SI Scholarship Eligibility Requirements: Full Checklist (2027)

Quick Answer

To be eligible for the SI Scholarship for Global Professionals, you must meet three core requirements: (1) be a citizen of one of the 34 eligible countries, (2) demonstrate at least 3,000 hours of documented work experience (internships and volunteer work do not count), and (3) apply for an eligible full-time master’s programme at a Swedish university by the university deadline — expected around mid-January 2027, though the Swedish Institute has not yet confirmed the exact 2027/28 dates.

You must also show documented leadership experience from your employer or civil society engagement. There is no age limit, but you are not eligible if you already hold a Swedish degree, have received an SI scholarship before, hold Swedish/EU/EEA citizenship, or have lived in Sweden for two or more years.

👉 Use the eligibility checklist below to confirm you qualify before you begin your application.

The 34 Eligible Countries

Africa: Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia

Asia: Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Vietnam

Eastern Europe: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine

Latin America: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru

⚠️ Important: The eligible country list changes slightly each year. For example, India is not on the current list, even though it is a major source of international students globally. Always check the current list on si.se before applying.

💡 LearnViaHub Tip: If your country is not on the list, check whether you hold dual citizenship from an eligible country. If both citizenships are from eligible countries, you can choose one to apply with. If your other citizenship is from a country not on the DAC list of ODA recipients (which includes most EU/EEA countries and other developed nations), you are not eligible — see the dual citizenship section below for the exceptions SI does allow.

What Counts as Work Experience

• Full-time employment — standard paid work for an employer.
• Part-time employment — pro-rated, but hours still count toward the total.
• Freelancing — documented client work with official verification.
• Self-employment / entrepreneurship — documented business activity.

❌ What Does NOT Count

• Internships — explicitly excluded, regardless of duration or whether they were paid.
• Traineeships — same exclusion as internships.
• Volunteer work — does not count toward the 3,000-hour work requirement. However, it can count as leadership experience.
• University research or teaching assistantships — generally not accepted as work experience unless formally employed and documented.

Key Rules for Work Experience Documentation

• Maximum 3 employers: You can submit up to three work experience forms covering a maximum of three different employers.
• Official verification required: Your supervisor, manager, HR, or head of organisation must validate your hours with a signature and official company stamp.
• Must use SI’s template: You cannot use your own format or a previous year’s template. Using the wrong template results in automatic disqualification.
• Must be in English: All documents must be completed in English.
• Total PDF limit: The merged work and leadership experience document cannot exceed five pages (excluding instruction pages).

The Eastern Europe Exception

Applicants from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine have a lower threshold: any documented work experience is accepted, with no minimum 3,000-hour requirement. This exception does not apply to any other country on the eligible list.

💡 LearnViaHub Tip: If you are close to the 3,000-hour mark, do not round up or estimate. SI verifies hours through official stamps and signatures. Providing false or misleading information results in rejection. If you are short, wait until you have the required hours before applying.

What Counts as Leadership Experience

• Leading a team or department — managing staff, allocating tasks, and influencing organisational strategy.
• Project leadership — leading a significant project or initiative, even without direct reports.
• Civil society engagement — leadership roles in community organisations, NGOs, or volunteer groups.
• Entrepreneurship — founding or leading a business or social enterprise.
• Policy or advocacy work — influencing change at institutional, community, or national level.

How Leadership Is Documented

Leadership experience is documented on a separate form in the same PDF as your work experience. You can submit up to two leadership experience forms. The leadership form has no minimum hour requirement — what matters is the quality and substance of the leadership, not the number of hours. For example, if you worked 3,000 hours total but only 1,000 of those involved leading a team, you would list the full 3,000 hours on the work experience form and the 1,000 leadership hours on the leadership form.

💡 LearnViaHub Tip: Leadership is not about titles. SI looks for evidence that you led real change — that you stepped up when something needed to be done and created systems that outlasted you. Volunteering leadership counts here, even though volunteer work does not count toward the 3,000-hour work requirement.

Academic Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree — you must hold a completed bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) to apply for a master’s programme.
• Programme-specific requirements — you must meet the admission requirements for your chosen master’s programme, which may include specific coursework, English proficiency, or a relevant degree.
• English language proficiency — most programmes require IELTS or TOEFL scores. Check your specific programme’s requirements.

