The Sweden Institute SI Scholarship for Global Professionals offers African students a life time opportunity to pursue a full-time master’s degree in Sweden. The award targets applicants who want strong academic training in governance, public health, entrepreneurship, innovation or STEM. The programme supports your studies and connects you to the SI Network for Global Professionals, where you engage with peers and build skills for leadership. The scholarship helps you gain knowledge that supports development work in your home country.
Host Universities / Institutions
- Swedish Higher Education Institution
- Swedish universities
Number of Scholarships: About 350 Scholarships
Eligibility
The Swedish Institute SI Scholarship 2026, Masters Funding for African Students is open for applications once every year, for master’s studies beginning in the autumn semester. In order to apply you must:
- Be a citizen of one of the 34 eligible countries for the SI Scholarship for Global Professionals
- Apply for a master’s programme that is eligible for the SI scholarship
- Be liable to pay tuition fees at University Admissions
- Have demonstrated work experience
- Have demonstrated leadership experience from a current or previous employer, or from civil society engagement.
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Scholarship Key Dates
- 16 October 2025 – 15 January 2026: Apply to Swedish master’s programmes through University Admissions
- Mid-November 2025: SI Scholarship application documents and eligible master programmes are published on this page
- 9-25 February 2026: Application portal for the SI Scholarships is open for two weeks
- 26 March 2026: University admissions announcement
- 23 April 2026: SI Scholarship announcement
Benefits
The Scholarship for Global Professionals is a competitive fully-funded scholarship that includes:
- Full tuition fee coverage. The fee is paid directly by SI to your Swedish university each semester
- A monthly allowance of SEK 12,000 to cover your living expenses throughout the study period
- A travel grant of SEK 15,000 (*10,000 for scholars from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine). This is a one-time payment and does not apply for students already living in Sweden
- Membership in the SI Network for Global Professionals (NFGP) – a platform to help you grow professionally and build a network while in Sweden
- After your scholarship period has ended, you become a member of the Sweden Alumni Network. As a member, you get a unique opportunity for continued networking and professional development.
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Criteria
Country of Citizenship
You must be a citizen of a country that is eligible for the SI scholarship. However, you do not need to reside in the country at the time of the application.
Master’s Programmes
The master’s programmes you apply for must be eligible for the SI scholarship. The list of programmes will be published in mid-November 2025.
University Admission
You must be liable to pay tuition fees to Swedish universities, have followed the steps of University Admissions and be admitted to one of the eligible master’s programmes on the day of admissions announcements.
Previous Experience
You must have demonstrated work experience (conditions apply to certain regions). In addition, you must have demonstrated leadership experience from your current or previous employer, or from civil society engagement.
Target Group / Country of Citizenship
Citizens of the following African countries are eligible to apply for the SI Scholarship for Global Professionals:
Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Ukraine, Zambia.
How to Apply
Apply for a Master’s Programme
Date: 15 Oct 2025 – 15 Jan 2026
The application process for Swedish universities is managed by University Admissions. It is a centralised process and, on their portal, you can apply for up to 4 master’s programmes.
Go to UniversityAdmissions.se and apply for your master’s programme(s) by 15 January 2026. The list of eligible programmes for the SI scholarships 2026/2027 can be found here in mid-November.
Once you have submitted your application for master’s at University Admissions, you will get a personal application number consisting of eight digits. Save the number for your application to the SI Scholarship. Your SI scholarship application will be disqualified if you type in the wrong personal application number when applying for the scholarship.
Note! Applicants for Stockholm School of Economics and Konstfack are part of separate intakes and admissions processes. They will not receive an application number.
If you miss the deadlines or fail to follow the application procedure of University Admissions, you will not be eligible for a scholarship.
Do you have any questions related to applications for master’s studies, admissions, the application fee or application number? Please contact University Admissions.
Apply for a Global Professionals Scholarship
Date: 9 Feb 2026 – 25 Feb 2026
To apply for the SI Scholarship, you must submit the documents listed below. Make sure to read through the instructions carefully and use the SI templates when requested. Failing to follow the instructions will result in disqualification.
Curriculum Vitae
You must use SI’s provided template for CV 2026/2027. The CV should not exceed three pages. It is up to you to decide which of your previous experiences are relevant for your application. Additional pages will not be considered during the evaluation.
Proof of Work and Leadership Experience
You must use SI’s provided template for proof of work and leadership experience 2026/2027. The work and leadership form should be signed by the referee ad stamped with an official stamp of the referring organisation or a notary office. The form(s) should be typed, then printed, signed, stamped and uploaded as one single PDF-file. You can find instructions in the template form and our Frequently Asked Questions.
Two Letters of Reference
You are required to submit two letters of reference from two different referees. One of the letters must be based on work experience. The second letter can be based on work experience or engagements outside of work. Note! It is a merit if the second letter is based on entrepreneurship or your involvement in networks or civil society organisations outside of work.
You must use SI’s provided template for the letter of reference 2026/2027. All letters of reference should first be typed, then printed, and lastly signed by the referee and stamped with an official stamp of the organisation/company or notary office. Scan the letters and upload them to the application portal as one single PDF-file.
