Become an EdLight Scholar
Talent is everywhere. Opportunity is not.
A full licence, Coursera or DataCamp, for three months, provided through EdLight Initiative's partnerships with Coursera and DataCamp Donates. Build new skills, earn certificates, and take the next step toward your academic and professional goals.
Cohort 2 begins 11 January 2027 · Applications open until 13 December 2026
EdLight × Coursera × DataCamp
Two partnerships, two licences, one programme.
EdLight Initiative is a Coursera Social Impact Partner and a DataCamp Donates partner. Together these partnerships let us provide eligible learners with full licences, on Coursera or on DataCamp.
Through EdLight Scholars, we turn those partnerships into a structured programme designed to help talented learners gain skills that create real opportunities for their futures. Each Scholar follows one of the two platforms.
Scholars join in one of two ways: nominated by a partner institution, or by applying to EdLight directly. Every cohort runs for three months; Cohort 1 has been under way since 1 October 2026.
Two licences, one choice
Coursera and DataCamp are partly free. The licence unlocks what a free account keeps locked: graded work, assessed projects, certificates.
Courses from Coursera's partner universities and companies, across almost every field: management, computing, data, health, languages, social sciences. With the licence: the full catalogue, graded assignments, assessed projects and a certificate that can be verified online.
About US$177 per student for three months, at Coursera Plus's public price (US$59 a month).
The leading platform for learning data and artificial intelligence by doing: Python, SQL, Excel, Power BI, AI. With the Premium licence: every course (a free account stops at the first chapter), full tracks, projects on real data, and certificates.
About US$105 per student for three months, at DataCamp Premium's public monthly price (US$35 a month).
Indicative amounts, at each platform's public prices. Neither the student nor the institution pays anything.
For universities and institutions
Give a cohort of your students a Coursera or DataCamp licence. EdLight provides the licences and the follow-up; your institution chooses who receives them.
Licences for your students
Each cohort your institution receives Coursera places and DataCamp places, and chooses which of its students receive them: one list per platform.
A new cohort every three months
At the end of each three-month cohort the licences are released and reassigned to a new group of your students.
Progress you can see
EdLight tracks how your nominated students are doing and sends the institution a report at the end of every cohort.
Recognised as a partner
Your institution is named as an official partner of the programme, at no cost and with no financial commitment.
How your institution joins
Send an application on behalf of your institution, naming a contact person. We agree the number of places and your cohort dates, sign a one-page partnership agreement, and you send us your Coursera and DataCamp lists. There is no cost to the institution or to the students.
Why become a Scholar?
A scholarship is more than an account. It is a structured push toward the thing you are trying to reach.
Learn
Study across technology, business, data, AI and many other fields, on Coursera or on DataCamp, through EdLight’s partnerships.
Build
Develop practical, career-relevant skills that support the academic or professional goal you are actually working toward.
Earn
Complete eligible courses and professional certificates, and finish with something you can show a university or an employer.
Grow
Join a cohort of ambitious learners from across Haiti, with support and check-ins from EdLight along the way.
Who can apply?
EdLight Scholars Program is for motivated learners who are ready to invest in themselves.
- Students
- University graduates
- Young professionals
- Entrepreneurs
- Job seekers
- Self-directed learners
What matters most is a clear goal and the commitment to learn. You do not need a perfect academic record, a university place, or previous experience with online courses.
A university place is not required to apply directly. If you are studying at a partner institution, your school nominates its own students, so it is worth asking there first.
How it works
Four steps, from application to certificate.
Apply or get nominated
If your university is a partner institution, it nominates its own students, so ask your school. Otherwise you apply to EdLight directly while applications are open.
Get selected
Partner institutions select their own students. For direct applications, EdLight reviews each one on motivation, learning goals, potential impact, commitment, and access.
Start learning
Selected Scholars receive their Coursera or DataCamp licence through EdLight, with an EdLight Scholars address, and start their first course.
Finish what you start
Complete your courses, earn eligible certificates, and share your progress with EdLight.
Key dates
Cohorts run for three months. When one ends, the places pass to the next group of learners.
