Swedish Institute Scholarships for Global Professionals 2027/2028: Fully Funded Master's Study in Sweden With Full Tuition, a SEK 12,000 Monthly Living Allowance, and a Travel Grant

Swedish Institute Scholarships for Global Professionals 2027/2028: Fully Funded Master’s Study in Sweden With Full Tuition, a SEK 12,000 Monthly Living Allowance, and a Travel Grant

The Swedish Institute Scholarships for Global Professionals (often shortened to SISGP) are among the most substantial fully funded master’s scholarships available to mid-career professionals from developing and emerging economies. Administered by the Swedish Institute (Svenska institutet), a Swedish government agency, the programme pays the full tuition fee for a master’s degree at a Swedish university, adds a monthly living allowance, and includes a one-time travel grant. Just as importantly, it is not a pure academic prize. It is aimed at people who already have work and leadership experience and who intend to use their Swedish degree to drive change back home.

This guide is written for the 2027/2028 academic year — that is, for applicants planning to begin a master’s programme in Sweden in the autumn of 2027. Because the SISGP runs on a fixed annual cycle, the practical work of applying starts well before the scholarship portal itself opens: you first have to apply to eligible master’s programmes through Sweden’s central admissions service, and that window opens in mid-October and closes in mid-January. If you are reading this in 2026, the single most useful thing to understand is that the scholarship deadline is not the first deadline that matters. Miss the university application step and you cannot be considered for the money at all.

The figures, eligibility rules, and process steps below are drawn from the Swedish Institute’s own call for applications. Where a specific 2027/2028 date has not yet been published, this guide says so plainly and gives the recurring pattern the programme has followed, so you can plan a realistic timeline rather than guess.

Key Details at a Glance

Use the table as a quick reference, but read the process section carefully — the sequence of two separate applications is where most otherwise-strong candidates trip up.

What the Scholarship Covers

The SISGP is a genuinely full scholarship for the awarded programme, not a partial tuition discount. It bundles three concrete forms of support.

First, full tuition fee coverage. Master’s programmes in Sweden charge tuition to students from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland, and those fees can run to well over one hundred thousand Swedish kronor per year depending on the field. Under SISGP, the Swedish Institute pays that fee directly to your university each semester, so you never front the money and wait for reimbursement.

Second, a monthly living allowance of SEK 12,000. This is intended to cover your day-to-day living costs — rent, food, local transport, and study materials — throughout the study period. It is paid to you, not the university, and it continues across the semesters of your awarded programme.

Third, a one-time travel grant. Most scholars receive SEK 15,000; scholars from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine receive SEK 10,000. This is a single payment, and it is not paid to students who are already living in Sweden when they take up the award.

Beyond the money, recipients become part of the Sweden Alumni Network and the SI’s network for future global professionals, which run leadership workshops and keep scholars connected long after graduation. That professional community is a real part of the value proposition, because the programme is explicitly building a cohort of leaders it expects to stay in contact with.

It is equally important to know what the scholarship does not do. It does not include health or personal insurance — SI recommends checking what coverage your university provides for international students. It does not provide additional grants for family members, and it will not cover the application fee to University Admissions. The award is tied to the specific master’s programme you were granted, so SI will not fund a switch to a different programme, nor extend or change the scholarship period. Plan your finances and your family situation around those limits before you accept.

Who Is Eligible

The SISGP is targeted, not open to the whole world. To be considered you must meet every one of the following core requirements as of the deadline:

• Citizenship of one of the 34 eligible countries. The current list is: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Georgia, Guatemala, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Liberia, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Morocco, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Zambia. Always re-check the official list for your cycle, as the roster can be adjusted year to year.
• Admission to an eligible, fee-paying master’s programme. You must apply for a master’s programme that appears on the SISGP list of eligible programmes and be liable to pay tuition fees at University Admissions. Students who are exempt from tuition (for example, EU/EEA citizens) are not the target group.
• Demonstrated work experience. SI wants professionals, not students moving straight from a bachelor’s degree. For applicants from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine, proof of work experience is explicitly required; there is no fixed minimum number of hours, but candidates with more experience are prioritised.
• Demonstrated leadership experience. This can come from a current or previous employer or from civil society engagement. Leadership here means the experience to lead and drive change, not simply a senior job title.

Two administrative notes matter. Applicants for Stockholm School of Economics and Konstfack are part of separate intakes and admissions processes and will not receive the standard application number, so the mechanics differ for those programmes. And if you are currently employed, SI advises you to discuss the application with your employer early: it is your responsibility to secure leave of absence and be released from work in time for the start of studies, and SI will not intervene in that.

How the Application Process Works

The SISGP uses a two-stage process, and the stages happen in a strict order.

Stage one — apply to master’s programmes. Admission to Swedish universities is handled centrally by University Admissions. On UniversityAdmissions.se you can apply for up to four master’s programmes in a single ranked application. For an autumn 2027 start, this window is expected to open in mid-October 2026 and close around 15 January 2027, following the programme’s established annual pattern. The list of eligible master’s programmes for the 2027/2028 scholarship is typically published on the SI page in mid-November. You must submit this application, pay the University Admissions application fee, and upload all required documents by the University Admissions deadline. If you miss this step or fail to follow the University Admissions procedure, you will not be eligible for a scholarship — full stop.

