Lake Zurich at golden hour with the Swiss Alps in the background and trees on the shoreline.

Sweden Applications open Closes 15 January 2027

Swedish Institute Scholarships for Global Professionals (SISGP)

The Swedish Institute Scholarships for Global Professionals (SISGP) is Sweden's flagship government scholarship — funded by the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs and administered by the Swedish Institute. It covers full tuition, a monthly SEK 10,000 living stipend, a one-time SEK 15,000 travel grant, comprehensive insurance, and membership in the SI Network for Future Global Leaders (an active alumni mentoring community). Sri Lanka is on the eligible-countries list. Selection is values-driven — the Swedish Institute looks for emerging leaders committed to sustainable development, gender equality, democracy, and human rights. Sri Lankan applicants with NGO experience, climate work, gender-justice advocacy, or sustainable-business backgrounds are well-positioned.

The 2026/27 round ran 9–25 February 2026. SI opens a roughly two-week window each February, and you must already have applied to your Master's programme through University Admissions Sweden (deadline around 15 January) before you can apply for the scholarship — expect the same sequence for 2027/28.

Swedish Institute

Government-funded

emoji_events Award Overview

savings

Tuition

Fully Funded

school

Monthly Stipend

SEK 10,000/month

flight_takeoff

Extras

SEK 15,000 Travel + Insurance + SI Network

info How this award actually works

warning

This is a separate, highly competitive application

Government awards like this one run their own selection round against applicants from across the world, and success rates are usually in the low single digits. Lanka Scholar does not administer it and cannot submit it for you. Treat it as a bonus on top of a funded study plan — never as the plan itself.

account_balance

Who awards it

Swedish Institute — not Lanka Scholar. We are not the awarding body and cannot grant, reserve or guarantee this award.

how_to_reg

How you are considered

Through a separate application round run by the funder, with its own forms, deadlines and shortlisting. You submit it yourself — it is not part of a university admission application.

payments

What it covers

Full Tuition + SEK 10,000/month + SEK 15,000 Travel + Insurance. Read the terms carefully: even fully-funded awards rarely cover every cost, and any shortfall is yours to fund.

handshake

Where we come in

We help you judge whether this award is worth your time, and build a realistic admission plan that works whether or not you win it.

fact_check Eligibility Criteria

public

Sri Lankan Citizenship

Sri Lanka is on the SISGP eligible-countries list. Confirm the current eligibility annually on si.se — the list is periodically updated based on Sweden's development cooperation priorities.

school

Admitted to an Eligible Swedish Master's

You must have applied for and be admitted to one of the eligible English-taught Master's programmes — primarily at Lund, KTH, Uppsala, Stockholm, Chalmers, KI, and other major Swedish universities. The eligible-programmes list is published each year on si.se.

work

3,000+ Hours of Work / Volunteer Experience

Demonstrate at least 3,000 hours of relevant work, internship, or volunteer experience over the last three years. Both paid and unpaid roles count if substantively documented. NGO/social-sector work is highly weighted given the programme's leadership orientation.

translate

English Proficiency

IELTS 6.5 (no band below 5.5) or TOEFL iBT 90+ is generally required by Swedish Master's programmes. Some Swedish universities accept English-medium Bachelor's documentation in lieu of a test — confirm per programme.

account_tree Application Process

Apply to Swedish Master's via Universityadmissions.se

Submit your Master's application via the central Sweden admissions portal by 15 January 2026 (the standard international round deadline). Apply to up to 4 eligible programmes from the SISGP list — your scholarship application must reference one of these.

Pay the admission application fee

Non-EU applicants pay a SEK 900 admission application fee per round at universityadmissions.se. This is separate from the scholarship application.

Submit SISGP application

Once admission applications are submitted, complete the SISGP application via the Swedish Institute scholarship portal between early February and 11 February. Submit: CV, motivation letter, two references, work/experience confirmations, and proof of admission application.

Selection + outcome

Selection runs February-March in parallel with university admission decisions. SI scholarship outcomes are announced late April. Around 300-350 awards are issued globally each year across all eligible countries.

Why SISGP?

SISGP is one of the few European government scholarships explicitly designed for developing-country professionals — and the SI Network for Future Global Leaders is widely regarded as one of the most active alumni mentoring communities in the European scholarship space. Sweden also offers a 12-month post-study residence permit for job-seeking after graduation.

~350

Awards per Year Globally

Eligible

Sri Lanka on Country List

12 mo

Post-Study Job-Search Visa

Looking for a scholarship because of the cost?

Then start here instead. Scholarships are competitive, usually partial, and decided by someone else — they are the least reliable way to make studying abroad affordable. Your destination and course choice move the number far more, and both are entirely within your control.

calculate