Swedish Institute Scholarship 2027 for Global Professionals: Countries, Benefits and Deadline

The Swedish Institute Scholarship for Global Professionals (SISGP) pays full tuition, a living allowance of SEK 12,000 a month and a one-off travel grant for a one- or two-year master’s degree at a Swedish university. It is run by the Swedish Institute (SI), a government agency, and it is open only to citizens of 34 listed countries who already have work and leadership experience. Fresh graduates with no job history are not the target.

For the 2027/2028 round you make two applications. First, apply to an eligible master’s programme on universityadmissions.se between 16 October 2026 and 15 January 2027. Then apply to SI through its own portal, which is open from 8 February to the Deadline of 24 February 2027 at 14:59 CET. Winners are announced on 22 April 2027 and start studying in August 2027.

What the Swedish Institute Scholarship covers

SISGP is one of the few fully funded master’s awards in Europe that pays both tuition and a monthly allowance. SI pays the tuition fee straight to your university each semester, so you never handle that money.

To put the allowance in context, the Swedish Migration Agency asks students who apply for a residence permit in 2026 to show at least SEK 10,656 a month. SI’s SEK 12,000 sits above that line, so the award letter normally serves as your proof of funds for the permit.

Costs the scholarship does not pay

• The SEK 900 application fee on universityadmissions.se. You pay it yourself by 1 February 2027, and it is never refunded.
• Family costs: SI gives no extra money for a spouse or children, and the Migration Agency will expect you to show separate funds for anyone who comes with you.
• Document costs: certified copies, translations, courier fees and English test fees before you apply.
• Insurance: earlier rounds included insurance, but the 2027/2028 benefit list as reported by recent listings does not mention it. Ask your university what cover it gives fee-paying students and read your award letter.
• Extra time: SI will not extend the award if you need more semesters, and you cannot switch to a different programme after the award.

Swedish Institute Scholarship eligible countries for 2027/2028

Eligibility depends on citizenship, never on where you live now. A Nigerian working in Dubai can apply; a UAE citizen living in Lagos cannot. The 2027/2028 list has 34 countries, one more than last year because Uzbekistan has been added.

Ghana, India, Pakistan, Cameroon and Zimbabwe are not on the list. Citizens of those countries can look at university awards such as the Axel Adler Scholarship at the University of Gothenburg, which is open to any fee-paying student.

Who is eligible for the Swedish Institute Scholarship

You need every one of the following. Missing any single item removes you at the screening stage, before anyone reads your motivation.

1. Citizenship: you hold citizenship of one of the 34 countries above.
2. Fee status: you are required to pay tuition fees in Sweden. EU/EEA citizens and holders of some Swedish residence permits do not pay fees, so they cannot hold SISGP.
3. Programme: you apply to a full-time, English-taught master’s programme of one or two years that appears on SI’s eligible list, starting in autumn 2027.
4. Admission: you are admitted or conditionally admitted to that programme by 1 April 2027.
5. Work experience: at least 3,000 hours completed before February 2027, from up to three employers (no minimum for the six Eastern European countries).
6. Leadership experience: shown through your job, your own business or civil society work. SI gives priority to leadership gained at work.

What 3,000 hours means in practice

At 40 hours a week, 3,000 hours is about 75 weeks, so roughly a year and a half of full-time work. Part-time jobs count if the hours add up, and you can combine up to three employers. Each employer must sign and stamp SI’s work experience form, so start contacting old managers now. A job you left three years ago at a company that has since closed can be the hardest hour to prove.

SI publishes its forms on 13 November 2026. Whether internships, national service or unpaid volunteering count toward the 3,000 hours is spelled out in those forms, so read them before you count your hours.

Eligible fields of study

For 2027/2028 the eligible programmes fall under four areas: Governance, Public Health, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). This is narrower than earlier rounds, when humanities and wider social science programmes also appeared. Check your exact programme against SI’s PDF list, because a programme title that sounds right can still be missing.

