Aviation is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world and if you decide to further your education as a pilot, flight attendant, or aeronautical engineer, you are making a great choice that is why I will be curating some aviation scholarships for African students in this blog post.
Growing up as an African kid, the sight of airplanes was an amazing sight to behold and it was the same for all the kids around my area at that time. When we spot an airplane in the sky, we would continue looking at it till it disappears on the horizon.
The fact that it flies in the sky without falling was a complete mystery to us and when we got to high school, the majority of us wanted to become pilots or any aviation-related career just so we could see or feel what it’s like to be on an airplane.
I’m sure that you also have such dreams too and that is why you are reading this post. You are curious about how to follow and achieve your dream.
Well, I’m glad to tell you that by reading this post, you are halfway through achieving your dreams.
Funny right? Let me tell you why. It is because, in this blog post, I will be discussing not only how to bag a degree in aviation, but also the aviation scholarships for African Students.
Flying an airplane is not rocket science, with the right training and determination, you too can become a pilot, flight attendant, or any aviation-related career that you want to be.
You can test the waters before venturing fully into going to an aviation school by taking some free online courses in aviation and you will be issued a certificate at the end of the class.
However, the major setback with an aviation career is the high cost that goes into education and training. Due to how expensive it is, the hopes of many aspiring pilots have been dashed especially Africans.
According to ATP Flight School, it costs $96,995 to become a pilot when you have no previous experience or $75,995 when you have a Private Pilot License(PPL).
Fortunately, there are scholarships made available just to fulfill this purpose. These scholarships are either fully funded or partially funded. Whichever one you wish to apply for us is all up to you.
There are aviation scholarships specifically for females who wish to become pilots or venture into the aviation sector.
If you want to be a pilot but do not have the funds to put yourself through a pilot training school, worry no more because there are free pilot training programs that you can apply for and kickstart your career.
So if you are an African student aspiring to get a career in the aviation sector, you are in luck because I will be listing the scholarships shortly.
Aviation Scholarships for African Students
The following are the aviation scholarships for African students that I have curated for you.
- Emirates Aviation University Scholarship for African Students
- EAA Flight Training Scholarships
- Joshua Esch Mitchell Aviation Scholarship
- Air Line Pilots Association Scholarship Program
- American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Scholarships
- The Science Ambassador Scholarship
- International Space University Scholarship for African Students
- Vertical Flight Foundation Scholarships
1. Emirates Aviation University Scholarship for African Students
Emirates Aviation University is always ready to financially assist both its domestic students and international students to achieve their career goals in the aviation industry. They provide two different kinds of scholarships which include;
The Chancellor’s scholarship; this is very competitive and is awarded only the first (Fall) semester, but it covers up to 100% of your tuition fees, and it’s available for both undergraduates and graduates.
The Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship; This is the other one that is also competitive but covers up to 50% of tuition fees. The good thing about this one is that more students can apply.
They also provide other financial aid and an International Student Study Package.
2. EAA Flight Training Scholarships
This is one of the Aviation scholarships for African students that lots of donors benefactors, and others, gather together to fund. Their contribution always makes it possible for EAA to award more than $1 million in aviation scholarship money via various programs each year.
They provide numerous scholarships that have a minimum award of $5,000 to both their domestic students and international students, they include;
- Adapt to Fly Scholarship
- Air Academy Alumni Scholarship
- Elgin Wells Jr. Starjammer CFI Scholarship
- Florence “Coffy” Gregory Scholarship
- Harrison Ford Scholarship
- Jason Kurt Lohr Aviation Scholarship
- John S. Bradbury Memorial Scholarship
- Noah Favaregh Scholarship
3. Joshua Esch Mitchell Aviation Scholarship
This scholarship is eligible for students in their second year or above or first-year students graduating from West Michigan Aviation Academy with a minimum 2.75 GPA pursuing undergraduate studies in the field of professional piloting with a concentration in general aviation, Aviation Management, or Aviation Safety.
However, you need to be an African-American to apply, and you also need to be a citizen of the United States.
If you’re none of these, don’t worry, there are still other Aviation scholarships for African students we will list.
4. Air Line Pilots Association Scholarship Program
This scholarship is exclusively for students (citizens, residents, and International) whose parents were medically retired, long-term disabled, or deceased pilot members of the Air Line Pilots Association.
The scholarship is worth $12,000 and it’s spread over $3,000 per year of the awardees’ studies.
5. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Scholarships
Annually, the AIAA Foundation provides undergraduate scholarships and graduate awards to help sponsor students in science and engineering (including aviation) fields.
This has been functional for the past 20 years, which has made them able to provide more than 1,300 scholarships to students in over 150 colleges and universities worldwide.
As a graduate student, for you to stand a better chance of receiving any of their awards, you need to do excellent research in the air and space sciences
6. The Science Ambassador Scholarship
This is one of the fully-funded Aviation scholarships for African students exclusively for women in science, technology, engineering, or math.
The application procedure is not too hard, you need to film a three–minute educational video of yourself explaining a STEM topic you’re passionate about.
Also, you need to be a high school senior or an undergraduate college student, and you don’t even need to be a student in the United States nor do you need to plan to attend college in the U.S. to be able to apply.
7. International Space University Scholarship for African Students
This is another very competitive scholarship provided to both domestic and international students, and it covers a part of your tuition fees.
So you need to have a great academic result and be professionally excellent.
Note that attaching your resume when submitting your application to ISU (International Space University) is necessary.
8. Vertical Flight Foundation Scholarships
This institution has awarded more than 680 scholarships which are worth more than $1 million to college students demonstrating an interest in pursuing engineering-related careers in vertical flight technology.
They provide a merit-based scholarship that ranges from $1,000 to $6,000 and any student attending any university or college anywhere in the world is eligible, including Africans.
Conclusion
Most of these Aviation scholarships for African students are also for other developing countries, and in some cases for developed countries. So, you still need to be at your best to become one of the winners.