The Swedish Institute Scholarship is a program funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that hopes to evolve young leaders to help in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in their own country. It is also a platform to help scholars grow professionally and build a network in Sweden.
The only program offered for international students under this Sweden Government scholarship is the master’s degree program. Bachelor’s degree program is not covered by the SI scholarship. The selection process for this scholarship is tough and only 4-6% of the applicants will be granted with scholarship.
There are 42 countries eligible for this scholarship namely 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; Russian Federation; Rwanda; Sri Lanka; Sudan; Tanzania; Tunisia; Turkey; Uganda; Ukraine; Vietnam; Zambia; and Zimbabwe.
Sweden Government scholarship benefits
The SI will pay the full amount of tuition fees to the university that you will be attending for a full-time one-year or two-year master’s program. Throughout the scholarship, a monthly allowance of SEK 10,000 will be awarded to cover the living expenses.
A travel allowance of SEK 10,000 is rewarded to students from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Belarus, Russian Federation, Turkey, Ukraine, or Moldova. A travel allowance of SEK 15,000 will be given to students from Brazil, Bolivia, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Colombia, Cambodia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Ghana, Gambia, Guatemala, Indonesia, Honduras, Kenya, Liberia, Morocco, Myanmar, Jordan, Malawi, Nigeria, Nepal, Peru, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Rwanda, Tunisia, Tanzania, Vietnam, Sudan, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
The travel allowance does not cover students who are already living in Sweden. Application fees and grants for family members who come with the student in Sweden are not included.
Eligibility Criteria for the Sweden Government scholarship
An applicant must be a citizen of one of the 42 countries eligible for the SI scholarship. Sufficient documents that prove work and leadership experience must be submitted. If you have dual citizenship, you must use only one citizenship to apply for this Sweden Government scholarship. Using both citizenships to apply for more than one scholarship will mean disqualification. An exception to this dual citizenship criteria is Romanian students with dual citizenship. They may still apply but must use the citizenship eligible for the SI Scholarship for Global Professionals.
Applicants from countries not mentioned in the scope of this scholarship may look for other scholarship opportunities.
For the requirement on work experience, at least 3,000 hours of work experience before the start of application from not more than three organizations is required. This may include full-time and part-time employment, as an employee, employer, or freelancer. Current employment during the time of application is not obligatory for Sweden Government Scholarships.
Applicants with strong professional backgrounds will be prioritized.
Work experience related to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will be given utmost priority for 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; Sri Lanka; Sudan; Tanzania; Tunisia; Uganda; Vietnam; Zambia; and Zimbabwe.
Related experience within the field of democracy, human rights, gender equality, independent media, and equal opportunities and non-discrimination are prioritized in applicants from Turkey.
For the leadership experience, you may demonstrate this by your previous work experience, or association in civil society organizations. This includes experience in leading other colleagues or organizations, the mandate to influence the development strategy for the organization, and experience in decision-making processes. No minimum number of hours is required.
Language proficiency is not a requirement for application to a master’s program.
You can be disqualified if you have already lived in Sweden for more than two years before the Sweden Government scholarship period, hold a degree from a Swedish university or college, are currently enrolled in a study program at a Swedish university, or hold a Swedish or EU/EEA citizenship.
How to apply to the Sweden Government scholarship
First, you must find out if the master’s program is available for your country of citizenship. Next, check if you are eligible for the said program. There are about 600 master’s programs that are being taught in English here. Apply through university admissions to apply for master’s programs or directly to the Swedish university that is eligible for SI scholarships. After applying, submit the required documents and pay the application fee. The fee is not for the SI scholarship but for the admission application to the university admissions. You do not need to inform the SI of your application fee because the SI will receive the information directly from the university admissions. Save the application number that will appear on your account.
On the Swedish Institute website, submit all the documents needed as instructed by the website. Fill out the online application form and attach all the documents. Make sure to submit before the application deadline. Documents for the Sweden Government scholarship application include a motivation letter, letter of reference, valid and completed proof of work and leadership experience, a copy of your valid passport, and curriculum vitae.
The university will evaluate the applications and issue the result of the application at the university admissions. Once accepted to a master’s program, another selection process will be conducted by the Swedish Institute. The list of successful applicants will be published on the website and a confirmation e-mail will be sent also.
Application deadline for the Sweden Government scholarship
The scholarship application period for the autumn semester is around October and ends in February. Spring semester application opens in June and ends in September. Be wary of the dates because the application period may change from time to time. Take note of key dates and deadlines for more successful admission.
Hello Yousaf,
I am a Ghanaian graduate planning to apply for the Swedish Government Scholarship to pursue my masters degree (MBA). I have a FGPA of 2.85 from the University of Ghana and have being working since 2010 including mandatory national service for one year. I am currently working with Coca-Cola Ghana since 2017.
I would like you to help me identify some of the best universities I can apply to and also the right documents and information that will make my applications stand out. I would need your assist on the technicalities of applying for the scholarship.
Regards.
Good luck with your Sweden scholarship application.
Hello Zahira,
Have you participated in the application process before?