Who cannot apply

• Anyone already enrolled at, or holding a degree from, a Swedish university or university college.
• Anyone who has lived in Sweden for two years or more in total before August 2027.
• Past holders of an SI scholarship for studies in Sweden.
• Public sector employees in Belarus and Georgia.
• Dual citizens whose second citizenship is an EU/EEA country or a country outside the OECD DAC list of aid recipients. SI makes exceptions for some groups, such as Ukrainians under temporary protection and Moldovans who also hold Romanian citizenship, so read the rules if this applies to you.

Swedish Institute Scholarship deadline and important dates

The 14:59 closing time is easy to miss. In Lagos (WAT) it is also 14:59; in Accra and Dakar it is 13:59; in Nairobi it is 16:59; in Jakarta it is 20:59. Treat 24 February as a morning deadline and submit a day early.

How to apply for the Swedish Institute Scholarship, step by step

1. Shortlist programmes (now to mid-November 2026): browse English-taught master’s in your field, then check each one against SI’s list when it appears on 13 November.
2. Check entry requirements: most programmes want a bachelor’s degree of at least 180 credits (three years) in a related field and English at the Swedish “English 6” level, usually shown with IELTS Academic 6.5 (no band under 5.5) or TOEFL iBT 90. Some applicants are exempt through their previous English-taught degree, depending on country.
3. Apply on universityadmissions.se by 15 January 2027: create an account, rank up to four programmes in order of preference and save your eight-digit application number.
4. Upload documents and pay by 1 February 2027: degree certificate, transcripts, passport and English proof, plus anything your programme asks for, such as a statement of purpose. Pay the SEK 900 fee.
5. Prepare SI documents in December and January: CV on SI’s template, signed work and leadership forms, two reference letters and a passport copy.
6. Submit on the SI portal between 8 and 24 February 2027: enter your application number, choose which of your eligible programmes you want the scholarship for, answer the motivation questions and upload the PDFs.
7. Wait for 1 April and 22 April 2027: you must be admitted to at least one eligible programme on 1 April to stay in the running. SI notifies winners only.

Documents checklist for the SI portal

You can submit only one SI application, but it can cover up to four eligible programmes. SI’s 2027 rules allow a fifth if it is at the Stockholm School of Economics or Konstfack, because those schools run their own admissions.

How SI selects scholarship holders

Selection runs in three stages. From 25 February to 31 March SI screens every application against the eligibility rules. After the 1 April admission results, applicants who are not admitted to an eligible programme drop out. Between 1 and 22 April the remaining applications are scored against SI’s goals for the programme, which centre on leadership, professional experience, academic background and how you will use the degree to contribute to sustainable development back home.

SI says it aims for gender balance and broad spread across countries, but it sets no fixed quota per country, field or university. In earlier rounds it funded around 350 new scholars a year. Recent rounds have drawn far more applications than before, so plan for a success rate in the low single digits and apply to backup options at the same time.

Women from certain countries applying in STEM are also considered for SI’s Pioneering Women in STEM scholarship, with no extra application. If you qualify for both, one SI application puts you in both pools.

Writing the motivation: what SI wants to read

SI’s motivation questions are short, so every sentence has to carry evidence. The selectors are looking for a working professional with a clear problem to solve, a reason that a Swedish programme helps solve it, and a believable plan for afterwards. A strong answer follows a simple order.

1. The problem you work on: one concrete issue from your job, with a number if you have one.
2. What you have already done: a project you led, the people involved and the result.
3. The gap: the skill or knowledge you lack, named precisely.
4. Why this programme in Sweden: two or three courses, a lab, or a Swedish approach that fills that gap.
5. Your plan after graduation: the role you return to and the change you will drive.

A sample opening for a public health applicant: “In 2025 I coordinated a malaria bed-net distribution across 14 rural wards in Kano State and saw coverage figures that looked good on paper fall apart at household level. I want to learn how to design monitoring systems that catch that gap early.” That reads as real work, which is what SI funds. Avoid opening lines about childhood dreams, and never describe Sweden with tourist adjectives.

