Axel Adler Scholarship 2027 at the University of Gothenburg: Full Tuition Waiver, Programmes and Dates

The Axel Adler Scholarship is the University of Gothenburg’s tuition fee waiver for international students who have to pay fees in Sweden. It covers the full tuition for your whole programme (two years for most master’s, three for a bachelor’s) and is paid by Swedish foundations straight to the university. It does not pay rent, food or travel. There is roughly one award per master’s programme and per eligible bachelor’s programme, so competition is stiff.

For autumn 2027 entry, you first apply to a Gothenburg programme on universityadmissions.se by 15 January 2027, ranking it as your first choice, and complete fee and documents by 1 February 2027. Eligible applicants then get an email around 10 February 2027 and write the scholarship application between 10 February and 8 March 2027. Results come on 12 April 2027 for master’s applicants and 15 April 2027 for bachelor’s applicants.

What the Axel Adler Scholarship covers

The money comes from the Adlerbertska Scholarship Foundation, the Adlerbertska Grant Foundation and the Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR). Holders are also covered by FAS+ insurance from Kammarkollegiet. Living costs, accommodation and flights are your responsibility, and you will need to prove you can pay them when you apply for your residence permit.

Axel Adler Scholarship eligibility

• Fee status: you must be required to pay tuition fees in Sweden. In general that means citizens of countries outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland. You do not need to have paid anything before applying.
• First priority: an international, campus-based Gothenburg programme must be your first choice in the international admission round. If you list several Gothenburg programmes, only the first-priority one counts.
• Deadlines met: application by 15 January 2027, and application fee plus eligibility documents by 1 February 2027.
• Campus study: online programmes do not qualify. Programmes with a period abroad can still qualify.

Which programmes can win an award

Every full-time master’s programme at the University of Gothenburg is eligible. Only these bachelor’s programmes are:

• Software Engineering and Management
• Computer Science and AI
• International Relations
• Business and Economics
• BFA Programme in Metal Art
• BFA Programme in Wood Oriented Furniture Design
• BFA Programme in Craft with Specialisation in Crafting Futures

Eligibility edge cases

• Your Gothenburg programme is your second choice: you are not considered. Only the programme you rank first counts, so decide before 15 January 2027.
• You hold EU citizenship through a second passport: EU, EEA and Swiss citizens do not pay fees in Sweden, so you would not need, and could not get, this waiver.
• You have a Swedish residence permit for another reason: some permit holders are exempt from fees. If you are not fee-liable, you are not eligible, so check your fee status with the university first.
• Your documents arrive after 1 February: you will not get the invitation email, because only applicants who met both deadlines are invited.
• You are applying to a distance programme: online study does not qualify. A campus programme that includes a period abroad still does.
• You already have another tuition scholarship: you cannot hold two fee scholarships at once. If you win both, you will have to choose.

How many Axel Adler Scholarships are there?

One award per programme means you are competing with everyone who ranked the same programme first. I would pick a programme where your background is a clear fit over a famous one with hundreds of applicants.

The sustainability version

If your first-priority programme is a sustainability-focused master’s, you can also be considered for the Axel Adler Scholarship for Sustainability through the same application. You answer one extra question (up to 3,000 characters) on how your studies focus on sustainability. Bachelor’s programmes and the distance master’s in Education for Sustainable Development are excluded, and you can receive only one of the two scholarships.

Axel Adler Scholarship 2027 dates

How to apply for the Axel Adler Scholarship

1. Apply for the programme: on universityadmissions.se, rank your Gothenburg programme first before 15 January 2027.
2. Pay and upload: pay the SEK 900 application fee and upload your transcripts, degree and English proof by 1 February 2027.
3. Open the invitation: follow the link in the email that arrives around 10 February 2027.
4. Write your CV and motivation letter: type both straight into the scholarship system. Uploads are not accepted, each text can be up to 3,000 characters, and there is no set format.
5. Submit by 8 March 2027: academic staff then rank applicants on the CV and letter, and may also look at your grades.

With 3,000 characters (about 450 words) per text, your motivation letter should explain why this programme fits your background and what you plan to do with it. Put the facts in the CV so the letter does not repeat them.

How to write the Axel Adler CV and motivation letter

Academic staff in your programme rank applicants on these two texts, and may also look at your grades. You get 3,000 characters for each, typed into a plain box, so formatting tricks will not help you. Clear content will.

