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Home / Apply / Scholarships / Swedish Institute Scholarships for Global Professionals

Swedish Institute Scholarships for Global

Professionals
Do you have the ambition to become a future leader within the sustainable development on
a global platform? Then you might be who we are looking for. Global Professionals is a
highly sought after, fully-funded international scholarship programme for master's studies
in Sweden. The SI Swedish Institute Scholarship for Global Professionals aims to develop
future global leaders that will contribute to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development and contribute to a positive and sustainable development in their
home countries and region. Find out if you can apply.
Level:Master
Available for 42 countries.
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bolivia, 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, Zimbabwe
 SI Kick-off event with the class of 2019 in Stockholm. Photo: Melker Dahlstrand

Opens for applications 8 February

The call for SI scholarships for master’s studies in Sweden, starting in the
autumn of 2021, will be published on 16 October 2020.

Overview   What's included   Criteria   How to apply   FAQ

Overview
What is Global Professionals?
The SI Swedish Institute Scholarship for Global Professionals aims to develop future global
leaders that will contribute to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and
contribute to a positive and sustainable development in their home countries and region.

The programme is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It offers you a unique opportunity
to develop both professionally and academically, experience Swedish society and culture, and
build a long-lasting relationship with Sweden and other scholarship holders. Usually 4-6% of the
applicants are awarded a Global Professionals scholarship.

Important information
 The scholarship is available for citizens from 42 countries.
 List of scholarship recipients of 2020/2021 have now been published.
 Applications for Global Professionals 2021 opens up on 8 February.
 Only available for programmes starting in the autumn semester.
 We recommend that you also look for other scholarship opportunities at
www.studyinsweden.se.

What's included
The scholarship is intended for full-time one-year or two-year master’s programmes. The
scholarship period cannot be changed or extended beyond the awarded scholarship period, nor
can it be transferred to a study programme other than the awarded master’s programme.

What you get as a recipient of Global Professionals

 SI fully covers your tuition fees to the Swedish university you are attending. This is paid
directly by SI at the beginning of each semester.
 You will receive a regular payment of SEK 10,000 to cover your living expenses
throughout the scholarship. This payment is given monthly throughout the scholarship period.
 Insurance against illness and accident.
 Membership of the SI Network for Future Global Leaders(NFGL) – a platform to help
you grow professionally and build your network while in Sweden.
 After your scholarship period has ended, you gain membership to the SI Alumni
Network. As a member, you get a unique opportunity for continued networking and to further
develop yourself professionally. The local networks exist worldwide and currently consist of
over 15,000 talented alumni from over 140 countries.
 For 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; Zimbabwe the scholarship also includes
a travel grant of SEK 15,000 for the entire study period. This is a one-time payment and does
not apply for students already living in Sweden.
 For Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russian Federation, Turkey or
Ukraine. The scholarship also includes a travel grant of SEK 10,000 for the entire study
period.
This is a one-time payment and does not apply for students already living in Sweden.

The scholarship does not cover:

 Additional grants for family members.
 Application fee to University Admissions.
Note: Depending on the country where you have citizenship, the content of the scholarship will
differ in certain areas.
Criteria
Country of citizenship
You must be a citizen of a country that is eligible for the scholarship programme. Read more about country of
citizenship.

Read more about country of citizenship

University admissions
You must be liable to pay tuition fees to Swedish universities, have followed the steps of university admission,
and be admitted to one of the eligible master's programmes by the 9th of April 2021.

Read more about our criteria regarding University Admissions.

Other eligibility criteria

There are also other conditions regarding dual citizenship, previous residence and studies in Sweden, and
more.
Note: Some criteria for priority SI scholarships differ depending on the home region of the applicant.

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; Russia; Rwanda; Sri
Lanka; Sudan; Tanzania; Tunisia; Turkey; Uganda; Ukraine; Vietnam; Zambia; Zimbabwe.

Read more about other eligibility criteria.

Work experience
You must have a minimum of 3,000 hours of demonstrated work experience.

Read more about the criteria for work experience.

Leadership experience
You must have demonstrated leadership experience from your current or previous employment or civil society.

Read more about the leadership experience criteria.

Master's programmes
The master's studies must be eligible for SI scholarships. We give the highest priority to specific subject areas.

Read more about the eligible master's programmes.

Who can apply for Global Professionals?