Proving leadership when you are not a manager

Leadership does not require a manager’s title. Leading a project team, training new staff, running a unit’s quality process, founding a small business or chairing a professional association all count. What matters is that someone in that organisation will sign SI’s form confirming what you did, so pick an example you can document.

Common mistakes that knock applicants out

• Applying to SI but forgetting to pay the SEK 900 fee or upload documents on universityadmissions.se by 1 February, so you are never admitted.
• Choosing programmes that are not on SI’s eligible list, or ranking only ineligible programmes high.
• Counting hours that the forms do not accept, or submitting a work certificate without a stamp or signature.
• Using your own CV layout instead of SI’s template.
• Two reference letters from the same person, or letters that only praise your character without describing your work.
• Typing the application number by hand and getting one digit wrong.
• Waiting until the afternoon of 24 February, after the 14:59 cut-off.

After you win: acceptance, permit and arrival

SI emails successful applicants by the end of April 2027 with an offer and conditions. Accept within the time given, then accept your study place on universityadmissions.se. Because SI pays your tuition, you do not pay the first-semester fee yourself, which many self-funded students must do before applying for a permit.

Next, apply online for a residence permit for studies with the Swedish Migration Agency. Your SI award letter shows that your living costs are covered. Apply early in May, because permit processing can take weeks and you need the decision before you fly. The travel grant and first allowance payment arrive around the start of the scholarship period in August 2027.

Swedish Institute Scholarship compared with other options

Many applicants pair SISGP with a university tuition waiver. If you win both, the university award usually falls away because SI already pays the fee, but if SISGP fails you still have a waiver in hand. The Axel Adler Scholarship is a common backup for applicants who list the University of Gothenburg. If Finland is also on your list, compare it with the Finland Government Scholarship, and for a wider view see our list of scholarships in Europe.

Who should apply and who should not

• Apply if you are a citizen of an eligible country, have at least 18 months of documented full-time work and can point to something you led.
• Apply if your career sits in governance, public health, entrepreneurship or STEM and you plan to keep working in your region after the degree.
• Wait a year if you will not reach 3,000 hours before February 2027. Applying with too few hours wastes the SEK 900 fee and a year of effort.
• Skip it if you want a PhD, a bachelor’s degree or a programme outside SI’s list, or if you already hold a Swedish degree.

FAQ about the Swedish Institute Scholarship

Is the Swedish Institute Scholarship fully funded?

Yes. It covers full tuition, a living allowance of SEK 12,000 a month and a one-time travel grant of SEK 15,000 (SEK 10,000 for six Eastern European countries). The SEK 900 application fee and family costs are not covered.

What is the deadline for the Swedish Institute Scholarship 2027?

The SI portal Deadline is 24 February 2027 at 14:59 CET. Before that, you must apply to an eligible master’s on universityadmissions.se by 15 January 2027 and complete documents and payment by 1 February 2027.

Can I apply for the SI scholarship without work experience?

No, unless you are from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova or Ukraine, where proof of work is still required but no minimum applies. Citizens of the other 28 countries need at least 3,000 hours before February 2027.

How many people get the Swedish Institute Scholarship?

SI funded around 350 new scholars a year in earlier rounds, while applications have climbed sharply. SI sets no quota per country, so your chances depend on the strength of your application.

Sources and updates

Checked on 25 October 2026. Eligibility, countries, benefits and the 2027/2028 timeline follow the Swedish Institute’s SI Scholarship for Global Professionals page, as reproduced by several October 2026 listings, and the Scholars4Dev summary of the previous round. Programme application dates come from Stockholm University’s important dates page for autumn 2027 and University Admissions in Sweden. The SEK 10,656 maintenance figure is the 2026 amount from the Swedish Migration Agency. SI publishes its forms and eligible programme list on 13 November 2026; this post will be updated then if anything changes.

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.