Call for Applications: KDU Global – IUCEA Undergraduate Full and Partial Scholarships 2026 (6th Cohort -Round 2)

 

INTRODUCTION

The Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) is an institution of the East African Community (EAC) responsible for coordinating higher education development and research in the EAC region. The mission of IUCEA is to encourage and develop mutually beneficial collaborations between and among the member universities, governments, and other organizations, both public and private.

Kyungdong University (KDU) Global is a fully accredited private university in South Korea that partners with IUCEA to offer scholarships to students from EAC member countries (Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, DRC, and Somalia).

We are excited to announce that the application period for KDU Global – IUCEA Scholarships 2026 is now open for students from the East African Community (EAC) member countries interested in undergraduate degree programs (English Track) for the following disciplines:

1. Bachelor of International Business Administration
2. Bachelor of International Hotel Management
3. Bachelor of Smart Computing (covering Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Data Science, Cybersecurity, and IoT).
4. Bachelor of Artificial Intelligence

The duration of the program is 4 years / 8 semesters, subject to excellent academic performance each semester of study and compliance with KDU Global internal rules and regulations.

Expected commencement of the program is March 2026.

• SCHOLARSHIP BENEFITS
• Full Scholarships (Number of scholarships: limited Seats)

The scholarship covers the following:

• Full tuition fee of $8,000 per year for up to 4 years (by KDU Global).
• Dormitory fee of $4,400 for the first two years (by KDU Global)
• Return air ticket at the beginning and the end of four years (by IUCEA)
• Health insurance support every month for 4 years (by IUCEA)
• Application processing and handling fee of $250 after selection (by IUCEA

Partial Scholarships

Under Partial scholarships, Students/Parents provide their own personal expenses for  accommodation, airfare, application fee, health insurance, etc, and KDU Global waives tuition fees  for the first semester, and the subsequent semesters, depending on students’ performance as outlined below

1^st Semester: Waiver of Full tuition fee of $4,000 for the first Semester (by KDU Global), subject to compliance with KDU Global internal rules and regulations.

2^nd Semester Onwards:

• Scholarship is based on tuition fee only and depends on students’ academic performance at KDU Global as follows:
  • 100% scholarship for an average mark of 95 or above
  • 70% scholarship for 90-94 average mark: Student pays $1200
  • 50% scholarship for 80-89 average mark: Student pays $2000
  • 30% scholarship for 75-79 average mark: Student pays $2800

Note: Students are allowed to work part-time while studying in South Korea. KDU GLOBAL provides part-time job assistance to all its students—over 99% of students at KDU GLOBAL have part-time jobs

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Applicants must meet the following general eligibility requirements:

• Citizen and resident of East African Community Partner States (Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Federal Republic of Somalia).
• Completion of the pre-university level of education in the home country in 2023, 2024 or 2025.
• Excellent academic performance records with a minimum of a ‘B’ in all mathematics and English modules.
• English Proficiency Certificate (IELTS 5.5 or TOEFL 71 or higher) is a mandatory document for both admission and visa procedure.

• Bank Statement & Balance Certificate – Full Scholarships: Selected applicants are required to present a 6-month bank statement and a bank balance certificate of a sponsor showing over USD 5000 prior to their final admission to KDU Global. The sponsor must be the applicant’s parents or the applicant themselves. In cases where the parents are deceased, biological siblings can serve as sponsors. No other account will be accepted.

• Bank Statement & Balance Certificate – Partial Scholarships: Selected applicants are required to present a 6-month bank statement and a bank balance certificate of a sponsor showing over USD 16000 prior to their final admission to KDU Global. The sponsor must be the applicant’s parents or the applicant themselves. In cases where the parents are deceased, biological siblings can serve as sponsors.
• No older than 22 years of age.

SELECTION PROCESS

All applicants will be subjected to a merit-based two-stage selection process.

Stage I:

 IUCEA shall conduct the preliminary selection of candidates. Interested applicants must submit either electronic or hard copies of the following documents to the IUCEA Office in Kampala, Uganda:

• Complete the electronic form on this link  https://forms.office.com/r/XS9pyZKAMw
• Submit all the requested documents below (AS AN ATTACHMENT) for initial assessment of the following documents:

1. Statement of interest addressed to the Executive Secretary IUCEA
2. Comprehensive curriculum vitae (CV)
3. Academic Transcript & Certificate of Graduation
4. A Passport Copy
5. IELTS 5.5 or TOEFL iBT 71 or higher report (we don’t accept EFSET, Duolingo, PTE.)
6. Bank statement for at least 6 months (in compliance with the scholarship category)

• Send these initial assessment documents (combined into one PDF file) to the following emails: kdu-iucea@iucea.org, issa@ku-ac.com, rachel@ku-ac.com, jcw@ku-ac.com,

All documents must be combined into one PDF file and submitted before 12 December 2025

Stage II: 

KDU Global will conduct individual assessments (interviews) and confirm the final selections. Candidates might be required to submit additional documents and designated forms if deemed necessary.

Note: Students with the best average academic and interview performance will be admitted with full scholarships. The remaining students will be offered the option to be considered for partial scholarships.

 KDU GLOBAL ADMISSION

Scholarship recipients will submit final admission documents to KDU Global as listed here: Admission>Documents Required | Kyungdong University (kduniv.ac.kr) upon receiving additional guidelines. 

For more information about KDU Global, please visit: https://www.kduglobal.ac.kr

Important Dates

No.	Stages	Dates
1	Submission of initial assessment documents deadline	December 12, 2025
2	Interview deadline	December 19, 2025
3	Documents submission deadline	January 16, 2026
4	Official enrollment deadline	February 20, 2026
5	Airport pick up	February 23 ~ 27, 2026
6	Commencement date	March 2, 2026

 

CONTACT INFORMATION

1. Executive Secretary
   Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA)
   Kigobe Road, Plot M833, Kyambogo Area
   PO. Box 7110, Kampala
   Republic of Uganda
   Email: kdu-iucea@iucea.org

With additional enquiries regarding the KDU Global–IUCEA Scholarships 2026, please contact:

2. Gervais NDAYIZEYE, Senior Exchange and Programmes Officer,  Email: kdu-iucea@iucea.org
3. Prof Dr. Baseem Al-athwari, Head of Smart Computing Department, Email: baseem_cs@kduniv.ac.kr

For the application and admission process and campus information, contact: Issa, Ashrafu Rashid, Email: issa@ku-ac.com, WhatsApp: +82 10 7490 9801