Pathways Connect

What is Pathways Connect?

Pathways Connect is a device access programme within the Education Pathway. It provides eligible incoming university and college students with a Chromebook to support their transition into and continuation through higher education.

Many capable students in Zambia secure university or college admission but begin their studies without a personal computer. This gap quietly undermines academic performance: assignments completed late, research conducted on borrowed devices, and an avoidable disadvantage relative to better-resourced peers.

Pathways Connect exists to close this specific gap. It is not a general welfare programme and it is not a substitute for tuition or living support. It is a narrowly defined intervention: a working device, placed in the hands of a student who is already admitted, already committed, and missing only this one practical tool.

Pathways Connect is built on donated and partner-supplied devices, primarily refurbished Chromebooks, and is designed to grow sustainably alongside Pathways' device supply and administrative capacity.

Who is Pathways Connect for?

Pathways Connect is a needs-based, access-oriented programme. Admission is not a measure of academic distinction. Any admitted student without a working device who is not already receiving Pathways support through another channel is a candidate. Specifically, the programme is intended for students who:

✓Have completed secondary school in Zambia and obtained your Grade 12 results
✓Have been formally accepted into a recognised university or college, in Zambia or regionally
✓Have a confirmed means of meeting your tuition and living costs — through a bursary, scholarship, government loan, family support, or other arrangement
✓Do not currently own, or have regular reliable access to, a functioning personal computer suitable for academic use
✓Are a Zambian citizen or permanent resident
✓Are not currently enrolled in FPP or APP, which already carry their own forms of support

Financial means requirement

Pathways Connect is a device access programme, not a bursary. A student who has university admission but has not yet secured a way of paying their fees should first address that need, then apply in the cohort that matches their actual year of entry.

Pathways Connect alumni are not excluded from later applying to APP or other Pathways initiatives. The programmes are complementary rather than mutually exclusive over a student's lifetime of engagement with Pathways.

How the Application Works

Applications are submitted online at pathwaysnow.org/pathways-connect when applications are open. The process is designed to be straightforward while ensuring devices reach students who genuinely need them.

1

Student Application Form

Completed online. Includes personal details, secondary school attended, university or college accepted to, programme of study, and a personal statement describing your circumstances and why you need a device.

2

Programme Agreement

Signed digitally as part of the same online submission. By entering your full legal name you confirm you have read and agree to the terms of the programme.

3

Supporting Documents

Your Grade 12 results certificate and your university or college admission letter, uploaded as part of the application. Where your school is a registered Pathways partner, we may contact them directly for grades. Where they are not, your own certificate is accepted.

4

Pathways Reviews Your Application

Pathways reviews all complete applications and may follow up with you, your school, or your university to verify information. You will be notified of the outcome by email.

5

Device Award and Onboarding

Successful applicants receive their device and are enrolled in the Pathways Connect accountability programme, which includes enrolment confirmation, termly transcript submission, and regular check-ins.

What Happens After You Receive a Device

Pathways Connect is not a one-time grant. It is a continuing relationship between Pathways and each recipient through the duration of their studies.

Two-week enrolment confirmation

Approximately two weeks into term, Pathways independently confirms the student is attending, first through direct contact with the student, then separately through the university or college registrar. This protects the programme against misrepresentation and ensures devices are actively in use.

Ongoing reporting

Recipients submit official transcripts at agreed intervals and send a thank-you letter with photographs to Pathways and, where applicable, the donor or partner organisation who supplied the device.

Academic continuation review

If a recipient fails to meet their university's own minimum academic progression standard across two consecutive terms, Pathways initiates a support conversation, not an automatic disqualification. The goal is to understand what is happening and connect the student with available help. Device reassignment is only considered where a student does not engage with this process, or where the university confirms the student is no longer on track to graduate.

How Pathways Connect Fits Within the Education Pathway

Pathways Connect sits alongside FPP and APP as a third expression of the Education Pathway, distinct in structure and target audience but grounded in the same principle: opportunity must be matched with the practical means to use it.

Where FPP prepares a small cohort for intensive international placement and APP extends guided access and employability to a wider group, Pathways Connect addresses a narrower but no less critical barrier. Its beneficiaries are not necessarily Pathways programme alumni. Any admitted student without a device who is not already receiving support through another Pathways channel may apply.

Learn about FPP Learn about APP

Device Partners

Pathways Connect depends on device donations and partnerships with technology access organisations. We are actively building these partnerships and would welcome conversations with organisations that donate or refurbish technology devices and share a commitment to closing the digital access gap for students in Zambia.

Explore Partnerships

Check Your Eligibility

Use the tool below to check whether your school and university are registered Pathways partners. If either is not registered, that does not affect your eligibility — you can still apply.

Step 1 of 3

Find your secondary school

Search for the secondary school you graduated from.

Your school is not registered yet.

This does not affect your eligibility. You can still apply.

🎉

You appear eligible for Pathways Connect

✓

Both your secondary school and university are registered Pathways Connect partners.

Applications are not yet open. Here is what to do next:

→ Follow Pathways on social media to be notified when applications open
→ Subscribe to the Pathways newsletter below to be notified first
→ Prepare your documents: admission letter, secondary school transcript, and national ID

Email us

Stay informed

Subscribe to hear when Pathways Connect applications open.

Request your institution

Let us know which institution you are looking for and we will check if it can be registered as a Pathways Connect partner.

Not Sure If You Qualify?

Circumstances vary. The following situations do not automatically disqualify you. If your situation is not covered here, email us at info@pathwaysnow.org.

My school is not registered with Pathways

This does not affect your eligibility. Submit your own Grade 12 certificate. Pathways may contact your school directly — and schools without internet can be reached by phone or post.

My university is not registered with Pathways

This does not affect your eligibility. Provide your admission letter and, once enrolled, your student ID. Pathways verifies enrolment through direct contact where needed.

I own a laptop but it is broken or too old

Ownership alone does not disqualify you. If your device is broken beyond repair or too outdated for academic use, describe this in your personal statement.

I share a family computer

Sharing a household device with siblings or family members is not the same as having your own. If you cannot reliably access it for personal academic work, describe your situation in your personal statement.

I have already started university without a laptop

Students currently in their first or second year without a device may apply. Priority may be given to incoming students but enrolled students are considered.

I have a disability or access need

If you require a specific type of device or assistive technology, please indicate this in your application. Pathways will consider such requests individually.

We will meet you where you are

Pathways Connect is committed to reaching every eligible student, regardless of where their school is located, whether their university has partnered with us, or whether their circumstances fit neatly into a standard checklist. If you are unsure whether you qualify, please reach out before the application window closes.

Contact Pathways

Programme Policies

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