Airtel Africa Tech Fellowship Uganda 2026: Historical Reference for 20 Fully Funded STEM Scholarships

Airtel Africa Tech Fellowship Uganda 2026: Historical Reference for 20 Fully Funded STEM Scholarships

This page is a historical reference for the Airtel Africa Foundation Tech Fellowship intake that recruited students in Uganda for study beginning in 2026. It is not an open application listing. The application form for this intake is closed, and the Airtel Africa Foundation’s current fellowship page does not announce a new Uganda application window. Do not send documents or personal information through the old form expecting to join a later cohort.

The programme is now presented by the Foundation as the Airtel Africa Tech Fellowship. Its purpose is broader than a one-time fee payment: the Foundation describes full undergraduate support together with career readiness, mentorship, industry exposure, and routes toward internships or early-career opportunities. The Uganda intake was the relevant local call behind the older title “University Tech Scholarship.”

Status at a glance

What happened to the Uganda intake

The application window was a short call for new university entrants. The partner announcement for the Foundation stated that applications ran from 9 December to 18 December 2025 through the dedicated Zoho form. The form now displays a closure notice and asks visitors to watch the official channels for future announcements. That is why the deadline remains the real date in the metadata while the page is marked as historical.

The Foundation subsequently reported the result of the selection process. Its official release dated 5 February 2026 says that 20 students had been selected for fully funded scholarships at leading Ugandan universities. The release describes the awards as four-year scholarships taking effect in February 2026 and says the total programme value was more than UGX 3.85 billion, equivalent in that release to about USD 1.024 million. The students were described as talented young Ugandans from underprivileged or low-income backgrounds pursuing science and technology degree programmes.

This outcome changes the practical advice for a reader. There is no reason to prepare a new submission against the closed form, and there is no verified Uganda deadline to replace the closed date. A future cohort may use a different name, eligibility rules, partner, or application address. Treat any post that reuses the old deadline as a notice about the completed intake, not proof that applications are open.

What the scholarship provided

The older Uganda call described a full package covering tuition, accommodation, academic materials, and a fixed stipend for core course expenses. The Foundation’s current fellowship page gives a fuller programme description: full undergraduate scholarships cover tuition, accommodation, learning materials, a stipend, a laptop, and connectivity. The Foundation also describes career readiness and leadership development, mentorship from Airtel Africa professionals and industry leaders, internship and early-career pathways, and a long-term alumni network.

The Foundation’s sustainability reporting gives additional context for the Uganda cohort. It says that the 20 fellows received four-year scholarships, laptops, data packages, and access to a formal mentorship programme with industry leaders. The press release and the programme page do not publish a separate cash figure for each student, nor do they explain a monthly payment schedule for the stipend. Readers should therefore not infer an individual award amount from the total programme value. The reliable description is a comprehensive education and career-support package, not a cash-only award.

The programme’s value is also different from “tuition only.” Accommodation and learning materials address direct study costs, while a laptop and data support help fellows participate in coursework and digital projects. Mentorship and career readiness are programme components, but they should not be confused with a guaranteed job. The official material describes pathways and exposure, not an employment promise.

Eligibility for the closed Uganda call

The criteria below describe the published Uganda intake and should not be treated as confirmed rules for a future round:

• The applicant had to be a Ugandan national.
• The applicant had to be a new entrant or first-year undergraduate student.
• Admission had to be at one of the five participating universities named in the call: Makerere University, ISBAT University, Uganda Christian University, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, or Kyambogo University.
• The intended degree had to fall within the technology fields listed in the call: Information Technology, Computer Science, Computer Technology, Software Engineering, Data Science, Cybersecurity, or Artificial Intelligence.
• The academic threshold stated in the published call was at least two principal passes at UACE in one sitting, together with the potential to succeed in the selected programme.
• The applicant had to come from a financially constrained background and demonstrate financial need.
• The applicant could not hold another scholarship, including a Government of Uganda scholarship.

