The aim of the program
The aim of the Visby Programme is to support individual mobility, thereby contributing to increased contacts and collaborations between actors in Sweden and countries in the EU Eastern Partnership and Russia. The goal is to build an integrated, knowledge-based and research-intense region, centred around the Baltic Sea while also including EU Eastern Partnership countries and Russia.
The scholarships are intended for full-time master’s level studies in Sweden and cover both living costs and tuition fees. About 50 scholarships will be offered for the academic year 2017/2018.
Scholarship application period: 1–10 February 2017.
Countries
The programme is open to citizens of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine.
Who is eligible?
The scholarships are only intended for students who are required to pay tuition fees according to the requirements specified by University Admissions.
There is no age limit for scholarship holders.
A scholarship cannot be granted for a student who:
- has already lived in Sweden for two years or more previous to the scholarship period.
- has a Swedish or EU/EES citizenship*, permanent residence permit or a work permit in Sweden.
- has previously been awarded a Swedish Institute scholarship for master’s level studies or research at a Swedish
- university/university college. Former participants of the SI Summer Academy for Young Professionals (SAYP), and students who have attended SI summer courses in the Swedish language, or the Swedish Institute Summer University (SISU) may still apply.
- has already been awarded three or more scholarships/grants from SI.
- already holds a degree from a Swedish university/university college.
- is currently enrolled in a study programme at a Swedish university/university college.
*Exception. Students with dual citizenships may still apply for a Visby scholarship, but must apply with their eligible citizenship both to the Swedish Institute and University Admissions. After receiving a SI scholarship offer, the candidate must inform SI about his/her EU/EES citizenship.
Eligible programmes
A list of eligible master programmes for the academic year 2017/2018 will be available here by 1 December 2016 at the latest. The programmes will be selected by the Swedish Institute on the basis of thematic relevance for the SI Baltic Sea Region Cooperation.
Scholarship benefits and period
The scholarship covers both the tuition fee (which is paid directly to the Swedish university/university college by the Swedish Institute) and living expenses to the amount of SEK 9,000 per month.
The scholarship is awarded for programmes starting in the autumn semester (August/September) and covers the whole duration of the master’s programme (one or two academic years).
There are no grants for family members. The scholarship cannot be transferred to another degree programme or university, nor can the scholarship period be altered or extended beyond the period of study for the degree programme. However, scholarship holders within the Visby Programme enrolled in one-year master’s programmes (60 credits) may apply for an extension of the scholarship to pursue an unpaid internship in Sweden lasting for a period of up to 5 months beyond the ordinary programme period.
Travel grants
Scholarship holders receive a travel grant in connection with their scholarship. The travel grant is a one-time payment of SEK 5,000. The grant is meant to also cover the cost of the return flight. Students on a programme that lasts longer than two semesters will receive an additional grant after a midterm review of study results and progress.
Insurance
Scholarship holders are insured by the Swedish State Group Insurance against illness and accident during the scholarship period.
SI Network for Future Global Leaders
All Swedish Institute scholarship holders are invited to become members of the SI Network for Future Global Leaders (NFGL) – a network that offers unique opportunities during and after the stay in Sweden. Together with other talented people from all around the world, the scholarship holder is able to take part in a variety of events, exchange ideas and create networks that benefit both to career and personal development.
Application procedure
Please note that the scholarship application is separate from the application to the master’s programmes at Swedish universities. Make sure to complete your application to the master’s programmes that you wish to apply to before the deadline 16 January 2017. A list of eligible master programmes for the academic year 2017/2018 will be available here by 1 December 2016 at the latest. You apply through the national online application service universityadmissions.se. Pay your application fee to University Admissions before the fee deadline 1 February 2017. Please make sure to check for any updates at universityadmissions.se.
Once submitted, your application to the master’s programme will be assigned a personal application number consisting of seven digits. You must use this application number when applying for a Swedish Institute scholarship (scholarship application period 1–10 February 2017). You will be required to submit a motivation letter, a letter of reference and a Europass style CV with your scholarship application. These enclosures can be prepared well in advance of the actual scholarship application period. Kindly note that no other documents than the mandatory enclosures will be considered.
