Swedish Institute Scholarship for Global Professionals
A fully funded master's in Sweden for 12 African countries — but you must win your university place first, months before the scholarship opens.
Offered by Swedish Institute (Government of Sweden)
The Swedish Institute Scholarship for Global Professionals funds a one- or two-year master's in Sweden for people with work and leadership experience who intend to drive change at home. It pays your tuition in full, SEK 12,000 a month to live on, and a SEK 15,000 travel grant. The thing that disqualifies most applicants is the ORDER of the two applications. You must apply to Swedish universities through University Admissions first — that closes in mid-January — and you must be admitted. Only then, in February, does the scholarship application open. If you miss the January university deadline, you cannot get the scholarship at all, no matter how good your application is. One more warning from the Swedish Institute itself: your university application gives you an eight-digit number, and if you type it wrongly on the scholarship form, your application is disqualified.
University applications close mid-January; the scholarship application runs for about two weeks in February
The order matters more than the dates. In the 2026/2027 round, university applications ran 15 October 2025 to 15 January 2026, the scholarship application ran 9–25 February 2026, and scholarship results were announced by 23 April 2026. That round has closed. The next cycle follows the same shape, with the list of eligible master's programmes published around mid-November. If you miss the January university deadline, you are not eligible for the scholarship at all.
Details checked against the official source on 13 August 2026. Rules change every year — always confirm on the official page before you apply.
TontonAfriJobs is not connected to this scholarship and never charges any fee. You can apply yourself, for free, using the steps below. Nobody needs to apply on your behalf.
Fully funded
Masters
University applications close mid-January; the scholarship application runs for about two weeks in February
Demonstrated work experience plus leadership experience
Set by University Admissions and your chosen programme, usually IELTS or TOEFL
Competitive
What the scholarship pays for
What you still pay for yourself
Find your country
Only these 12 African countries are eligible for the Swedish Institute Scholarship for Global Professionals, out of 34 worldwide. Helpfully, you do NOT need to be living in your country when you apply — citizenship is what counts. If you hold two eligible citizenships, choose only one when applying.
Don't see your country? Eligibility can change each year — check the official country list.
Can I apply?
You need to be able to tick every box below. Each one links to the official page that states the rule.
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You are a citizen of one of the 12 eligible African countries: Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda or Zambia. You do NOT need to be living there when you apply. Eligible countries
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You must be admitted to an eligible Swedish master's programme through University Admissions, and admitted by the day admissions results are announced. Admission requirement
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You must be liable to pay tuition fees in Sweden — the scholarship exists to cover exactly that. Criteria
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You must show BOTH work experience and leadership experience — from an employer, or from civil society engagement. Experience criteria
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Your chosen master's programme must be on the Swedish Institute's eligible list, published around mid-November each year. Not every Swedish master's qualifies. Eligible programmes
How to apply, step by step
Do these in order. Every step links to the exact official page you need — you never have to guess, and you never need an agent.
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1
Start in October — apply to Swedish universities FIRST
Go to UniversityAdmissions.se and apply for up to four master's programmes before the mid-January deadline. This comes months before the scholarship application and is the step that disqualifies most people.
How to apply -
2
Check your programmes are on the eligible list
The Swedish Institute publishes the list of master's programmes eligible for the scholarship around mid-November. Applying to a programme that is not on it means you cannot be funded, even if you are admitted.
Eligible programmes -
3
Save your eight-digit application number carefully
University Admissions issues this once you submit. The Swedish Institute states plainly that entering the wrong number disqualifies your scholarship application, so copy it exactly.
Application number -
4
Prepare the CV and work-and-leadership forms on SI templates
You must use the Swedish Institute's own templates, and the CV cannot exceed three pages. The work and leadership form must be signed by your employer or organisation. Failing to follow the instructions results in disqualification.
Required templates -
5
Apply for the scholarship in the February window
The scholarship application is open for roughly two weeks in February. It is short, so have every document ready before it opens.
Scholarship application -
6
Watch for admissions results in late March, scholarship results by late April
University Admissions announces results in late March, and you must be admitted by that day to remain eligible. The Swedish Institute announces scholarship recipients by late April.
