HSRC Longitudinal Study Year One and Year Two Findings – The Imprint of Education

Understanding the life journeys of Scholar Alumni as they seek, create, and take up opportunities for dignified and fulfilling work, is central to understanding the impact of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program.  

To better understand Alumni trajectories, the Foundation has partnered with the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) on The Imprint of Education (TIE), a five-year longitudinal study . The study follows multiple cohorts of tertiary and secondary education alumni from the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program from select countries over five years following graduation. The study seeks to understand how alumni navigate post-graduation pathways, including contextual factors influencing decision-making around leadership, return, employment, and entrepreneurship.  

As part of the study, the HSRC has produced four learning briefs focusing on give-back, transformative leadership, entrepreneurship, and alumni profiles. Insights from the research will help the Scholars Program network of partners, funders, universities, and others working in the higher education space to evaluate the impact of the Scholars Program is having on enabling Scholars to contribute to their communities and lives as transformative leaders. These learning briefs are the first of several learning products to be produced over the course of the study.