Photocopy of your valid passport / National ID card
You must submit a photocopy of your valid passport or National ID card with your scholarship application. It must clearly show your personal data, including your name, citizenship, and photograph. It is your responsibility to ensure that your submitted proof of identification is valid at the time of applying. You will be asked to upload the photocopy in the online application portal.
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Motivation
In the application portal you will be asked to write your motivation for applying for the scholarship. You might also be randomly selected to record a short video presentation.
Note! You must complete your application in English. Your application will be disqualified should you not follow these instructions and fail to submit any of the abovementioned documents. We will not consider any other documents than the requested ones.
Submit Your Application for SI Scholarships for Global Professionals
You should only submit one scholarship application in the application portal, regardless how many master’s programmes you’ve applied for at University Admissions, Stockholm School of Economics or Konstfack. Your scholarship application can include up to four eligible master’s programmes, and it should include only one of each of the required documents, no matter how many master’s programmes you’ve applied for.
Our application portal will be open 9 February – 25 February 2026.
Note! Due to the high volume of applications, the online application portal may be under heavy pressure at the end of the application period. We strongly advise all applicants not to wait until the last days to apply. No admission is accepted past the deadline.
Also Read: Discover fully funded bursaries and scholarships for African students. Study abroad or locally with financial aid for undergraduates, postgraduates & PhDs
Data Protection and Integrity
The Swedish Institute (SI) is a public agency. As such, all applications received by SI are in the public domain. We use the personal information you give us to process your application. If you are granted a scholarship, we will continue to use this personal information to manage it. We deal with this information following the Swedish Principle of Public Access to Information and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Your personal information is handled by SI employees and outside experts who have signed a contract of compliance. For more information, please read SI’s privacy policy.
SI Screening and Evaluation
Date: 25 Feb 2026 – 25 Mar 2026
Screening
After the application deadline, we carry out a screening of all applications and disqualify those that do not meet the eligibility criteria for the SI Scholarship. If you have failed to follow the instructions for the required documents, for example by providing an incomplete application, using the wrong forms, missing a valid stamp, etc., then your application will also be disqualified. Reasons are given in the instructions in the forms and here on the website. Therefore, you should read through all available information carefully before filling out and submitting your documents.
Evaluation before admissions
We will then go through all the eligible applications and evaluate the information provided in your applications. We give scores with particular consideration for the aim and purpose of the SI Scholarship programme and the government strategy it reports to. We are looking for talented professionals with capability, an existing platform and ambition to contribute to the further development of their home country and region. The quality of the application is crucial in our selection.
Notifications from University Admissions
Date: 26 Mar 2026
On the day you receive your notification of selection results from University Admissions, SI will receive the admission results, including your personal information directly from University Admissions.
You will be in the running for the SI Scholarships for Global Professionals if:
- You have been admitted or conditionally admitted to an eligible master’s programme on 26 March 2026, AND
- You have not made any changes to your original admissions results (e.g. decline an admissions offer.) If you make any changes to your original admissions results, your application will no longer be in the running for the SI Scholarship.
I’m conditionally admitted, what now?
If you have been conditionally admitted, you will have received information from University Admissions regarding what you need to do to finalise your admission.
I was only listed as reserved or placed on the waiting list…
Those who are not admitted to an eligible master’s programme by this date or are only listed as reserves or are placed on the waiting list will not be considered for the scholarship.
Note! Please check the instructions on how to reply to my admissions offer on University Admissions. Contact University Admissions directly if you have any questions.
Final Evaluation and Announcement of Scholarship Recipients
Date: 26 Mar 2026 – 23 Apr 2026
After the admissions results are announced by University Admissions on the 26 March 2026, SI finally evaluates the applications that are still eligible for the scholarship. SI receives a separate list of admitted students from Stockholm School of Economics (SSE).
The rigid screening and evaluation process provides us with a shortlist of the best candidates. In the final evaluation, we give priority to certain factors, therefore thoroughly read through the call for applications above, as it explains what we take into consideration.
We aim at having all genders represented as equally as possible in the final list of scholarship recipients. We also want to include as many of the eligible countries, provided there is a sufficient number of quality applications. We also need to stay within our budget. We may make additional adjustments in the final selection to achieve the distribution we are aiming for. However, we do not have any quotas for specific countries, fields of study, Swedish universities etcetera. The SI scholarship is highly competitive and the number of recipients from different countries, and to certain programmes/universities may differ from year to year, depending on the quality of the applications received. When all the above factors have been taken into consideration, the final selection of scholarship recipients will be completed.
Note! Applicants who also qualify for the Pioneering Women in STEM scholarship will be considered under both scholarship programmes.
Announcement of Scholarship Recipients
The successful scholarship recipients will be announced on 23 April 2026 on si.se. Due to a large number of applications, only those who are offered a scholarship will be notified.
Accept Your Scholarship Offer
Each recipient will receive an official scholarship offer by email by the end of April 2026. The recipient is responsible for ensuring that the email address provided in the application is correct. The scholarship must then be accepted or declined within the deadline stated in the offer.
Contact Information
Swedish Institute
Virkesvägen 2
120 30 Stockholm
+46-8-453 78 00
[email protected]
For more Information: Visit the website for Sweden Institute SI Scholarship for African Students 2026
Disclaimer
Information in this post is based on the official announcement. Applicants should confirm all details on the authorised website before applying.