We are looking for ambitious professionals who want to make a difference by working with
issues that contribute to a just and sustainable development in their home country and region;
and also have a clear idea of how a study programme in Sweden would benefit their country and
region. Priority will be given to applicants with a strong and relevant professional background
and demonstrated leadership experience.

Required documents
Note! Documents for the next call (2021/2022) will be made available here in December
2020/January 2021. 

You should only submit the required documents listed below in your online scholarship
application. We will not consider any other documents than the required ones. You must
complete your application in English. Use our forms and templates provided below and complete
them according to the instructions both below and in the forms, or else your applications will be
disqualified. Kindly note the length limitation for your answers and the documents.
 A complete application consists of:

 Motivation letter
 CV
 Letters of reference
 Valid and completed proof of work and leadership experience
 Copy of your valid passport
Note: Your application will be disqualified if any of the required documents above is missing.

Motivation letter
You must use the Global Professionals form for the motivation letter 2021/2022. You need to fill
in and upload the motivation letter as a PDF-file on the application portal within the application
period.

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

You must use the Global Professionals form for CV 2021/2022 and the CV should not exceed
three pages. It’s up to you to decide which parts are relevant for your application. Additional
pages will not be considered during the evaluation.

Letters of reference
You must use the Global Professionals form for the letter of reference 2021/2022. One letter of
reference based on work experience is mandatory. All letters of reference must be signed by the
referee and stamped with an official stamp of the referred organisation or notary office. The
letters should be typed, then printed, signed, stamped, and uploaded as a single PDF-file. You
can find more information in the instruction in the form and our FAQ.
 Two different letters of reference are mandatory as part of the application. It is also a
merit if the second letter of reference is based on your involvement in networks or civil society
organisations outside of your regular work.

Proof of work and leadership experience

 You must use the Global Professionals form for proof of work and leadership experience
2021/2022. The work and leadership form should be signed by the referee and stamped with an
official stamp of the referred organisation or a notary office. The form(s) should be typed, then
printed, signed, stamped, and uploaded as a single PDF-file. You can find more information in
the instruction in the form and our FAQ.

Copy of your valid passport

You must submit a copy of your valid passport in the application. It must clearly show your
personal data, including name, citizenship, and the photograph. A copy of your passport should
be included in your CV as a last fourth page. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have a
copy of your passport that can be used as part of the application.

If you have applied to several master’s programmes

You should only submit one scholarship application, regardless of how many master’s
programmes that you applied for through universityadmissions.se. You can apply for SI
scholarships for up to four eligible master’s programmes.
Note: If you have applied for master’s programme(s) at  Stockholm School of Economics (SSE),
you should create and submit an additional scholarship application separately. Each
scholarship application should have only one of the    attached, no matter how many master’s
programmes you applied for. If you are only applying for SI scholarships at SSE, you only need
to submit one scholarship application for all the master’s programmes at SSE that you applied
for. If you have applied at both universityadmissions.se and SSE, you should attach all the
required documents in both the scholarship applications.

The evaluation and selection process:

1. Screening. Disqualifying all applicants who do not meet the eligibility criteria or that
failed to submit a correct application.
2. Evaluation before admissions. Evaluation and grading of all eligible applications.
3. Evaluation after admissions. Final evaluation of applications that has been admitted to
an eligible master’s programme.
4. Compiling a shortlist of the best and most qualified candidates.
5. Final selection. Scholarship recipients are selected, thus concluding the evaluation and
selection process.
Screening
After the application deadline, we carry out a screening of all applications and disqualify those
that do not meet the eligibility criteria for Global Professionals.  If you have failed to follow the
instructions for the required documents, such as incomplete application, wrong form, missing
valid stamp, etc., then your application will also be disqualified. Reasons are given in the
instructions in the forms and here on the website. Therefore, you should read through all
available information carefully.

Evaluation before admissions

We will then go through all the eligible applications and evaluate all of the information provided
in your applications. We then grade them with particular consideration for the aim and purpose
of the scholarship programme. The quality of the application is crucial in our selection. We are
looking for talented and active professionals with capability, a platform, and ambition to
contribute to international development.

Evaluation after admissions

When the admission results for master’s studies are announced at universityadmissions.se on 9
April 2021 we will make a final evaluation of the applications that are still eligible for the
scholarship.

