Scholarships, grants and fellowships for Ethiopian applicants 2027

Twenty-five open calls accept applicants from Ethiopia and close between 5 and 23 October 2026. Two of them put Ethiopia on their country list by name, and four carry AfriWay's fully funded label. Before you open a form, check each call against your level, your field and the experience you can prove on paper.

What Ethiopians can apply for before 23 October

The list holds 14 fellowships, six scholarships, four grants and one training programme, from 24 different funders. Postdoctoral researchers have the widest choice, with 11 calls. Seven calls take master's applicants and seven take PhD candidates, six are written for working professionals, three set no level requirement and one names undergraduates.

Eligibility decides who you compete against. Chevening Scholarships 2027/28: One-Year UK Master's (closed) and Mandela Washington Fellowship 2027 for Young African Leaders (closed) list Ethiopia by name. Two more calls accept every African country, three are limited to Sub-Saharan Africa and three to developing countries. The remaining 15 are open to all nationalities, so there the pool is worldwide.

Fully funded and regional calls come later. Other calls sort by profile.

Postdocs. Three postdoc calls sit in the United States. Cornell Atkinson Postdoctoral Fellowship in Sustainability 2027 pays USD 65,000 a year for three years, adds full Cornell employee benefits and gives USD 12,000 a year for research and travel costs, with four fellowships on offer. At IAIFI Postdoctoral Fellowship 2027-2030 at MIT (closed), the salary is currently around 15% above the minimum postdoc salary at MIT. In Europe, EUI Jean Monnet Fellowships 2027-2028 for Postdocs in Italy pays a basic grant of EUR 2,850 a month for 12 months and has 20 places. Humanities and social science researchers should also read Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship 2027 at CRASSH, Cambridge (closed), CEES Fellowship Program Spring 2027: Research Stay in Switzerland (closed) and Bayreuth Academy Fellowships in African Studies, Germany (closed). AIAS Visiting Fellowships 2027: Unsalaried Research Visits in Denmark (closed) pays no salary at all: you bring yours from your home institution.

Professionals. Mandela Washington Fellowship 2027 for Young African Leaders (closed) selects 550 fellows aged 35 or under in business, management and public policy. Software Sustainability Institute Fellowship Programme 2027 (closed) runs for 15 months in the United Kingdom for professionals in computer science and IT. For research money, OpenAI AI and Teen Development Research Grant Program 2026 (closed) makes individual grants of up to USD 1 million to postdocs and professionals in computing, social science or health, and Digital Science Catalyst Grant 2026 for AI tools that act on research (closed) offers up to GBP 25,000 that may be split between recipients.

Undergraduates and the arts. The Image Centre Research Fellowships 2027 in Toronto for photography research (closed) takes everyone from undergraduates to postdocs and has six places. Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program 2027 in the United States (closed) pays master's, PhD and postdoctoral researchers in the sciences, humanities and arts a stipend of USD 45,000 to USD 65,000 a year, depending on the category.

Fully funded options in deadline order

On AfriWay, a scholarship or fellowship earns the fully funded mark only if it pays tuition as well as a living stipend. A grant earns it with a stipend alone. Four calls here carry the mark.

The earliest is Chevening Scholarships 2027/28: One-Year UK Master's (closed). Applications close at 11:00 UTC on 6 October 2026, which is 14:00 in Addis Ababa. Ethiopia is on its country list, any subject is accepted, and the award pays tuition plus a living stipend for a one-year master's in the United Kingdom. Two years of work experience is the minimum.

Knight-Hennessy Scholars 2027: Fully Funded Graduate Study at Stanford (closed) closes nine hours later, at 23:00 Addis Ababa time. For up to three years of graduate study at Stanford, it covers tuition and associated fees, a stipend for living and academic costs, and an economy-class return ticket once a year. Any field qualifies, at master's or PhD level.

Applicants from every African country can try for ARC-GSSP Postgraduate Scholarships for African Students (closed), which closes at 02:59 on 8 October by the Addis Ababa clock. Postgraduate students in mathematics, engineering or environment and climate receive full tuition for up to two years, a living stipend and travel support. Study takes place in South Africa, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal or Ghana.

AGNES Intra-Africa Mobility Grants 2026 for PhD Researchers (closed) is the only grant of the four. It pays EUR 2,300 to EUR 3,000 for a research stay of one to two months outside Ethiopia, covering travel and subsistence. That earns it the label, but it pays for a visit, not a degree.

Two more calls come close without the label. FOR-GHP Fellowship 2027: outbreak readiness for sub-Saharan Africa charges no tuition fees and pays economy-class flights, visa fees and accommodation for its three workshops, with daily meals, but no daily allowance. Mohamed Ali Foundation Fellowship 2027 at Durham University provides accommodation, all meals, a research travel grant and a closing honorarium.

Regional calls: Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa and developing countries

No call here is reserved for Ethiopia alone or for East Africa. Eight are limited to Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa or developing countries, and Ethiopia fits all three.

Two calls take applicants from anywhere in Africa. One is ARC-GSSP Postgraduate Scholarships for African Students (closed), described above. The other, African Climate Collaborative PhD Fellowships 2027 at UCT (closed), comes from the University of Cape Town and offers 12 PhD fellowships, each 48 months long, in environment, climate and social science.