Timeline
Papers you need to prepare
Start gathering these early — some take weeks to get.
A CV on the Swedish Institute template
Maximum three pages. Additional pages are not considered.
Proof of work and leadership experience on the SI template
Must be signed by your employer or organisation.
Your eight-digit University Admissions application number
A wrong number disqualifies your application outright.
Your first degree certificate and transcripts
Submitted to University Admissions for the university application.
IELTS or TOEFL result
Required for university admission, in time for the January deadline.
A valid passport
Your citizenship determines eligibility.
English test — which one to take
An English test proves you can study in English. You take it at a test centre (or sometimes at home), pay a fee, and receive a score. Book directly on the official website below — never pay an agent to book it for you.
IELTS or TOEFL (via University Admissions)
Required for admission to Swedish master's programmes, which you must secure before the scholarship. The requirement comes from University Admissions and your programme, not from the Swedish Institute.
Book early — you need the result in time for the mid-January university deadline, which is months before the scholarship opens.
Choosing your Master's course
This is the part most people get wrong. There are two separate applications: one to Chevening for the money, and one to each university for your place. Chevening does not apply to universities for you. If you never get a university offer, the scholarship is cancelled — so start the university applications early, not after you hear from Chevening.
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1
You apply to Swedish universities through one centralised portal, University Admissions, and may choose up to FOUR master's programmes.
Official page -
2
The university application closes in mid-January — weeks BEFORE the scholarship application opens in February. Miss it and you are disqualified from the scholarship.
Official page -
3
University Admissions gives you an eight-digit personal application number. Entering it incorrectly on the scholarship form disqualifies your application.
Official page -
4
Applicants to Stockholm School of Economics and Konstfack go through separate admissions and do not receive an application number.
Official page -
5
You must use the Swedish Institute's own CV template and its work-and-leadership template. The CV must not exceed three pages, and extra pages are ignored.
Official page
Questions people ask
Which African countries are eligible for the Swedish Institute scholarship?
12 African countries are eligible for the Swedish Institute Scholarship for Global Professionals: Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. You do not need to be living in your country when you apply — citizenship is what counts.
Do I need a university place before applying for the Swedish Institute scholarship?
Yes, and this is what disqualifies most applicants. You must apply to Swedish master's programmes through University Admissions by the mid-January deadline and be admitted by the day results are announced. The scholarship application only opens afterwards, in February, so missing the January university deadline makes you ineligible for the scholarship entirely.
How much is the Swedish Institute scholarship?
The Swedish Institute Scholarship for Global Professionals pays your full tuition fees directly to your university, a monthly living allowance of SEK 12,000 for the whole study period, and a one-time travel grant of SEK 15,000. It does not include insurance, does not cover the University Admissions application fee, and provides nothing for family members.
How many master's programmes can I apply to in Sweden?
You may apply for up to four master's programmes through University Admissions, Sweden's centralised application portal. For the Swedish Institute scholarship, those programmes must also appear on the Institute's list of eligible programmes, which is published around mid-November each year.
Does the Swedish Institute scholarship require work experience?
Yes. You must demonstrate both work experience and leadership experience, the latter from a current or previous employer or from civil society engagement. Both must be evidenced on the Swedish Institute's own signed template — using your own format results in disqualification.
Tips that genuinely improve your chances
- Work backwards from mid-January, not from February. The university deadline is the real one.
- Wait for the mid-November list of eligible programmes before choosing where to apply, or you may be admitted to something the scholarship cannot fund.
- Copy your eight-digit application number character by character. SI disqualifies applications with the wrong number.
- Use SI's templates exactly, and keep the CV to three pages — extra pages are simply ignored.
- Budget for insurance separately. Unusually among these scholarships, it is not included.
Protect yourself from scams
The Swedish Institute scholarship is free to apply for, through si.se and UniversityAdmissions.se. The only fee in this process is the official University Admissions application fee, paid to them directly — and the scholarship does not reimburse it. No agent can secure you admission or a scholarship, and all templates and instructions are free to download from si.se.
Ready to apply?
Applications are made directly on the official website — it is free, and you do it yourself.