Status: Opening soon. The SI Scholarship for Global Professionals 2027-2028 is the Swedish Institute’s fully-funded scholarship for a one- or two-year master’s degree at a Swedish university. Applications to Swedish master’s programmes through University Admissions are open now, from 16 October 2026 to 15 January 2027. The scholarship application portal itself opens on 8 February 2027 and closes on 24 February 2027 at 14:59 CET. This article explains the programme as the Swedish Institute publishes it on its official website, including the exact benefits, the eligibility rules and the key dates.
The SI Scholarship for Global Professionals offers an opportunity to access world-class education in Sweden, and it is aimed at global professionals who want to advance their academic excellence, strengthen their professional capacity, and build the leadership skills needed to drive sustainable development in their home countries. It is open for applications once every year, for master’s studies beginning in the autumn. It is a fully-funded scholarship, and it is competitive: the Swedish Institute publishes application and selection statistics, which are worth reading before you apply.
Summary
| Programme | SI Scholarship for Global Professionals |
|---|---|
| Host country | Sweden |
| Funded by | Swedish Institute (SI) |
| Study level | Full-time, one- or two-year master’s degree |
| Funding | Fully funded |
| Monthly allowance | SEK 12,000 |
| Travel grant | SEK 15,000 (SEK 10,000 for scholars from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine) |
| Master’s applications | 16 October 2026 – 15 January 2027 |
| Scholarship portal | 8 – 24 February 2027, closing 14:59 CET on the final day |
| Status | Opening soon (portal opens 8 February 2027) |
What the scholarship covers
The Swedish Institute describes the SI Scholarship for Global Professionals as a competitive fully-funded scholarship, and it lists exactly what is included. It covers the full tuition fee, which is paid directly by SI to your Swedish university each semester. It pays a monthly allowance of SEK 12,000 to cover your living expenses throughout the study period. It pays a travel grant of SEK 15,000 as a one-time payment, or SEK 10,000 for scholars from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, and it does not apply to students already living in Sweden. It also gives membership in the SI Network for Future Global Professionals, a platform to help you grow professionally and build a network while in Sweden, and after your scholarship period ends you become a member of the Sweden Alumni Network, for continued networking and professional development.
The Swedish Institute is equally clear about what the scholarship does not cover. It does not include insurance — check with your university to learn more about what insurance coverage is available. It does not provide additional grants for family members. It does not cover the application fee to University Admissions, and it does not allow changes to the study programme, or extensions or changes to the awarded scholarship period. Read those conditions before you apply, because they are the sort of detail that affects your budget and your plans in Sweden.
What you can study
The scholarship supports full-time, one- or two-year master’s studies at Swedish universities within four subject areas: Governance, Public Health, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The master’s programmes that are eligible for the SI scholarship are English-taught master’s programmes in those subject areas, and the Swedish Institute publishes the list of eligible master’s programmes for the academic year 2027/2028 on its own page. To have a successful application, you should have a clear idea of how your education will contribute to the development of your home country — your study choices and your career plans should be connected.
Who can apply
To be eligible, you must be a citizen of one of the 34 eligible countries for the SI Scholarship for Global Professionals. You do not need to reside in the country at the time of the application, and if you hold dual citizenships that are both eligible for the SI scholarship, you should choose only one citizenship when applying. The Swedish Institute publishes the full list of eligible countries on its page. Pakistan is not among the 34 eligible countries published for this scholarship, so Pakistani citizens are not eligible for this particular award — check the list on the official page to confirm your own citizenship before you spend time on an application.
You must also apply for a master’s programme that is eligible for the SI scholarship, be liable to pay tuition fees to Swedish universities, have demonstrated work experience, and have demonstrated leadership experience from a current or previous employer, entrepreneurship or from other activities. You must have paid the application fee for the master’s programmes on time, and you must be admitted — or conditionally admitted — to one of the eligible master’s programmes on the day of admissions; reserve places cannot be considered, and there are no scholarships for late admissions.
For work experience, the requirement depends on where you are from. Applicants from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine must be able to provide proof of work experience, with no requirement on the number of hours. Applicants from the other eligible countries — including Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan and others listed by SI — must have at least 3,000 hours of work experience before February 2027. You must be able to prove your work experience using SI’s template forms. For leadership experience, there is no minimum number of hours, but priority is given to strong leadership experience, so prepare clear evidence of leading colleagues or organisations and of making decisions that had an effect.
You are not eligible if you are currently enrolled in or hold a degree from a Swedish university or university college, if you have already resided in Sweden for two years or more cumulatively before the scholarship period, if you have previously been awarded a Swedish Institute scholarship for studies in Sweden, or if you hold Swedish or EU/EEA citizenship, a Swedish permanent residence permit or a temporary work and residence permit. Public sector employees in Georgia and Belarus are not eligible to apply. There are exceptions for Ukrainian applicants who reside in Sweden under the Temporary Protection Directive and for Moldovan applicants with dual citizenship in Romania.
Key dates and how to apply
The application has two parts, and both matter. First, apply to Swedish master’s programmes through University Admissions between 16 October 2026 and 15 January 2027. Second, apply for the SI Scholarship between 8 and 24 February 2027, when the application portal is open for two weeks and closes at 14:59 CET on the final day. SI screens and evaluates applications from 25 February to 31 March 2027. University Admissions announces its decisions on 1 April 2027, and the final evaluation and announcement of scholarship recipients runs from 1 April to 22 April 2027, with the SI Scholarship announcement on 22 April 2027.
The SI application documents and the list of eligible master’s programmes were published on the SI page on 13 November 2026. Read them before the portal opens, and prepare your documents — including the work experience and leadership evidence in SI’s template forms — before February, because the portal is only open for two weeks and the deadline is fixed at 14:59 CET.
Frequently asked questions
Is the SI Scholarship fully funded?
Yes. The Swedish Institute describes it as a competitive fully-funded scholarship: full tuition, a monthly allowance of SEK 12,000, and a travel grant of SEK 15,000 (SEK 10,000 for scholars from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine). It does not include insurance or grants for family members, and it does not cover the University Admissions application fee.
When does the SI scholarship portal open?
8 February 2027. It closes on 24 February 2027 at 14:59 CET.
Do I need work experience?
Yes. Applicants from six countries must prove work experience with no hour requirement; applicants from the other eligible countries need at least 3,000 hours of work experience before February 2027. Leadership experience is also required.
Can citizens of Pakistan apply?
No. Pakistan is not among the 34 eligible countries for the SI Scholarship for Global Professionals. Check the eligible-country list on the official SI page.
Official source
All benefits, eligibility and deadline details in this article were checked against the official Swedish Institute website on 13 November 2026.
Official page: SI Scholarship for Global Professionals — Swedish Institute
Last checked: 13 November 2026. Dates and country lists can change; the official Swedish Institute page is the authority.