Yale Young African Scholars Now Accepting Applications for 2018 Program

Dagan Rossini, YYAS Fellow
YYAS participants are secondary students from all across Africa who demonstrate high academic achievement, leadership potential, and a strong interest to pursue post-secondary education.
23 December 2017
Content from a Premium Partner
Yale Young African Scholars Program (New Haven)

YYAS participants are secondary students from all across Africa who demonstrate high academic achievement, leadership potential, and a strong interest to pursue post-secondary education. Photo credits to Dagan Rossini, YYAS Fellow.

The application for the 2018 Yale Young African Scholars (YYAS) Program is now available! Entering its fifth 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. Next year YYAS will be held in two locations, Rwanda and Ghana, and take place between late July and end of August.

YYAS is the flagship program of the Yale Africa Initiative and is designed to introduce secondary school students to the demanding university and financial aid application processes and requirements, as well as to make higher education more accessible to Africa's most talented student leaders. This past July and August, YYAS brought together 300 secondary school students from 216 schools and 33 African nations.

Administered by the Yale Young Global Scholars Program and building off that model of interdisciplinary academic exploration, YYAS participants will attend lectures led by prominent Yale faculty as well as seminars developed and taught by Yale graduate and undergraduate students. Participants will also engage in several experiential activities focusing on leadership and teambuilding and have a chance to interact directly with admissions officers from North American, African, and European universities.

YYAS offers daily workshops on different components of a university application, such as the ins-and-outs of the Common Application and how to craft a personal essay. By the end of the program, students will have a plan and timeline for submitting their applications, as well as abundant resources for further research and mentorship. In addition, students will receive both individual and group lessons for standardized tests, designed specifically for African test-takers new to exams like the SAT. 

YYAS 2018 Application and Eligibility Requirements

Prospective applicants must be current secondary school students in Africa who will have to complete at least one full academic term after August 2018. In addition, applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of an African country. Selected participants will be self-starters who have an interest in pursuing post-secondary level education, are in excellent academic standing, and demonstrate leadership potential.

To make the program accessible to students of all financial backgrounds, there is no cost for students to participate in YYAS. In addition, YYAS offers a limited number of travel grants for admitted students from low-income backgrounds and who demonstrate the need for financial assistance to offset the costs of airfare between African countries.

To apply, students must submit the online application form including one essay, three short-answer responses, an official school transcript or grade report, and one teacher recommendation letter. The application portal is now live. The deadline to submit is February 06, 2018 at 11:59pm EST.

YYAS is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Higherlife Foundation as well as by contributions from The Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale.

For more information, please email african.scholars@yale.edu or visit YYAS online. You can follow YYAS on Twitter and Facebook to stay up to date on all program news and announcements.

Tagged:
Copyright © 2017 Yale Young African Scholars Program. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 110 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.