Top 10 Fully Funded Scholarships in Sweden 2026/2027

Sweden charges non-EU/EEA students full tuition — typically SEK 80,000 to well over SEK 200,000 per year depending on the field — so for most international students the scholarship decision is the study decision. The good news is that Sweden’s funding system has one genuine full-cost flagship: the Swedish Institute (SI) Scholarship for Global Professionals, which pays your full tuition directly to the university, adds a monthly living allowance of SEK 12,000, and adds a one-time travel grant of SEK 15,000. Around it sits a second, very Swedish layer: each major university runs its own tuition scholarships for fee-paying master’s students, and a handful of those — Chalmers’ Adlerbert scholarships, Uppsala’s Global Scholarship, KTH’s scholarship — can cover 100% of tuition even though they do not pay living costs.

This guide ranks the 10 most important funding routes for the 2026/2027 cycle honestly. That honesty matters, because Sweden is where scholarship marketing most often misleads: many lists label any tuition waiver “fully funded.” Only the first three entries below cover tuition and living costs in full. Entries 4–10 are labelled “tuition-only” or “partial tuition” in every profile and in the comparison table, so you can see exactly what gap you would still need to fund — remember that Sweden’s Migration Agency also requires proof of funds for living costs (a monthly amount set annually by the Migration Agency; check migrationsverket.se for the current figure) before a residence permit is granted. If your country is on the SI list — Bangladesh, Indonesia and Nigeria are among the 34 eligible countries for the 2027 intake — start with entry 1 and work down. Browse the wider scholarship directory and Swedish universities in the university directory as you plan.

At a Glance: The 10 Scholarships Compared

The Ranked List: 10 Scholarships in Detail

1. Swedish Institute Scholarship for Global Professionals

Coverage: Full tuition paid directly by SI to your university each semester; a monthly allowance of SEK 12,000 throughout the study period; a one-time travel grant of SEK 15,000 (SEK 10,000 for scholars from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine), not payable if you already live in Sweden; plus membership of the SI Network for Global Professionals and, afterwards, the Sweden Alumni Network. It does not cover insurance, the University Admissions application fee, or family members. Eligibility (2027 intake, verified on si.se): Citizen of one of 34 eligible countries — the list includes Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Egypt, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Brazil, Colombia and Ukraine, among others; India, Pakistan and Nepal are not on the 2027 Global Professionals list, an important check for our readers. You must apply for an SI-eligible master’s programme (in Governance, Public Health, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, or STEM — the eligible programme list is published 13 November 2026), be liable to pay tuition, and demonstrate work and leadership experience. Most applicants need at least 3,000 hours of work experience accumulated from a maximum of three employers before February 2027; applicants from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine must show work experience without the fixed-hours rule. Key dates 2027: Apply to master’s programmes via University Admissions 16 October 2026 – 15 January 2027; SI portal open 8–24 February 2027 (closes 14:59 CET on the final day); admissions results 1 April 2027; SI results 22 April 2027. For 2026/2027, SI awarded 232 scholarships across its programmes from 12,922 applicants — plan for serious competition.

2. SI Scholarship – Pioneering Women in STEM

Coverage: The same fully funded package as the Global Professionals scholarship — full tuition, monthly living allowance and travel grant on the terms published for the current cycle — for women pursuing master’s studies in STEM fields. Eligibility: Women citizens of the eligible countries published for this scholarship (a subset of SI’s country lists — check the dedicated SI page for the exact list for your intake, because it is narrower than the Global Professionals list), applying to eligible STEM master’s programmes, with the work-experience and admission conditions SI sets for the cycle. Deadline: The February SI application window, following the January University Admissions deadline. This scholarship exists because women remain underrepresented in STEM leadership; if you are eligible for both SI scholarships, follow SI’s instructions on which application route to use rather than submitting duplicate-style applications — SI disqualifies applicants who misuse dual citizenship or duplicate applications to game the system.

3. Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters at Swedish Universities

Coverage: The Erasmus Mundus scholarship covers participation costs (including tuition/insurance elements set by the consortium) plus a monthly allowance — €1,400 per month for up to 24 months in the current programme generation — while you study in at least two countries. Swedish universities such as Uppsala, Lund, KTH, Stockholm University and Linnaeus participate in various consortia as partners in different funding periods. Eligibility: A bachelor’s degree and the specific academic and English requirements of the consortium you choose; no Swedish work-experience requirement, unlike SI. Deadline: Consortium windows mostly run October to January. The catch is verification: consortium membership changes, so confirm on the official Erasmus Mundus catalogue that your chosen programme currently includes a Swedish partner and a funded study period in Sweden. Our Erasmus Mundus guide explains the catalogue search. For students who are not SI-eligible — including Indian and Pakistani applicants — this is often the only genuinely full-cost route into a Swedish classroom.