The Foundation’s later announcement uses the broader language of STEM degree programmes and says the selected fellows came from disadvantaged backgrounds. That later announcement confirms the cohort and its purpose, but it does not replace the detailed application criteria with a new open call. For an archive page, the responsible distinction is to retain the criteria attached to the closed recruitment notice and label them as historical.

Documents and preparation used for the closed call

The exact form fields and upload requirements should not be assumed to remain available after closure. For the completed call, a sensible evidence pack would have included the documents needed to prove the published criteria: an admission letter from one of the named universities, UACE results showing the stated passes, proof of Ugandan nationality, evidence of the programme and first-year status, and information supporting the financial-need assessment. Applicants also needed to disclose other scholarship support because the call excluded holders of another scholarship.

Those items are preparation guidance tied to the historical criteria, not a promise that the Foundation will request the same files next time. If a new Uganda call is announced, read its own document list and file-size rules. Do not reuse an old form response, upload identity documents to an unverified copycat page, or assume that a new cohort will use the same five universities.

Historical application steps

The closed process was straightforward:

1. Confirm Ugandan nationality, first-year admission, participating university, technology field, academic threshold, financial need, and the no-other-scholarship condition.
2. Assemble readable proof of admission, UACE results, identity, programme, and financial circumstances.
3. Open the dedicated application form linked from the Foundation’s partner announcement and check that it is the genuine Airtel Africa Foundation/Q-Sourcing route.
4. Complete the online questions carefully, keeping names, contact information, university details, and programme titles consistent with the supporting documents.
5. Submit the completed form by 18 December 2025 and retain any confirmation message.
6. Wait for selection communication through the contact details supplied in the form.

None of those steps creates an active route today. The old form’s closure message is the decisive status signal. A reader who finds an invitation to submit after the stated deadline should verify it against the Foundation’s official fellowship page and press-release archive before sharing personal data.

What to monitor for a future Uganda round

The Foundation’s fellowship page currently presents the programme across Airtel Africa markets and includes a Nigeria application link, while its Uganda content profiles fellows from the completed cohort. The Foundation’s press-release page records the Uganda cohort announcement but does not list a new Uganda call. That means the next-round status is not announced, rather than rolling or open.

For a future announcement, check five things before acting:

1. The notice names Uganda and gives a new cohort or academic cycle.
2. The application button leads from the official Airtel Africa Foundation site or a clearly identified programme partner.
3. The eligibility rules state whether applicants must be first-year entrants and whether the same universities and fields remain eligible.
4. The notice gives a new deadline and explains the required documents.
5. The support package states whether laptops, connectivity, mentorship, and the stipend remain included.

Do not convert the historical date into “rolling.” The form is closed, and the Foundation has not said that late applications are accepted or that places remain available until a cohort fills. A future deadline belongs in a new verified update only after the Foundation publishes it.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply through the old form?

No. The checked form says applications for that intake are closed. It is retained as the historical application endpoint, not as an active submission route.

Was the scholarship really fully funded?

Yes, the Foundation describes the Uganda awards as fully funded four-year scholarships. The published package includes tuition, accommodation, learning materials, a stipend, laptops, and connectivity or data support, plus mentorship and career development components. The exact individual stipend amount is not published in the verified material.

Were all Ugandan undergraduates eligible?

No. The closed call targeted new first-year entrants at five named universities in specified technology fields, with academic, nationality, financial-need, and other-scholarship conditions.

Is there a 2027 or later Uganda deadline?

No verified next Uganda deadline is announced on the checked Foundation page or its current press-release listing. Keep this page as an archive entry until a new official notice provides a new cycle.

Official links

• Airtel Africa Tech Fellowship programme page — current programme information and fellows.
• Airtel Africa Foundation press releases — official announcements, including the Uganda cohort.
• Closed Uganda application form — historical endpoint; it currently reports that the intake is closed.

The Airtel Africa Foundation is the programme organisation. Verify any future Uganda announcement on its official site before relying on a date, eligibility rule, award component, or application link.