laptop or computer for virtual learning — this is a baseline requirement across every AltSchool programme, scholarship or not.
- A personal essay, for funds that require one.
How to Apply — Given the Rolling System
- Visit AltSchool Africa’s official scholarship page directly — altschoolafrica.com/scholarship — since this is the only reliable source for which funds are currently live. A search result citing a specific fund and deadline from months ago is very likely already outdated.
- Register and sit the entrance assessment. Budget for the roughly ₦20,000 application fee, and know that most scholarship funds require 85% or higher, well above the 70% general admission pass mark.
- Once you’ve received your student ID from passing the assessment, review whichever specific scholarship funds are currently listed and check their individual eligibility conditions carefully — country restrictions, gender requirements, partner conditions, and track restrictions all vary fund by fund.
- Gather the documents specific to your chosen fund, including any partner-specific proof if that fund requires it.
- Complete the online application for your chosen fund through the AltSchool scholarship portal.
- Submit before that specific fund’s stated deadline — deadlines are fund-specific, not a single shared date across AltSchool’s scholarship offerings.
- Wait for official confirmation from AltSchool on your application status.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the Cresco, Cleva-AltSchool, Binance, and Ayoba scholarship funds still open?
No. Those specific funds carried deadlines in September and October 2025 and have closed. AltSchool runs new funds tied to new cohorts on an ongoing basis, so check the official scholarship page for whichever funds are currently active.
Is there a cost to apply for an AltSchool scholarship?
Yes. You need to pass AltSchool’s entrance assessment first, which carries an application fee of roughly ₦20,000 for diploma programmes. This is a real cost incurred before you know your scholarship outcome.
Do all AltSchool scholarships require the same entrance exam score?
Most require at least 85%, notably higher than the roughly 70% pass mark for regular (non-scholarship) admission, though this can vary slightly by specific fund.
Can I apply for a scholarship fund even if I’m not from the specific country it’s restricted to?
No. Country-restricted funds — which have included Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, and Kenya specifically at various points — genuinely exclude applicants from outside that country. Check each fund’s stated eligibility rather than assuming a pan-African scholarship applies to you.
Is job placement guaranteed after completing an AltSchool diploma?
No. AltSchool provides career counselling, mentorship, and recruitment support, but doesn’t guarantee employment outcomes — treat placement support as assistance rather than a promised result when weighing this against other options.
Disclaimer: All scholarship details, eligibility criteria, and costs in this post were verified from AltSchool Africa’s official website and independent reviews as of August 2026. Because AltSchool’s scholarship funds rotate with each new cohort, always confirm currently active funds and their specific deadlines directly on AltSchool Africa’s official scholarship page before applying. ScholarWaka is not affiliated with AltSchool Africa.
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