Stage two — apply for the SI scholarship. After you have submitted your University Admissions application, you receive a personal application number. The SI scholarship portal then opens for a short window — historically about two weeks in February — and closes at 14:59 CET on the final day. In the scholarship application you enter your personal application number (entering the wrong number will disqualify you), write your motivation for applying, and you may be randomly selected to record a short video presentation. The entire application must be completed in English, and failing to follow the instructions can disqualify you.

The programme’s typical annual rhythm looks like this, using the most recent published cycle as the template:

• Mid-October to 15 January: Apply to master’s programmes via University Admissions.
• Mid-November: SI publishes the scholarship documents and the list of eligible master’s programmes.
• Roughly 9–25 February: The SI scholarship application portal is open for about two weeks.
• Late March: University admissions results are announced.
• Late April: SI announces scholarship recipients on si.se. Because of the volume of applications, only those offered a scholarship are notified, and each recipient receives an official offer by email that they must accept.
• Autumn: Studies begin in Sweden.

For 2027/2028, expect the same shape: a February 2027 scholarship window and an April 2027 announcement, with studies starting in autumn 2027. Treat the exact dates as provisional until SI publishes the 2027/2028 call, and check the official page before you rely on any single date.

Building a Competitive Application

Because SI does not evaluate on GPA or test scores alone, the parts of your application you fully control — your programme choice and your motivation — carry a great deal of weight. A strong SISGP candidate shows a clear, credible line connecting three things: the master’s programme they have chosen, the leadership and work they have already done, and the specific change they intend to drive in their home country and region.

The motivation text is where this line gets drawn. SI states that a successful application should have a clear idea of how your education will contribute to the sustainable development of your home country and region. Vague ambitions to “make an impact” read poorly; concrete plans grounded in what you have already started read well. If you already lead a team, run a programme, or organise in civil society, describe the problem you are working on, what you have achieved so far, and precisely how the Swedish degree fills a gap in your ability to go further.

Choose your master’s programmes deliberately. You can rank up to four, but they should form a coherent story rather than a scattershot list, and every one you count on for the scholarship must appear on the SISGP eligible-programmes list. Sweden has particular strengths in sustainability, public health, engineering, environmental science, public policy, and management, and aligning your choice with the programme’s development focus strengthens the narrative.

Finally, gather evidence of leadership and work experience in a form you can document. For applicants from the six countries where proof of work experience is mandatory, this is not optional; for everyone else, documented experience still strengthens the file, and more experience is prioritised.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Treating the February scholarship deadline as the start. The University Admissions deadline in mid-January is the true first gate. Applicants who discover SISGP in February have usually already missed the chance to apply for that cycle.
• Applying to a programme that is not on the eligible list. The scholarship only supports awarded, eligible, fee-paying programmes. Confirm each of your ranked choices against the published SISGP list.
• Entering the wrong personal application number in the scholarship portal, which is an automatic disqualification.
• Submitting in a language other than English, or ignoring the formatting and instruction requirements, which can disqualify the application.
• Assuming insurance, family support, or programme changes are covered. They are not. Budget for insurance and family costs separately, and be sure of your programme choice before you accept.
• Not securing leave from your employer. If you are employed, arrange your release from work early; SI will not step in on your behalf.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the SISGP fully funded? For the awarded programme, yes — it covers full tuition, a SEK 12,000 monthly living allowance, and a one-time travel grant. It does not include insurance or family support.

Who can apply? Citizens of the 34 eligible countries who gain admission to an eligible fee-paying master’s programme and who have demonstrated work and leadership experience.

Do I need to apply to the university first? Yes. You must apply to master’s programmes through UniversityAdmissions.se and receive a personal application number before you can submit the SI scholarship application.

How many programmes can I choose? Up to four ranked master’s programmes in your University Admissions application, but the scholarship only supports eligible programmes.

When can I apply for 2027/2028? Apply to master’s programmes from roughly mid-October 2026 to 15 January 2027, then apply for the SI scholarship during the February 2027 window. Confirm exact dates on the official SI page once the 2027/2028 call is published.

Will I be told if I am not selected? No. Due to the volume of applications, only successful candidates are notified, typically in late April.

Official Links and Next Steps

Start on the Swedish Institute’s official page for the Scholarships for Global Professionals: si.se/en/apply/scholarships/swedish-institute-scholarships-for-global-professionals/. From roughly mid-November 2026, that page should list the eligible master’s programmes and the confirmed dates for the 2027/2028 cycle.

If you plan to apply for autumn 2027, use the second half of 2026 to research eligible programmes, confirm your citizenship is on the eligible list, and prepare your University Admissions application and supporting documents. Then set two reminders: one for the University Admissions deadline in mid-January 2027, and one for the SI scholarship window in February 2027. Meeting both, in order, is the whole game.