Yale Young African Scholars Program 2026 for African secondary school students. (Travel Grant Available to YYAS Residential Leadership Summit in Kenya) – Opportunities For Africans

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Application Deadline:  21 January 2026

Applications are actually open for the 2026 Yale Young African Scholars Program. Yale Young African Scholars(YYAS) is an intensive educational and enrichment program designed for African secondary school college students who plan to pursue tertiary training and need to make significant impression as younger leaders on the continent.

Across each applications, contributors will improve their educational abilities, obtain college admission and monetary assist application steering, and be a part of a community of younger leaders from throughout Africa. Students might attend just one session, however they will point out their prefered session(s) on the YYAS application kind. 

YYAS 2026 Program Dates:

YYAS Online College Prep Workshop (6 days): 16 – 21 July 2026

YYAS Residential Leadership Summit (Kenya; 9 days): 8 – 16 August 2026

Eligibility Requirements

In order to apply to YYAS, candidates MUST fulfill all the following necessities:

• Age: You have to be between the ages of 14-18 years previous on the primary day of this system (July 16) in 2026 in order to be thought of. Please be aware {that a} typical YYAS pupil is between the ages of 16-17. 
• English: You should have the ability to take part in a rigorous educational curriculum performed in English.
• Citizenship: You should be a citizen or everlasting resident of an African nation. YYAS will even settle for functions from refugees residing in an African nation.
• School location: You should presently attend school in an African nation.
• Grade Level: You have to be a present tenth or eleventh grade pupil (or the worldwide equivalents). 
• Graduation date:   If you attend school in the Northern Hemisphere, you have to be graduating secondary school by earliest May/June 2027 and no later than May/June 2028. If you attend school in the Southern Hemisphere, you have to be graduating secondary school by earliest November/December 2026 and no later than November/December 2027.

Program Details

YYAS College Prep Workshop (on-line): The YYAS College Prep Workshop will provide admission to ~240 college students, and is open to college students throughout all international locations in Africa. To take part, college students have to be in a position to entry Zoom on their very own cell phone, pill, and/or pc with dependable web for the period of this system. The program will give attention to profession exploration, getting ready for the college application course of, and making the transition from secondary school to college. Given the restricted period of this system, YYAS has strict attendance expectations the place college students are unable to miss even at some point of this system. Students who efficiently end this system will obtain a pdf YYAS Certificate of Completion that may be added to faculty and college functions. The YYAS College Prep Workshop (on-line) is completely freed from cost.

YYAS Residential Leadership Summit (Kenya): The YYAS Residential Leadership Summit will provide admission to ~110 college students, and is open to college students throughout all international locations in Africa. Students will reside on a residential school campus in Kenya for 9 (9) days. The program will give attention to the identical faculty prep subjects as the net workshop in addition to management, innovation, design, and 21^st century abilities. Given the restricted period of this system, YYAS has strict attendance expectations the place college students are unable to miss even at some point of this system. Students who efficiently end this system will obtain a pdf YYAS Certificate of Completion that may be added to faculty and college functions. The YYAS Summit is tuition-free ($0) and gives free housing, meals, and all educational curriculum supplies.

TRAVEL: For the YYAS Summit (residential in Kenya), all college students have to be in a position to journey to and from Kenya, and all college students will coordinate and pay/fundraise for any required journey documentation (equivalent to passport, journey visa, and many others.).

Regarding transportation (equivalent to flights), there are a restricted variety of need-based Travel grants accessible for college students who’re provided admission and dwell exterior of Kenya. All candidates will robotically be reviewed for Travel Grant eligibility, and every provide of admission for the YYAS Summit will embody details about whether or not or not a Travel Grant was offered (after which college students and households can select whether or not to settle for or decline that supply of admission).

All college students who don’t obtain/qualify for a Travel Grant have to be in a position coordinate and pay/fundraise for their journey to and from Kenya.

The following checklist describes the standard YYAS necessities, though probably the most up-to-date and correct data is all the time in the application.

The following three (3) parts are required of all candidates:

• Completed application kind – The application could be discovered on-line and have to be stuffed out by the applicant. Students might be requested to full one 500-word essay and two brief responses, and should present data on their extracurricular actions and the school that they presently attend.
• Official transcript or grade report(s) – A pupil transcript is an official doc offered by the school and consists of the applicant’s checklist of programs and grades acquired. Students should add their official transcript or grade report(s) for every year of secondary school (in normal, that is the worldwide equal of grades 9, 10, and 11). National examination scores, if accessible, also needs to be submitted however will not be required. If a pupil has modified secondary faculties at any level, they have to embody information each from their earlier AND their present school. Please chorus from importing certificates or transcripts from main school.
• One (1) instructor advice – The advice have to be stuffed out by way of the Online Recommendation Form that might be despatched to a instructor’s e mail after the scholar gives their contact particulars. An e mail might be despatched with a hyperlink to the Form and directions on how to fill it out. The advice have to be written and submitted by a instructor who is aware of the scholar nicely. Recommendations from mother and father/guardians, siblings, relations, household pals, and/or paid personal tutors/counselors will NOT be accepted.

Application Deadline:

Applicant Pool #1: Early Action

Application Deadline	11:59 PM ET on 20 October 2025
Decision Release	Notified of Admission Status by 11:59pm ET on 19 December 2025
Deadline to Accept or Decline YYAS Offer	11:59 PM ET on 5 January 2026

Applicant Pool #2: Regular Decision

Application Deadline	11:59 PM ET on 21 January 2026
Decision Release	Notified of Admission Status by 11:59pm ET on 20 March 2026
Deadline to Accept or Decline YYAS Offer	11:59 PM ET on 25 March 2026

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Yale Young African Scholars Program