Advance Africa Scholarship Program

Access Bank and Udacity will provide 2,000 Nanodegree program scholarships over 4 rolling cohorts for people in Africa to build practical, in-demand, cutting-edge tech skills. The scholarship will create upskilling opportunities for scholarship recipients and give them the skills needed by many tech companies today.

The program language for both the Challenge Course and the Udacity Nanodegree program is English.

Business Analytics:

This is an introductory program and has no prerequisites. In order to succeed, we recommend having experience using a computer and being able to download and install applications.

Introduction to Programming:

In order to succeed, we recommend having experience using the web, being able to perform a search on Google, and (most importantly) the determination to keep pushing forward.

Programming for Data Science with Python:

There are no prerequisites for this program, aside from basic computer skills. You should feel comfortable performing basic operations on your computer (e.g., opening files, folders, and applications, copying and pasting)

Product Manager:

No prior experience with Product Management is required. You will need to be comfortable with basic computer skills, such as managing files, using third-party online programs, and navigating the Internet through an online browser. You will also need access to a video camera on a computer.

Digital Marketing:

Students should have basic computer skills and be comfortable navigating online.

No! The program is completely free to all scholarship recipients. Access Bank covers the costs.

Phase 1: Challenge Course

20,000 Access Bank Scholarship applicants in the form of 4 rolling cohorts, will be selected to participate in a Challenge Course, with the first cohort beginning in September 2021. Each cohort will consist of 5,000 participants. During this first phase of the scholarship, students work through one of the five initial Challenge Courses that comprise of course text, content and quizzes (no projects) for Business Analytics, Intro to Programming, Programming for Data Science with Python, Product Management, or Digital Marketing over the course of 5 weeks. Learners should be prepared to invest about 3–5 hours per week during this period. Challenge course recipients participating in this initial phase of the program will also engage with classmates in a robust, actively managed, student community.

Phase 2: Nanodegree program

2,000 students in the form of 4 rolling cohorts will be awarded a scholarship to Business Analytics, Intro to Programming, Programming for Data Science with Python, Product Management or Digital Marketing. Each cohort will consist of 500 full scholarships, and the first cohort of winners will begin in October 2021. Access to these Nanodegree programs includes expert project reviews provided by human project reviewers. Applicants should be prepared to invest about 5–10 hours per week for 2 months.

The program takes place 100% online. Students can work from wherever they want to, as long as they have a working internet connection.

After class starts, participants can study on their own schedule as long as they complete the course in the predefined time. That is to say, they will have complete access to the course directly in their classroom 24 hours a day. We understand that students have different schedules and will work on their course at different times and on different days. What’s important is that students make constant progress each and every week and get through all the content before the end of the course.

Of the 5,000 Challenge Course recipients in a single cohort, 500 will be selected for the full Nanodegree program based on:

• All the selection criteria used for the Challenge course

• Score in the Final Assessment

• 100% Challenge Course Completion

Though only 500 learners will earn the full Scholarship, all Challenge Course participants will receive an email notifying them of the selection decision.

The full Terms and Conditions are posted here.