Overview
The SI Scholarship for Global Professionals is an academic scholarship provided for full-time, one- or two-year, master’s studies in Sweden.
The scholarship covers a wide range of study fields and over 700 of the 1000 English-taught master’s programmes 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 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 current or previous employer, or from civil society engagement.
Key dates:
- 16 October – 15 January: Apply to Swedish master’s programmes 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. The fee is paid directly by SI 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 programme. We are only able to support you through the awarded master’s programme.
- Allow extensions or changes to the awarded scholarship period.
Criteria
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 programmes you apply for must be eligible for the SI scholarship. Over 750+ English-taught master’s programmes 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 programmes 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.
Country of Citizenship
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 programmes
About 700 English-taught master’s programmes are eligible for the SI scholarship for Global Professionals, covering programmes 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 programmes 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 programmes are related to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
University Admissions
Admissions to 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 programmes 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 programmes on 21 March 2024. You can only be awarded a scholarship for the master’s programme you are admitted to on 21 March 2024. Master’s programmes 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.
You 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 prioritised.
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 prioritised.
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.
Note! If you are currently employed, we advised that you discuss your application with your employer. It is your responsibility to ensure that you will be granted leave of absence or be released from your work in time for the beginning of your studies. SI will not intervene in this matter.
Leadership Experience
Leadership experience involves the experience to lead other colleagues/organisations, mandate to influence the development strategy for the organisation you work at, allocate tasks to colleagues and/or have familiarity with decision-making processes.
In addition to your work experience, you must be able to demonstrate your leadership experience. The experience may be demonstrated through, for instance, previous work experience or involvement in civil society organisations or networks.
The leadership experience has no requirement regarding a minimum number of hours. However, priority will be given to applicants with demonstrated strong and relevant leadership experience from employment.
You are not eligible for the SI Scholarship for Global Professionals if you….
- are currently enrolled in or hold a degree from a Swedish university/university college;
- have already resided in Sweden for cumulatively two years or more, prior to the scholarship period (starting August 2024)*;
- have previously been awarded a Swedish Institute scholarship. Previous participants of the SI Summer Academy for Young Professionals. Students who have attended SI summer courses in Swedish language or the Swedish Institute Summer University (SISU) may still apply;
- have a Swedish or EU/EEA citizenship*, a Swedish permanent residence permit or a temporary work- and residence permit based on work or on family ties with a citizen of Sweden/EU/EEA country who has a temporary or permanent right of residence in Sweden
- have dual citizenship in countries not listed on the DAC list of ODA recipients 2024-2025.*
*Exceptions:
1. Ukrainian applicants who reside in Sweden under the Temporary Protection Directive are still eligible to apply for the SI scholarship.
2. Moldovan applicants with dual citizenship in Romania may apply for a scholarship even though they are EU citizens and must state the citizenship that is eligible for the scholarship when applying to both SI as well as University Admissions.
Find more information about the steps of application and required documents in the section ‘How to apply’.