Swedish Institute Scholarships 2026 for Master

Eligibility Criteria

You must be a citizen of a country that is eligible for the SI scholarship.

The master's programmes you apply for must be eligible for the SI scholarship. The list of programmes will be published in mid-November 2025.

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 on the day of admissions announcements

The master's programmes you apply for must be eligible for the SI scholarship. The list of programmes will be published in mid-November 2025.

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.

Eligible programmes

The programmes eligible for the SI scholarship for Global Professionals are English-taught master’s programmes, covering a variety of educational fields. 

The list of eligible master’s programmes for the academic year 2026/2027 will be published mid-November 2025.

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 how your chosen programmes are related to relevant sustainability goals.

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 the day of admissions announcements. You can only be awarded a scholarship for the master’s programme you are admitted to on the first admissions day. Master’s programmes to which you are listed as a  reserve cannot be considered. There are no scholarships available for late admissions.

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 – Apply for a Global Professionals scholarship’ during the application period.

Work experience in line with your chosen field of study will be prioritised.

Work experience requirements:

Applicants from – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, 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, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Liberia, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia – must have at least 3,000 hours of work experience prior to February 2026. 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.

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 2026)*; 
• have previously been awarded a Swedish Institute scholarship for studies in Sweden.  
• 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 2025.* 

*Exceptions:
1. Ukrainian applicants who reside in Sweden under the Temporary Protection Directive are still eligible to apply to 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 the SI Scholarship. 

Offered Benefits

The programmes eligible for the SI scholarship for Global Professionals are English-taught master’s programmes, covering a variety of educational fields. 

The list of eligible master’s programmes for the academic year 2026/2027 will be published mid-November 2025.

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 how your chosen programmes are related to relevant sustainability goals.

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 the day of admissions announcements. You can only be awarded a scholarship for the master’s programme you are admitted to on the first admissions day. Master’s programmes to which you are listed as a  reserve cannot be considered. There are no scholarships available for late admissions.

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 – Apply for a Global Professionals scholarship’ during the application period.

Work experience in line with your chosen field of study will be prioritised.

Work experience requirements:

Applicants from – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, 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, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Liberia, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia – must have at least 3,000 hours of work experience prior to February 2026. 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.

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 2026)*; 
• have previously been awarded a Swedish Institute scholarship for studies in Sweden.  
• 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 2025.* 

*Exceptions:
1. Ukrainian applicants who reside in Sweden under the Temporary Protection Directive are still eligible to apply to 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 the SI Scholarship. 

Application Process

Required Documents:

Take time to go through the requirements and be sure you meet the eligibility criteria first before following the step below to apply for your scholarship 

First Step: Apply for a master's programme

The application process for Swedish universities is managed by University Admissions. It is a centralised process and, on their portal, you can apply for up to 4 master’s programmes.

• Go to  UniversityAdmissions.seand apply for your master’s programme(s) by 15 January 2026.The list of eligible programmes for the SI scholarships 2026/2027 can be found here in mid-November.
• Once you have submitted your application for master’s at University Admissions, you will get a personal application number consisting of eight digits. Save the number for your application to the SI Scholarship. Your SI scholarship application will be disqualified if you type in the wrong personal application number when applying for the scholarship. 

• If you miss the deadlines or fail to follow the application procedure of University Admissions, you will not be eligible for a scholarship.

  Do you have any questions related to applications for master’s studies, admissions, the application fee or application number  Please contact University Admissions. 

Second Step: Apply for a Global Professionals Scholarship

To apply for the SI Scholarship, you must submit the documents listed below.  Make sure to read through the instructions carefully. Failing to follow the instructions will result in disqualification.Templates for the listed documents will be published in mid-November.

• Curriculum Vitae

You must use SI’s provided template for CV 2026/2027. The CV should not exceed three pages. It is up to you to decide which of your previous experiences are relevant for your application. Additional pages will not be considered during the evaluation.

• Proof of work and leadership experience

You must use SI’s provided template for proof of work and leadership experience 2026/2027. The work and leadership form should be signed by the referee ad stamped with an official stamp of the referring organisation or a notary office. The form(s) should be typed, then printed, signed, stamped and uploaded as one single PDF-file. You can find instructions in the template form and our  Frequently Asked Questions.

• Two letters of references

You are required to submit two letters of reference from two different referees. One of the letters must be based on work experience. The second letter can be based on work experience or engagements outside of work. Note! It is a merit if the second letter is based on your involvement in networks or civil society organisations outside of work. 

You must use SI’s provided template for the letter of reference 2026/2027. All letters of reference should first be typed, then printed, and lastly signed by the referee and stamped with an official stamp of the organisation/company or notary office. Scan the letters and upload them to the application portal as one single PDF-file.

• Photocopy of your valid passport/National ID card 

You must submit a photocopy of your valid passport or National ID card with your scholarship application. It must clearly show your personal data, including your name, citizenship, and photograph. It is your responsibility to ensure that your submitted proof of identification is valid at the time of applying. You will be asked to upload the photocopy in the online application portal.

• Motivation

In the application portal you will be asked to write your motivation for applying for the scholarship. You might also be randomly selected to record a short video presentation.

Note! You must complete your application in English. Your application will be disqualified should you not follow these instructions and fail to submit any of the abovementioned documents. We will not consider any other documents than the requested ones.

You should only submit one scholarship application in the application portal, regardless how many master’s programmes you’ve applied for at University Admissions