4. Chalmers Adlerbert Study Scholarships

Coverage: A 100% tuition-fee waiver for the two-year master’s programme — full tuition, but no living stipend, so classify it as tuition-only funding. Eligibility: Fee-paying master’s applicants to Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg from the countries specified in the current Adlerbert call (the Adlerbert Foundation’s scholarships target applicants from developing countries as defined in the call); selection is merit-based on your admission file. Five scholarships are typically offered in a cycle, making this one of the most competitive university awards in Sweden. Deadline: You apply through the master’s admissions round (applications close 15 January for autumn entry) and indicate scholarship interest as Chalmers instructs; there is no separate full application for most Chalmers scholarships. Chalmers’ published tuition for most two-year master’s programmes runs to several hundred thousand SEK in total, so a 100% waiver is a large award — but budget honestly for Gothenburg living costs on top.

5. Uppsala University Global Scholarship

Coverage: Tuition-only: the Global Scholarship covers the full tuition fee (100%) for the programme for awarded students; Uppsala also runs country- and faculty-linked tuition scholarships (for example scholarships directed at applicants from specific regions) with partial or full tuition coverage as published each cycle. Eligibility: Fee-paying applicants who have applied for a master’s (or, for some scholarships, bachelor’s) programme at Uppsala as their first choice through University Admissions, demonstrating academic talent and interest in an educational community. You must be able to fund your living costs — Uppsala states this clearly, and the Migration Agency will check it. Deadline: Apply for the programme in the main round (by mid-January), then submit the scholarship application in Uppsala’s scholarship window, which opens after the admissions deadline and closes in February in recent cycles — check Uppsala’s scholarship pages for the exact dates of your cycle. Uppsala is Sweden’s oldest university (1477) and a particularly strong choice for life sciences, medicine-adjacent fields and humanities.

6. KTH Scholarship

Coverage: Tuition-only: the KTH Scholarship covers the full tuition fee of a one- or two-year master’s programme at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, renewable into the second year subject to satisfactory study results. No living stipend is included. Eligibility: Fee-paying applicants to an eligible KTH master’s programme (a small number of programmes, such as certain joint/EIT programmes, are excluded as published); you must be required to pay tuition and meet the programme’s requirements. Selection weighs academic excellence, and KTH also considers how your background aligns with sustainable development. A substantial number of awards are made each year relative to other Swedish universities, which makes KTH one of the more realistic tuition-only targets for very strong applicants. Deadline: Scholarship application is linked to the admissions round — apply for the programme by the mid-January deadline and submit the KTH scholarship application in the window KTH publishes (typically closing in mid-January as well). Stockholm living costs are Sweden’s highest; pair a KTH tuition award with a realistic housing plan.

7. Lund University Global Scholarship

Coverage: Partial-to-full tuition: Lund’s Global Scholarship programme awards grants covering 25%, 50%, 75% or 100% of tuition depending on merit and faculty budgets — it is a merit scholarship, and a 100% award is possible but not the norm. No living costs are covered. Eligibility: Non-EU/EEA fee-paying applicants who have applied for a bachelor’s or master’s programme at Lund in the main application round and can demonstrate they can finance the remaining costs; you must have Lund programmes among your top choices as specified in the call. Around SEK 20+ million is distributed in strong years across many recipients. Deadline: The scholarship application typically opens after the January admissions deadline and closes in February; only applicants from the first application round are eligible. Lund is a classic student city where student nations and housing queues reward early registration — scholarship or not, join the housing queue the day you are admitted.

8. Chalmers IPOET Scholarship

Coverage: Partial tuition: a 75% reduction of tuition fees for the two-year programme, rising to 85% for the second year for students who excel in their first year. Around 35 IPOET scholarships are offered in a typical cycle. No funds are paid to you directly, and living costs are not covered. Eligibility: Citizens of non-EU/EEA countries required to pay tuition, applying for a first-year master’s programme at Chalmers in any field. Selection is based primarily on relative academic excellence — weighted average grade (around 80% or higher is the competitive zone), the stature of your home university, and the priority order of your Chalmers programme choices. Deadline: Consideration is automatic within the admissions process for eligible applicants who complete their University Admissions application by 15 January; Chalmers notifies scholarship recipients in the spring. IPOET’s value is predictability: it is one of the largest university waiver schemes in Sweden by number of awards.