Partner institutions nominate their students before a cohort begins. For Cohort 2 the deadline is 28 December 2026 at 11:59 pm (Haiti time). Direct applications for Cohort 2 are accepted from 3 October 2026 to 13 December 2026.
Pathways to guide you
On Coursera the programme offers 10 pathways and 2 collections. A pathway guides you without limiting you: Scholars have the whole catalogue for the three months of their cohort.
On Coursera: 10 pathways
Data Analytics and BI
Software Development and Cloud
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Project Management and Leadership
Professional English and Career Skills
Digital Marketing and E-commerce
Entrepreneurship and Business Basics
Psychology and Well-being
Skills for Success
Excel for Work
And 2 collections
- Courses in French
- Preparing your career
On DataCamp: 6 pathways
- AI for everyone
- Data analyst (SQL)
- Python for data
- Excel and Power BI
- Data for entrepreneurs
- Advanced (data analyst, data scientist)
EdLight learners
Photographs from EdLight programmes in Haiti: the community Scholars join.
A scholarship is an opportunity, and a commitment.
Places are limited, and every one of them could go to someone else. Selected Scholars are expected to activate their access, start a course, and complete at least one meaningful course or certificate.
If a Scholar is not able to begin, we would rather hear it early and offer the place to someone on the waitlist than let it go unused.
Questions
How much does the program cost?
Nothing. Participation is free for selected EdLight Scholars, and there is never an application fee.
When does the programme start?
Cohort 1 began on 1 October 2026; Cohort 2 starts on 11 January 2027. Every cohort runs for three months, after which the places are passed on to a new group of learners.
Who can apply?
Motivated learners aged 16 and over: students, graduates, young professionals, entrepreneurs, and self-directed learners. The first cohort primarily serves learners based in Haiti.
How do I join? Do I apply, or does my university nominate me?
Both routes exist. If you study at a partner institution, your university selects its own students, so ask your faculty or student affairs office whether it takes part. If it does not, or if you are not currently a student, you can apply to EdLight directly while applications are open; the top of this page shows whether they are. When they are closed, join the notify list and we will tell you when the next window opens.
Do I need to be enrolled in school?
Not for the direct route: current enrolment is not required and we do not expect a perfect academic record. The nomination route is different. Those places belong to a partner institution, so they go to that institution’s own students.
Do I need previous Coursera or DataCamp experience?
No. Previous experience neither helps nor hurts your application.
What can I study?
On Coursera: the whole catalogue provided through EdLight’s Social Impact partnership, with 10 pathways and 2 collections, “Courses in French” and “Preparing your career”, to guide you. On DataCamp: the whole Premium catalogue, with 6 EdLight pathways in data and AI. You pick the platform that serves your goals.
Will I receive a certificate?
On Coursera, many courses and programs provide a verifiable certificate on successful completion, depending on the course and the catalogue available. On DataCamp, the Premium licence includes course and track certificates. Scholars who complete EdLight’s own programme requirements may also receive recognition from EdLight, separate from those certificates.
My university would like to take part. What do we do?
Write to info@edlight.org with the name of your institution and a contact person. We agree the number of licences and your cohort dates, sign a one-page partnership agreement, and you nominate your students. There is no cost to the institution or to its students.
Are Coursera or DataCamp selecting the Scholars?
No. EdLight Initiative is a Coursera Social Impact Partner and a DataCamp Donates partner. EdLight runs the programme, managing direct applications itself and working with partner institutions who select their own nominated students. Neither Coursera nor DataCamp chooses Scholars or co-administers the programme.
What happens if I am not selected?
Strong applicants may be placed on the waitlist and considered when additional places become available or for a future cohort.
What happens if I stop using my licence?
Places are limited. If a Scholar does not begin learning after several reminders, EdLight may offer that place to someone on the waitlist so the opportunity is not wasted.
Can I apply from outside Haiti?
The first cohort primarily serves learners in Haiti. EdLight may widen eligibility in future cohorts.
Ready to apply?
Cohort 2 runs 11 January 2027 to 11 April 2027. Applications are open until 13 December 2026 to university students, working professionals and entrepreneurs.