Yale Young African Scholars (YYAS) Program 2021 for African Students

The Yale Young African Scholars Program (YYAS) is a high-intensity academic and leadership program designed for African secondary school students who have the talent, drive, energy, and ideas to make meaningful impacts as young leaders, even before they begin their university studies.

Yale Young African Scholars (YYAS) Program

Entering its sixth year, this intensive program brings together African secondary school students between the ages of 14–18 for a cost-free, intensive academic and residential program.

Administered by the Yale Young Global Scholars Program and building off that model of interdisciplinary academic curriculum, YYAS participants will attend lectures led by prominent Yale faculty, seminars developed by Yale student instructors, and experiential exercises designed to augment their leadership skills. Participants will engage in robust intellectual exchanges that are crucial to understanding Africa’s most pressing challenges and opportunities. In addition to the introduction to university application processes, Yale student-led courses and leadership training, YYAS also offers students standardized test preparation sessions at no cost to the students.

Yale Young African Scholars (YYAS) Program Eligibility

• Age: You must be at least 14 years old by application deadline in order to be considered. Please note that a typical YYAS student is between the ages of 15 and 18.
• English: You must be able to participate in a rigorous academic curriculum conducted in English.
• Citizenship: You must be a citizen or permanent resident of an African country. YYAS will also accept applications from refugees living in an African country.
• School location: You must currently attend school in an African country.
• Graduation date: If you attend school in the Northern Hemisphere, you must be graduating secondary school by earliest May/June 2021. If you attend school in the Southern Hemisphere, you must be graduating secondary school by earliest November/December 2020. Students who will graduate secondary school before August 2020 are NOT eligible to apply.

If you are currently in your final year or term of secondary school, have already graduated secondary school, or are a university student, then you are NOT eligible to apply.

If you are a YYAS or YYGS alumnus/a, you may NOT apply for YYAS. (*However, if you are a YYAS alumnus/a, you can apply to YYGS if eligible.)Selection Criteria: A typical YYAS participant has:

• Excellent academic records
• Demonstrated leadership potential
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• A desire and ability to work cooperatively with peers
• Persistence and determination when facing challenges
• High standards of personal and professional conduct
• The ability to read, analyze, and reflect on large quantities of difficult material in English
• Interest in engaging in discussions about intellectual, moral, and political issues in Africa

Value of Award: 

• To make the program accessible to students of all financial backgrounds, there is no cost for students to participate in YYAS.
• However, participants ARE responsible for any passport and/or visa related expenses, and for getting themselves to the venue at the outset of the program and their return home at the end of the program. Participants will also be responsible for any incidental expenses they elect to incur.
• Please note that students from low-income backgrounds who demonstrate financial need may apply for a limited number of travel grants offered by the program. If awarded, the grant will cover the cost of a roundtrip plane ticket between a student’s home country and the program location. It will NOT cover costs associated with the passport and/or visa. Students can only apply for travel assistance after they have received an offer of admission to YYAS.

Duration of Program: *Program dates are subject to change. Alternative dates are 1^st August to 7^th August 2021. A final decision will be made before offers of admission are sent to students.

How to Apply for Yale Young African Scholars (YYAS) Program

For more information, visit the Yale Young African Scholars (YYAS) Program.

Important Note: Please note there is no cost to apply for, or participate in YYAS. While we share the same online application form as our sister program, YYGS, the application fee section only applies to students who wish to apply for both programs, or YYGS only. Students who ONLY wish to apply for YYAS should disregard the financial aid section of the application.

Application Deadline: 2021 Applications OPENING SOON!