9. Karolinska Institutet Global Master’s Scholarship

Coverage: Tuition-only: Karolinska Institutet (KI) in Stockholm — world-famous for medicine and health sciences and home of the Nobel Assembly — offers a small number of Global Master’s Scholarships covering the tuition fee in whole or in part for its global master’s programmes, as specified in each cycle’s call. Eligibility: Fee-paying applicants admitted to a KI global master’s programme (programmes include public health sciences, biomedicine, bioentrepreneurship and similar fields); selection is strictly merit-based and the number of awards is small. Deadline: Linked to the main admissions round — apply by mid-January and follow KI’s scholarship instructions for the cycle. KI applicants should also check the SI route first: public health is one of SI’s priority fields, and a public-health applicant from an eligible country may qualify for the full SI package at KI, which is strictly better than a tuition-only award.

10. University of Gothenburg Scholarships, Including the Axel Adler Scholarship

Coverage: Tuition-only: the university’s scholarship scheme and the Axel Adler Scholarship cover the full tuition fee for eligible master’s programmes for awarded students; some faculty-linked awards cover part of tuition. No living stipend. Eligibility: Fee-paying international applicants who have applied for a master’s programme at the University of Gothenburg in the main round and are admitted; Axel Adler selection is based on the application documents (CV and letter of intent are weighted for this award, which is unusual in Sweden and rewards a well-written file). Deadline: Programme application by mid-January; scholarship steps follow Gothenburg’s published timetable in the spring. Together with Chalmers, Gothenburg gives Sweden’s second city two strong tuition routes — useful if your field exists at both and you want to double your chances in one city.

Eligibility: What Almost Every Swedish Scholarship Requires

Four conditions recur. First, fee-paying status: university tuition scholarships and SI both require that you are liable to pay tuition in Sweden (generally non-EU/EEA citizens without Swedish residence status). Second, the main admissions round: nearly every award on this list only considers applicants who applied through University Admissions by the mid-January deadline — late-round applicants are ineligible for most scholarships, a rule that surprises students every year. Third, admission itself: SI can only award you for a programme you are actually admitted to on the first admissions announcement (reserve-list places do not count). Fourth, living-cost proof for the residence permit: tuition waivers do not remove the Migration Agency’s maintenance requirement, so even a 100% tuition scholar needs documented funds for living expenses unless they hold SI. Plan your finances with the StudyGraduate tools and compare total costs in our study abroad hub before committing.

How to Apply Step by Step (SI Route)

1. Check your citizenship against the SI list. If your country is not among the 34, pivot early to Erasmus Mundus and university tuition scholarships instead of spending months on an ineligible SI file.
2. Choose SI-eligible programmes. When the eligible programme list is published (13 November 2026 for the 2027 intake), shortlist programmes in Governance, Public Health, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, or STEM that match your background.
3. Apply via University Admissions by 15 January 2027. Rank up to four master’s programmes, upload documents, and pay the application fee on time — SI does not cover that fee, and unpaid applicants are not admitted.
4. Prepare SI documents in parallel. Work-experience certificates on SI templates, leadership evidence, motivation material and references take weeks to collect properly; do not start on 8 February.
5. Submit the SI application 8–24 February 2027. The portal closes at 14:59 CET on 24 February — note the time of day, not just the date.
6. Watch the two announcements. University admissions results on 1 April 2027 decide which programme you can be funded for; SI announces scholarship results on 22 April 2027.
7. Apply for the residence permit immediately with your admission and scholarship (or funds) evidence, and join university housing queues the same week.

For university tuition scholarships, replace steps 3–5 with each university’s scholarship form or automatic-consideration rule, but keep the same January discipline: in Sweden, January is the deadline that decides almost everything for autumn entry. Compare Sweden with neighbouring options in our Turkey fully funded list if you are building a multi-country plan.

Required Documents

• Passport and proof of citizenship
• Bachelor’s degree certificate and full transcripts (with English translations where required)
• English proficiency evidence meeting your programmes’ requirements (IELTS/TOEFL or accepted alternatives)
• CV in the format the scholarship requests (SI uses its own templates for work and leadership evidence)
• Proof of work experience — for SI, certificates totalling 3,000+ hours for most countries, from at most three employers
• Leadership experience evidence (employer, entrepreneurship or civil society)
• Motivation letter / statement of purpose per programme or scholarship
• References or referee contacts as specified
• For residence permit: admission letter, scholarship decision or bank evidence of living funds, and insurance arrangements where required

Deadlines and Timeline for 2026/2027 and the 2027 Intake

Note on cycle naming: SI’s 2026/2027 awards were announced in April 2026 (232 recipients). The dates in the table are the officially published key dates for the next intake — autumn 2027 — which is the cycle you can still apply to as of October 2026.

