The Google Women Techmakers Scholars Program (WTMS) is a flagship from Google scholarship for women in computer science, running regionally across North America, APAC, and EMEA — the last of which covers Europe, Middle East, and Africa. For African women currently enrolled in an undergraduate, Master’s, or PhD program in computer science, computer engineering, or a closely related technical field, this is one of the most accessible and genuinely valuable scholarships available: a $10,000 academic award (or local currency equivalent), an invitation to the annual Google Scholars Retreat, and direct access to Google’s mentorship network and the Women Techmakers community. The 2026 cohort’s window has closed — here’s how the program works and what to prepare for the next cycle.
Quick Facts
- Sponsor: Google LLC
- Program: Google Women Techmakers Scholars Program (WTMS)
- Regional Track Covering Africa: EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa)
- Level: Undergraduate (Bachelor’s), Master’s, PhD
- Fields: Computer science, computer engineering, or a closely related technical field
- Award: $10,000 USD (or local currency equivalent) — one-time academic scholarship for one year
- 2026 EMEA Deadline: May 22, 2026 — now closed
- Next Cycle: Expected late 2026 to early 2027 — watch the official Google Build Your Future portal
- Application Portal: Google Build Your Future (buildyourfuture.withgoogle.com)
What the Google scholarship for Women Techmakers Includes
Financial award: A $10,000 one-time scholarship (or local equivalent) applied toward your academic year — not renewable automatically, though past scholars may be eligible to apply again in future cycles.
Google Scholars Retreat: Every selected scholar receives a fully funded invitation to the annual Women Techmakers Google Scholars Retreat, held at a Google office. This is where the scholarship’s networking value is genuinely concentrated — structured sessions with Google engineers, product managers, and senior women in tech, alongside a cohort of peers from across the EMEA region.
Women Techmakers Community: Membership in Google’s Women Techmakers network, which includes access to resources, mentorship programming, and ongoing events beyond the retreat itself.
Working directly with Google engineers: Selected scholars collaborate on diversity and inclusion initiatives within the tech industry — a practical leadership and professional-development component, not just financial support.
Eligibility
- Identify as a woman
- Be enrolled in, or intend to enroll as a full-time student in, a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD program at an accredited university in Europe, Middle East, or Africa for the upcoming academic year
- Be studying computer science, computer engineering, or a closely related technical field
- Demonstrate a strong academic record
- Demonstrate active commitment to supporting diversity and inclusion in technology — this is a genuine evaluation criterion, not a checkbox. Evidence of actual initiatives, leadership roles, or community work in this area matters.
- Children of Google employees are not eligible
There is no nationality restriction beyond enrollment at a university in the EMEA region — an African student at a European university qualifies, and a European student at an African university qualifies equally.
Selection Criteria: What Google Scholarship Actually Weighs
Beyond meeting the eligibility requirements, competitive WTMS applications demonstrate:
Academic excellence: A consistent, strong academic record in your program. Google doesn’t publish a specific GPA cutoff, but this is a competitive global selection from a large applicant pool.
Active diversity and inclusion impact: This is where applications are most commonly distinguished. A student who founded a coding club for girls, mentored underrepresented peers, organized outreach events, or led a women-in-tech campus organization has genuinely differentiating material here. Generic statements about caring about diversity don’t score well against applicants with documented, specific contributions.
Leadership in tech communities: Beyond university-level clubs, involvement in professional communities — hackathons, open-source projects, technical writing, local tech community leadership — demonstrates the kind of real-world engagement the program is built around.
Why This Scholarship Matters Specifically for African Women
Computer science and engineering are among the most globally mobile career fields, and the Google Women Techmakers Africa scholarship specifically builds something beyond financial support: a verified connection to Google’s ecosystem and the Women Techmakers community, which is a real professional credential in the tech industry. For an African woman building a tech career — whether that’s within Africa’s rapidly growing tech sector or internationally — membership in a Google-affiliated global scholars network is tangible, career-relevant value distinct from the cash award.