The CV (up to 3,000 characters)

• Education first: degree, institution, years and final grade or GPA.
• Relevant work, research or internships, each with one line on what you did.
• Skills that matter for the programme, such as programming languages, lab methods or languages.
• Awards, publications or projects, if you have them.
• Use short lines and dates. Leave out hobbies unless they relate to the field.

The motivation letter (up to 3,000 characters)

1. Why this programme: name one or two courses, research groups or features of the Gothenburg programme that match your goals.
2. Why you are ready: link your degree, a thesis or a work project to what the programme teaches.
3. What you will do after: a specific plan, at home or elsewhere, that the degree makes possible.
4. For the sustainability award: answer the extra 3,000-character question with concrete examples of how your studies connect to sustainability.

A short example opening: “For three years I have worked as a data analyst at a logistics firm in Accra, where I built the route models our drivers still use. The Software Engineering and Management programme would give me the design and management skills to lead a team building those tools properly.” It shows experience, names the programme and points to a future role in one go.

Draft both texts in a document, check the character count including spaces, and paste them in. The university describes the application as these two texts only, so you do not need a reference letter for the scholarship itself.

Keeping the scholarship once you win it

• Pass at least 75% of each semester’s credits; progress is checked regularly.
• Get your residence permit in time to start. A late permit is not accepted as a reason to defer, and the award is withdrawn. Apply to the Swedish Migration Agency as soon as you hear you have won. Stockholm University currently quotes the maintenance requirement as at least SEK 10,656 a month.
• Start on time and follow university rules; suspension can lead to withdrawal.
• You cannot hold another tuition fee scholarship at the same time, and you must tell scholarships@gu.se if your fee status changes.

For other tuition waivers in the region, see our Finland scholarships guide and the country list in scholarships in Europe for international students.

What happens after you apply

1. Ranking: after 8 March 2027, academic staff rank applicants for each programme using the CV and motivation letter.
2. Results: master’s applicants hear on 12 April 2027 and bachelor’s applicants on 15 April 2027.
3. Admission: you still need an offer through University Admissions. The scholarship only applies if you are admitted to that programme.
4. Residence permit: apply to the Swedish Migration Agency straight away. A late permit means losing the award.
5. Arrival: start on time and pass at least 75% of each semester’s credits to keep the waiver.

Costs the scholarship does not cover

• The SEK 900 application fee on universityadmissions.se, paid by 1 February 2027.
• Living costs: the maintenance requirement quoted by Stockholm University is at least SEK 10,656 a month, and you must show this for your permit.
• The residence permit application fee.
• Flights to Sweden, a housing deposit and furniture or bedding.
• Books, a laptop and course materials.

Common mistakes

• Ranking a different university first and a Gothenburg programme second.
• Paying the application fee or uploading documents after 1 February 2027.
• Missing the invitation email because it went to spam.
• Writing a generic motivation letter that could fit any university.
• Waiting to apply for the residence permit until after you have arranged housing.

How it compares with similar scholarships

Who should apply, and who should not

Apply if you are a non-EU, non-EEA, non-Swiss applicant who can pay your own living costs in Sweden, and you have a strong academic or work record that fits one specific Gothenburg programme. Since each programme usually has only one award, I think you stand a better chance in a less crowded master’s than in the most popular one.

Do not rely on it if you cannot show living funds for your residence permit, if your preferred programme is online, or if you want a bachelor’s outside the seven eligible programmes.

FAQ about the Axel Adler Scholarship

Does the Axel Adler Scholarship cover living expenses?

No. It covers tuition only, for the full length of your programme, so you must fund rent, food and travel yourself and show those funds for your residence permit.

What is the Axel Adler Scholarship deadline for 2027?

Apply to your programme by 15 January 2027 and finish fee and documents by 1 February 2027. The scholarship application itself closes on 8 March 2027.

Can bachelor’s students get the Axel Adler Scholarship?

Yes, but only in seven bachelor’s programmes, including Software Engineering and Management, Computer Science and AI, International Relations, and Business and Economics.

Do I need to upload a motivation letter?

No upload is allowed. You type your CV and motivation letter directly into the scholarship system, up to 3,000 characters each.

Sources and updates

Scholarship rules, dates and award numbers come from the University of Gothenburg’s Axel Adler Scholarship page (gu.se) and its 2027 requirements documents for the general and sustainability awards. The SEK 900 application fee comes from KTH’s guide to University Admissions in Sweden, and the maintenance figure from Stockholm University’s living costs page. Checked on 24 October 2026.

Jude Chinecherem

I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.