African Leadership Academy Scholarships 2027

Written by Keagan HendricksStaff Writer (Unisa Alumnus)

Reviewed & verified by Naledi KhumaloSenior Admissions and Bursaries EditorVerified

African Leadership Academy (ALA) is a two-year residential pre-university school in Honeydew, Johannesburg, that admits about 130 young people from across Africa each year. ALA does not run a separate scholarship competition. Instead, every student it admits to the Diploma Programme can receive financial aid, and the academy says 97% of its students do. Applications for the Class of 2027 opened on 15 July 2026, with an Early Decision deadline of 15 October 2026 and a Regular Decision deadline of 15 January 2027.

US$30 900 a year, reduced according to family income

ALA’s fee is US$30 900 per year. The academy describes this as all-inclusive: tuition, accommodation, meals and uniforms. Very few South African families could pay that amount, and ALA does not expect most families to. Its financial aid policy works like this:

• Every admitted applicant, regardless of background or nationality, is eligible for significant financial assistance in the form of scholarships.
• The size of each award is decided after the admissions decision, so financial need does not count against an applicant during selection.
• The fee a family pays is based on its financial means. Students from poorer households receive larger awards, and families with more resources are expected to contribute more.
• ALA says it expects every family to “stretch themselves” to contribute something.

According to ALA’s 2027 application guide, finalists apply for financial aid at the interview stage and submit their financial aid documents together with letters of recommendation. ALA does not publish a table of award amounts, so a family only learns its contribution after admission.

The age rule and the four traits ALA assesses

ALA states that age is the only factor that automatically excludes a candidate. For the 2027 intake, applicants must have been born on or after 1 September 2007. The apply page does not name a minimum school grade. Beyond age, the admissions team judges each applicant on four traits:

Essays and the work sample

The 2027 application guide lists the written questions. The first set asks applicants to describe a need they identified in their family, school, town or another community, what they did about it, how they measure success, what went wrong and what they would change. The second set asks them to name a leader they admire, explain how that person shaped their idea of leadership, and discuss a mistake that leader made. Applicants also attach a piece of work from the past 18 months, such as a paper, video, presentation or photograph, and explain why they chose it. ALA specifically asks for no certificates or transcripts in this part. Applications are accepted in English, French and Portuguese.

Early Decision or Regular Decision

Applicants register and apply online through the ALA apply page. Choosing Early Decision only means an earlier answer. Early Decision finalists are interviewed from November to December and receive results in January 2027. Regular Decision finalists are interviewed from February to March and receive results in April 2027. The new class arrives on campus in August 2027.

Teachers, community leaders and others can also nominate a young person as young as 13 using the nomination form on the same page. ALA then contacts the nominee and encourages them to apply.

Two years of study at ALA

Every student completes two-year courses in African Studies, Writing and Rhetoric, and Entrepreneurial Leadership. In the second year, teams of five to seven students run a for-profit or non-profit venture on campus. Most electives follow the Cambridge (CAIE) AS and A Level sequence, with external exams at the end of the second year. The academy states that universities around the world widely accept its programme.

Questions go to admissions@africanleadershipacademy.org or +27 11 699 3000. For school-level funding that does not involve changing schools, see our high school bursaries list. Learners planning for university can read about the Mastercard Foundation Scholarship, and the difference between a scholarship and a bursary explains the terms schools use.

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