The retreat component is particularly worth noting for African scholars in the EMEA track, since it typically takes place at a Google office somewhere in the region — often London or Dublin — providing an experience of a major global tech campus that most African university students haven’t had.
How to Apply
Confirm you’re enrolled in, or intending to enroll in, a qualifying computer science or related technical program at an accredited EMEA-region university.
Create a profile on Google’s Build Your Future portal (buildyourfuture.withgoogle.com) and watch for the next WTMS EMEA cycle to open.
Prepare your essays addressing your academic goals, diversity and inclusion contributions, and leadership in technology — be specific and evidenced, not generic.
Gather supporting documentation — transcripts and, where required, recommendation letters from academic supervisors who can speak to both your technical ability and your community contributions: Recommendation Letter for Scholarship
Submit before the cycle’s deadline — the 2026 cycle closed May 22, and the typical pattern suggests the next cycle will open in late 2026 or early 2027.
- Confirm you’re enrolled in, or intending to enroll in, a qualifying computer science or related technical program at an accredited EMEA-region university.
- Create a profile on Google’s Build Your Future portal (buildyourfuture.withgoogle.com) and watch for the next WTMS EMEA cycle to open.
- Prepare your essays addressing your academic goals, diversity and inclusion contributions, and leadership in technology — be specific and evidenced, not generic.
- Gather supporting documentation — transcripts and, where required, recommendation letters from academic supervisors who can speak to both your technical ability and your community contributions: Recommendation Letter for Scholarship
- Submit before the cycle’s deadline — the 2026 cycle closed May 22, and the typical pattern suggests the next cycle will open in late 2026 or early 2027.
Distinguishing WTMS from Google’s Other Programs for Africa
This Google Women Techmakers Scholars Program comes up constantly in search because Google runs several Africa-adjacent programs simultaneously:
- Women Techmakers Scholars Program (WTMS): This guide — financial scholarship for enrolled CS/engineering students, EMEA regional track
- Generation Google Scholarship (formerly Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship): A separate, older scholarship program now running under the WTMS umbrella in some regions — same general structure but different regional naming in some cycles
- Google Career Certificate Scholarships: A completely different program — short, professional certificate courses (not academic degrees), lower cost, open to a broader audience including non-students
- Google Africa Applied AI Lab: Research funding for African AI researchers, not a student scholarship
If a guide is describing something called “Generation Google Scholarship” for Africa, it’s likely the same WTMS EMEA track under its older name — the programs merged over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Google Women Techmakers Scholarship currently accepting applications? The 2026 cohort’s deadline was May 22, 2026, now closed. The next EMEA cycle is expected to open in late 2026 or early 2027 — watch the official Build Your Future portal.
How much is the scholarship worth? $10,000 USD or the local currency equivalent, as a one-time award for one academic year.
Can I apply if I’m studying in an African country? Yes. The EMEA regional track covers Africa, and enrollment at an accredited university in Africa qualifies you — you don’t need to be studying in Europe or the Middle East.
Is the Google Scholars Retreat in Africa? Not typically — the retreat is usually held at a Google office in the EMEA region, most often in Europe (London or Dublin have hosted). Travel is fully funded for selected scholars.
What does “closely related technical field” mean? Google doesn’t publish a definitive list, but fields consistently accepted include software engineering, data science, information technology, cybersecurity, human-computer interaction, and similar computational disciplines. Fields that are primarily business-focused (management information systems) or primarily design-focused without a technical foundation are less clearly covered.
Can I reapply if I applied in a previous year and wasn’t selected? Yes — previous unsuccessful applicants for Google Women Techmakers Africa scholarship can reapply in future cycles.
Official Resources
- Google Build Your Future (application portal and program information): buildyourfuture.withgoogle.com
- Women Techmakers (community): developers.google.com/womentechmakers
For More Scholarships:
Africa Hub, Europe Hub, USA Hub, Back to Hub Scholarships for African women, Schlumberger Foundation FFTF Fellowship