How to Improve Your Chances

For SI, lead with leadership. SI is not a pure grades scholarship: documented work experience, real leadership (teams led, budgets influenced, community initiatives run) and a credible plan to contribute to sustainable development in your home country are weighted heavily. Quantify everything. Align the programme choice with SI’s fields. A governance applicant with public-sector experience is a coherent file; the same applicant applying to an unrelated programme is not. For university waivers, grades and ranking order rule. Chalmers explicitly weighs your weighted average and the priority order of your application — put the university you want funding from first where the rules reward it. Apply to several universities. SI covers any eligible programme, and university waivers are independent lotteries with different committees; a strong candidate applying to KTH, Chalmers, Uppsala and Lund has four separate chances. Write the Axel Adler-style file well. Where CVs and intent letters are scored, specific Swedish-context motivation beats generic ambition.

Common Mistakes

• Assuming “tuition scholarship” means fully funded. Entries 4–10 do not pay living costs; Sweden’s residence-permit funds check will expose an unplanned gap.
• Applying in the second (late) admissions round. Most scholarships only consider first-round applicants.
• Missing that your country is not SI-eligible. India, Pakistan and Nepal are not on the 2027 Global Professionals list — check before writing essays.
• Under-documenting work experience for SI. 3,000 hours must be evidenced on SI templates from at most three employers; vague reference letters fail screening.
• Ignoring the 14:59 CET portal closing time on the final SI day.
• Waiting for admission before joining housing queues. In Stockholm, Uppsala and Lund, housing — not tuition — is often the binding constraint.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Swedish scholarship is truly fully funded?

The SI Scholarship for Global Professionals and the SI Pioneering Women in STEM scholarship: full tuition plus SEK 12,000 per month and a travel grant of SEK 15,000 (SEK 10,000 for six Eastern European countries). Erasmus Mundus programmes with Swedish partners are also full-cost. University scholarships below them are tuition-only or partial unless stated.

How much is the SI monthly allowance?

SEK 12,000 per month throughout the study period, as published by the Swedish Institute for the current cycle. It is intended to cover living expenses for one person; there are no family grants and no insurance included.

Can Indian or Pakistani students apply for the SI Scholarship?

Not for the 2027 Global Professionals intake — neither country is on the published list of 34 eligible countries. Indian and Pakistani applicants should target Erasmus Mundus and university tuition scholarships (KTH, Chalmers, Uppsala, Lund), which are nationality-open for fee-paying students.

Do I need IELTS for Sweden?

Swedish master’s programmes require documented English proficiency; IELTS and TOEFL are the standard routes, with some programmes accepting other evidence as University Admissions specifies. SI itself does not add a separate language test beyond programme admission requirements.

When is the SI Scholarship deadline for 2027?

The portal is open 8–24 February 2027 and closes at 14:59 CET on 24 February. You must first have applied for master’s programmes by 15 January 2027.

Can I work in Sweden on a scholarship?

Students with a residence permit for studies may work alongside their studies without a separate work permit, but SI and universities expect full-time study progress, and scholarship renewal (where applicable) depends on credits earned. Treat part-time work as a supplement, not a funding plan.

Do university scholarships renew for the second year?

Generally yes, subject to satisfactory study results — KTH and Chalmers IPOET both condition second-year coverage on performance, and IPOET can rise from 75% to 85%. Read your award letter’s credit requirements carefully.

Is Sweden tuition-free for anyone?

EU/EEA and Swiss citizens do not pay Swedish tuition fees, and some exchange and doctoral arrangements differ (PhD students are typically employed). For non-EU/EEA master’s students, the scholarships in this guide are the realistic funding routes.

Sources & Verification

Verified in October 2026 against: Swedish Institute official scholarship pages (si.se — Scholarship for Global Professionals: SEK 12,000 monthly allowance, SEK 15,000 travel grant, 34 eligible countries, key dates 16 Oct 2026–22 Apr 2027, 3,000-hour work rule; SI scholarship overview including Pioneering Women in STEM); Study in Sweden (studyinsweden.se); University Admissions Sweden; Chalmers University of Technology scholarship pages (IPOET 75%/85%, Adlerbert 100% tuition); KTH, Uppsala University, Lund University, Karolinska Institutet and University of Gothenburg official scholarship pages; and the European Commission’s Erasmus Mundus information. Key official pages: SI Scholarship for Global Professionals and Study in Sweden.

Disclaimer: Scholarship amounts, deadlines, eligible countries and programme lists change yearly. Always confirm deadlines and amounts on the official website before applying. StudyGraduate is an information portal, not an agency, and cannot guarantee selection, admission or a residence permit.