Programme Requirements

• Master’s only — the scholarship does not fund PhD, exchange, or short-course study.
• Full-time only — one or two-year master’s programmes.
• Eligible programme list — you must apply to a programme on SI’s official list of eligible master’s programmes, published each cycle in mid-November. There are typically several hundred eligible programmes across Swedish universities.
• Tuition-fee-liable — you must be required to pay tuition fees at University Admissions. EU/EEA citizens who do not pay tuition fees are not eligible.

⚠️ Critical: You must apply for your master’s programme through universityadmissions.se by the university deadline (expected mid-January 2027) and pay the application fee. Only after that can you apply for the SI Scholarship, during its ~14-day window expected in February 2027. The scholarship application alone is not enough — you must also be admitted to an eligible programme.

Key rule: The reference list is the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) list of ODA recipients. If one of your citizenships is from a country not on that list, you are not eligible — even if your other citizenship is from an eligible country.

*Named exceptions: Ukrainian applicants residing in Sweden under the Temporary Protection Directive remain eligible to apply. Moldovan applicants who also hold Romanian (EU) citizenship may still apply, but must state their Moldovan citizenship on the application. Always confirm current exceptions on the official SI page, as these are set by SI and can change.

❌ You Hold EU, EEA, or Swedish Citizenship

If you hold citizenship from any EU/EEA country or Switzerland — even if you also hold citizenship from an eligible country — you are not eligible, with the named exceptions for Ukrainian and Moldovan applicants noted above.

❌ You Have Previously Received an SI Scholarship

The SI Scholarship is a one-time opportunity. If you have received any SI scholarship before — including smaller grants or other SI programmes — you are not eligible.

❌ You Hold a Swedish Degree or Are Currently Enrolled

If you already hold a degree from a Swedish university or university college, or if you are currently enrolled at one, you are not eligible.

❌ You Have Lived in Sweden for Two or More Years

If you have lived in Sweden for a total of two years or more before the scholarship period begins, you are not eligible. The restriction is specific to Sweden, not to living abroad in general.

❌ Your Only Work Experience Is from Internships

Internships do not count toward the 3,000-hour work experience requirement, regardless of duration or whether they were paid. If your only professional experience is internships, you are not eligible until you secure formal employment.

❌ You Are Applying to a Non-Eligible Programme

Only programmes on SI’s official list of eligible master’s programmes qualify. PhD programmes, exchange programmes, short courses, and programmes on the university reserve list (not fully admitted) are not eligible.

💡 LearnViaHub Tip: If you are not eligible for the SI Scholarship due to citizenship or Sweden residency, explore the Clarendon Fund at Oxford — it has no nationality restrictions, no age limit, and no work experience requirement.

Your SI Scholarship Action Plan

1. Confirm your citizenship is on the eligible list. Check the current list on si.se — it can change each year.
2. Calculate your work experience hours. Ensure you have at least 3,000 hours from a maximum of 3 employers (or any documented experience if you’re from one of the six Eastern European countries). Internships do not count.
3. Document your leadership experience. Identify concrete examples of leading teams, projects, or civil society initiatives.
4. Watch for official 2027/28 dates. The Swedish Institute typically confirms exact dates and the eligible programme list in mid-November.
5. Apply to an eligible master’s programme by the university deadline. Use universityadmissions.se and pay the application fee.
6. Prepare your work and leadership forms well ahead of time. Use SI’s current templates — previous years’ templates are rejected.
7. Apply for the scholarship within the open window. The portal is only open for around 14 days, so aim to submit early, not at the last minute.
8. Apply for parallel scholarships. Do not put all your eggs in one basket. Consider Clarendon, Rhodes, and Knight-Hennessy if you are applying to Oxford or Stanford.

📋 Sources & Methodology

This guide was compiled from official Swedish Institute scholarship guidelines (si.se), the most recently published SI Scholarship for Global Professionals call for applications, SI proof of work and leadership experience form instructions, and University Admissions Sweden documentation. Eligibility rules are set by the Swedish Institute and reviewed annually.

The eligible country list, work experience thresholds, and programme eligibility can change each cycle, and the Swedish Institute had not yet published official 2027/28 cycle dates at the time of this review. Always confirm current criteria and dates on the official SI page before applying.