The Swedish Institute is looking for applicants who display both intellectual ability and leadership potential and welcome applicants regardless of age, gender and religious beliefs. The scholarship programme aims for diversity among the scholarship holders.
General notes
- You may apply to a maximum of four different master’s programmes in total, but make sure to first check whether the programmes are listed as eligible for the scholarship.
- Applications must be submitted online with enclosures in any of the following formats: .doc, .docx, or .pdf.
- All application documents must be submitted by the application deadline. Late documents will not be considered.
- Limit your documents to the numbers or characters specified. Texts that exceed this limit will not be considered.
- Exclude photos of yourself from your CV.
- As a Swedish public authority, the Swedish Institute (SI) operates under the Swedish Principle of Public Access to Information. This means that any data registered in our systems will be treated as a public document. In accordance with this, information about your application and qualifications will be accessible to the public on request.
Steps to complete your Swedish Institute scholarship application:
- Prepare a motivation letter according to the Swedish Institute template. Motivation letters in any other templates or formats are NOT valid. Make sure to read the questions in the motivation letter thoroughly and be specific and personal in your reasoning. Without exception, answers may not exceed the allowed number of characters (letters and spaces) for each question.
- Prepare a Curriculum Vitae (CV) in English using the Europass format of maximum three pages. Additional pages will not be considered. Any CV submitted in another format than Europass is NOT valid. We also ask you not to insert any photos of yourself in the CV.
- Prepare a letter of reference. It is recommended to use the Swedish Institute template for the academic year 2017/2018.
- When the Swedish Institute scholarship application period opens on 1 February 2017, apply through our online system. Use the personal application number retrieved from universityadmissions.se. Do not forget to submit your enclosures.
The scholarship application form will be available on this page during the application period 1–10 February 2017.
Please note that you need to submit a separate copy of your scholarship application for each eligible master’s programme that you have applied to. For example, if you have applied to the maximum of four master’s programmes, you must submit four separate online scholarship applications. Each application must have a motivation letter, a letter of reference, and a CV attached. You may use the same for all applications, or create unique ones for each programme.
What happens to my scholarship application?
- All eligible and complete applications are assessed by a selection committee taking into consideration the relevance and quality of the motivation letter, CV and letter of reference.
- Only students who have been offered a place in a master’s programme after the first selection round on 24 March 2017 will be considered for a scholarship. Students who have been listed as reserves will not be considered. Unfortunately, no scholarships are available for late admissions.
- In early April, the Swedish Institute will publish a list of successful scholarship candidates at si.se. Due to the large number of applicants, only those who are offered a scholarship will be notified.
- Please note that you have to accept your place at the study programme at universityadmissions.se before the indicated deadline.
- Each successful candidate will receive an official scholarship offer by email and is requested to accept or reject this offer by the deadline indicated.
Will there be a reserve list for the SI Visby Programme?
Each year the Swedish Institute initially awards more scholarships than are available as there are always several students who do not accept their scholarship offer. Because of this practice, we do not have a reserve list for scholarships.
Key dates and deadlines for applications to the academic year 2017/2018
- 1 December 2016–16 January 2017: Apply online to master’s programmes at universityadmissions.se and pay the application fee
- 1 February 2017: Deadline to submit supporting documents and payment of application fee. For detailed information see universityadmissions.se
- 1–10 February 2017: Apply for a Swedish Institute scholarship through the online application service (application opens 1 February 2017)
- 24 March 2017: Notification of selection results published on universityadmissions.se
- 10 April 2017: List of successful candidates for Swedish Institute scholarships is published at si.se
- 12 April 2017: Deadline for accepting your study place
- 10-13 April 2017: Swedish Institute formal scholarship offer to successful candidates by email
- 28 April 2017: Deadline for accepting the Swedish Institute scholarship.
For more information click "Further official information" below.
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
https://eng.si.se/scholarship/visby-programme-scholarships-masters-level-studies/