Shortlist
Through the evaluation process described above, we then compile a shortlist of the best
candidates. We will give priority to certain factors which you can read more about in the
eligibility criteria  section. However, we aim at having all genders represented as equally as
possible in the final list of scholarship recipients. We also want to include as many of the eligible
countries, and Swedish universities as possible, provided there is a sufficient number of quality
applications. We also need to stay within our budget. We may make additional adjustments in
the final selection to achieve the distribution we are aiming for. However, we do not have any
quotas for specific countries, fields of study, Swedish universities, etc. and select the scholarship
recipients.

Final selection
When all of the above factors have been taken into consideration, the final selection of
scholarship recipients will be completed.
Data protection and integrity
The Swedish Institute (SI) is a public agency. As such, all applications received by SI are in the
public domain. We use the personal information you give us to process your application. If you
are granted a scholarship, we will continue to use this personal information to manage it. We
deal with this information following the Swedish Principle of Public Access to
Information and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Your personal
information is handled by SI employees and outside experts who have signed a contract of
compliance. For more information, please read SI’s privacy policy.

FAQ
Do you have any questions regarding the scholarship and how to apply? Check out our FAQ.

 
How to apply

1
APPLYING FOR A MASTER'S PROGRAMME
DATE: 16 OCT 2020 - 15 JAN 2021

2
APPLY FOR A GLOBAL PROFESSIONALS SCHOLARSHIP
DATE: 8 FEB 2021 - 18 FEB 2021

3
NOTIFICATIONS FROM UNIVERSITY ADMISSIONS
DATE: 9 APR 2021

4
 ANNOUNCEMENT OF SI SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
DATE: 28 APR 2021

1. Applying for a master's programme

2. Apply for a Global Professionals scholarship
3. Notifications from University Admissions
4. Announcement of SI scholarship recipients
Opens in February
The call for SI scholarships for master’s studies in Sweden, starting in the autumn of 2020,
closed on 20 February. The list of successful recipients will be announced on si.se 24 April 2020.
We recommend that you also look for other scholarship opportunities at www.studyinsweden.se.
FAQ
Photo: Moa Karlberg
Do you have any questions?
Check out our FAQ and find the answers to your questions.
Frequently Asked Questions

What is it like to be an SI scholarship holder?

“The SI scholarship opportunity is one that never stops giving.”

Judith Achieng’ Oginga is our alumna from Kenya. She studied a master’s programme in sustainable urban
planning at Blekinge Institute of Technology during 2017 – 2018. This is her story.
“The biggest opportunity that came with SI scholarship is the chance I had to
reflect on my perspectives and prejudices.”
Wossenseged Birhane Jemberie, from Ethiopia, studied in a master’s degree in Public Health at Umeå
University between 2014 and 2016. This is his story.

“The SI scholarship has changed my life in ways that I could never have
imagined.”
Mustafa Nizamul Aziz is currently the chairperson of the SI alumni network in Bangladesh. He studied in a
master’s programme in Information Systems at Uppsala University between 2011 and 2013…

“SI provides a platform for self-reflection and virtue, and a place to enrich my
leadership journey.”
Ndey I. Touray, from Gambia, finished her master’s studies in Accounting and Finance at Lund University in
the summer 2019. Here is her story:

“This scholarship is not only about an opportunity for academic studies, but it
also enhances my professional and leadership skills.”
Sophornna Chea from Cambodia is currently studying in a master’s programme in Media and Communication
at Lund University. This is her story.

“People are effective and creative because there is trust and engagement”
Nechavava Rawlings Mbiru from Zimbabwe is honorary speaker at this year’s Swedish Institute diploma
ceremony. Learn more about his experience as a Swedish Institute scholarship holder.

“A great platform to grow my network and change the course of my career

towards the field I wanted to be playing in.”
Thiago Ferreira from Brazil, studied a master’s programme in Energy-efficient and environmental building
design at Lund University between 2016 and 2018. Here is his story.

“If you want to make a change for your people, build yourself with the Swedish
Institute.”
Moyukh Chowdhury is one of our alumni from Bangladesh. Moyukh finished a master’s programme in Public
Health at Umeå University in 2018. Here he tells us about his experience.

Visiting address
Swedish Institute
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+46-8-453 7800
si@si.se
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In accordance with a new European standard the Swedish Institute only accept e-invoices.
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Postal address
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Box 9
121 21 Johanneshov

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