Summary:
The SI Scholarship for Global Professionals is an academic scholarship provided for full-time, one- or two-year, master’s studies in Sweden. The Swedish Institute awards academic scholarships for master’s studies to global professionals from 41 countries. Read through the call for applications carefully and prepare your application today.
Overview:
The scholarship covers a wide range of study fields and over 700 of the 1000 English-taught master’s programs in Sweden.
Through the scholarship, the Swedish Institute (SI) aim to develop a network of future global leaders that will contribute to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and drive the development of their home countries forward.
The scholarship 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 41 countries that is eligible for the SI Scholarship for Global Professionals.
- Apply for a master’s program 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 current or previous employer, or from civil society engagement.
Key dates:
- 16 October – 15 January: Apply to Swedish master’s programs through University Admissions.
- November: SI Scholarship application documents are published.
- 12 – 28 February: Application portal for the SI Scholarship is open.
- 21 March – University admissions announcement day.
- 25 April: SI Scholarship announcement day.
Our call for application is published below. We advise that you read through the instructions and the criteria carefully and start preparing your application. The application portal will be open between the 12 and 28 February 2024.
What’s included:
The Scholarship for Global Professionals is a competitive fully funded scholarship that includes:
- Full tuition fee coverage. Swedish institute is directly paid the fee to your Swedish university in the beginning of each semester.
- A monthly payment of SEK 12,000 to cover your living expenses throughout the study period.
- Insurance against illness and accident.
- 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 Future 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 SI Alumni Network. As a member, you get a unique opportunity for continued networking and professional development.
The scholarship does not:
- Provide additional grants for family members.
- Cover the application fee to University Admissions.
- Allow changes to the study program. We are only able to support you through the awarded master’s program.
- Allow extensions or changes to the awarded scholarship period.
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.
The master’s programs you apply for must be eligible for the SI scholarship. Over 750+ English-taught master’s programs are eligible. Find them in the list below.
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 programs by 30 of March 2023.
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.
Citizens of the following countries are eligible to apply to the SI Scholarship for Global Professionals:
Armenia; Azerbaijan; Bangladesh; Bolivia; Belarus; Brazil; Cambodia; Cameroon; Colombia; Ecuador; Egypt; Ethiopia; Gambia; Georgia; Ghana; Guatemala; Honduras; Indonesia; Jordan; Kenya; Liberia; Malawi; Moldova; Morocco; Myanmar (Burma); Nepal; Nigeria; Pakistan; Peru; Philippines; Rwanda; South Africa; Sri Lanka; Sudan; Tanzania; Tunisia; Uganda; Ukraine; Vietnam; Zambia; Zimbabwe.
You must be a citizen of one of the eligible countries, however, you do not need to reside in the country at the time of the application. If your country of citizenship is not listed below, we suggest that you look for other scholarships on Study in Sweden’s scholarship database.
If you have dual citizenship(s) and all are eligible for SI scholarship, you should choose only one of the citizenships when applying for the scholarship. Applicants who use their dual citizenship to submit more than one application will have all applications disqualified.
Eligible programs:
About 700 English-taught master’s programs are eligible for the SI scholarship for Global Professionals, covering programs in the fields of humanities, agricultural science, medicine and public health, natural science, social science, and technology.
Here you will find the list of eligible master’s programs for the academic year 2024/2025_v2.
To have a successful application, you should have a clear idea of how your education will contribute to the sustainable development of your home country and region; It is up to you to motivate in your scholarship application if/how your chosen programs are related to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
University Admissions:
The Admissions of Swedish university and colleges are managed by the Swedish Council for Higher Education through their portal University Admissions. For any questions or inquiries related to your university application, tuition fees or admittance, please contact University Admissions.
In order to be eligible for the SI scholarship you must:
- be liable to pay tuition fees to Swedish universities. Find out if you are liable for tuition fees here.
- have paid the application fee for master’s programs on time. The payment is made to University Admissions. Find all the key dates here.
- be admitted (or conditionally admitted) to one of the eligible master’s programs on 21 March 2024. You can only be awarded a scholarship for the master’s program you are admitted to on 21 March 2024. Master’s programs to which you are listed as a reserve cannot be considered. There are no scholarships available for late admissions.
Read more about the SI selection process under the section ‘How to Apply – SI Screening and Evaluation’.
Previous Experience:
Work Experience
To be eligible for the SI Scholarship you must have work experience. However, you do not have to be employed at the time of application.
Valid work experience includes both full-time and part-time employment, for instance as an employee, freelancer or employer.
The applicants must be able to prove certification for your work experience by using our template forms which can be found under the section ‘How to Apply – Applying for the SI Scholarship’. Work experience in line with one or several areas of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals will be prioritized.
Work experience requirements:
Applicants from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova or Ukraine – must be able to provide proof of work experience. There is no requirement of number of hours, however applicants with more experience will be prioritized.
Applicants from Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Morocco, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia, or Zimbabwe – must have at least 3,000 hours of work experience prior to 11 February 2024. You do not have to meet the requirement within one period of employment. The 3,000 hours must have been accumulated from a maximum of three employers.