Three calls are limited to Sub-Saharan Africa. The two AGNES grants suit PhD students: AGNES-BAYER Science Foundation Research Grant 2026 for PhD Students (closed) gives up to EUR 7,000 per successful applicant for research in environment, climate or agriculture, and AGNES Intra-Africa Mobility Grants 2026 for PhD Researchers (closed) funds a short stay abroad in any field. Both applications must be written in English. FOR-GHP Fellowship 2027: outbreak readiness for sub-Saharan Africa is for health professionals with at least two years of experience. It lasts 18 months, from 1 December 2026 to 7 July 2028, with Germany, Ghana and Uganda as host countries.

Three master's programmes in Germany carry DAAD EPOS scholarships for developing countries: ISATEC (MSc Marine Biology), University of Bremen: DAAD EPOS 2027 (closed), Sustainable Renewable Energy Technologies MSc, Oldenburg: EPOS 2027 (closed) and International Health MSc, Charité Berlin: DAAD EPOS Scholarship 2027 (closed). All three close on 15 October and ask for at least two years of experience. The Oldenburg course lasts 24 months and sets its deadline a year before entry, while the Charité course leads to admission in September 2027.

Deadlines closest first, in Addis Ababa time

Ethiopia stays on East Africa Time (EAT), three hours ahead of UTC, all year. The hours below use the international 24-hour clock rather than the Ethiopian count that starts at dawn, and every date is Gregorian, as the funders give it.

Each line gives the Addis Ababa time first.

• 5 October, no hour given: Software Sustainability Institute Fellowship Programme 2027 (closed).
• 19:00 on 5 October: Digital Science Catalyst Grant 2026 for AI tools that act on research (closed), set at 17:00 BST.
• 00:59 on 6 October: Bayreuth Academy Fellowships in African Studies, Germany (closed), set at 23:59 CEST on 5 October.
• 13:00 on 6 October: AIAS Visiting Fellowships 2027: Unsalaried Research Visits in Denmark (closed), set at noon Copenhagen time.
• 14:00 on 6 October: Chevening Scholarships 2027/28: One-Year UK Master's (closed), set at 11:00 UTC.
• 23:00 on 6 October: Knight-Hennessy Scholars 2027: Fully Funded Graduate Study at Stanford (closed), set at 1:00 pm Pacific Time.
• 09:59 on 7 October: OpenAI AI and Teen Development Research Grant Program 2026 (closed), set at 23:59 Pacific Time on 6 October.
• 7 October, no hour given: IAIFI Postdoctoral Fellowship 2027-2030 at MIT (closed), which needs every document, reference letters included, by then.
• 02:59 on 8 October: ARC-GSSP Postgraduate Scholarships for African Students (closed), set at 23:59 GMT on 7 October.
• 12, 13 and 14 October, no hour given: CEES Fellowship Program Spring 2027: Research Stay in Switzerland (closed), Mandela Washington Fellowship 2027 for Young African Leaders (closed) and Leading for Humanity 2027: Tutu Foundation Leadership Programme (closed), in that order.
• 15 October, no hour given: ISATEC (MSc Marine Biology), University of Bremen: DAAD EPOS 2027 (closed), Sustainable Renewable Energy Technologies MSc, Oldenburg: EPOS 2027 (closed) and International Health MSc, Charité Berlin: DAAD EPOS Scholarship 2027 (closed).
• Midnight at the end of 15 October: African Climate Collaborative PhD Fellowships 2027 at UCT (closed), set at 23:00 South African time.
• 06:59 on 16 October: Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program 2027 in the United States (closed), set at 23:59 Eastern Time on 15 October.
• 14:00 on 16 October: Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship 2027 at CRASSH, Cambridge (closed), set at noon with no time zone, read here as UK time.
• 02:59 on 17 October: AGNES-BAYER Science Foundation Research Grant 2026 for PhD Students (closed) and AGNES Intra-Africa Mobility Grants 2026 for PhD Researchers (closed), both set at 23:59 GMT the day before.
• 06:59 on 19 October: The Image Centre Research Fellowships 2027 in Toronto for photography research (closed), set at 23:59 EST on 18 October, taking Toronto as seven hours behind.
• 20 October, no hour given: Mohamed Ali Foundation Fellowship 2027 at Durham University.
• Midnight at the end of 20 October: Cornell Atkinson Postdoctoral Fellowship in Sustainability 2027, set at 17:00 Eastern Time.
• Early on 21 October: FOR-GHP Fellowship 2027: outbreak readiness for sub-Saharan Africa, set at midnight CET on 21 October. Finish on 20 October to be safe.
• 15:00 on 23 October: EUI Jean Monnet Fellowships 2027-2028 for Postdocs in Italy, set at 14:00 CEST.

Where no hour is given, finish the evening before.

How to prepare from Ethiopia in the time left

Check the hard limits first. Chevening Scholarships 2027/28: One-Year UK Master's (closed), the three EPOS master's programmes and FOR-GHP Fellowship 2027: outbreak readiness for sub-Saharan Africa each ask for at least two years of experience, and AIAS Visiting Fellowships 2027: Unsalaried Research Visits in Denmark (closed) asks for four. Mandela Washington Fellowship 2027 for Young African Leaders (closed) stops at age 35. No cover letter can argue past those rules.

Then prove your English in the form each call accepts. FOR-GHP Fellowship 2027: outbreak readiness for sub-Saharan Africa is the only listing here that states IELTS is not required: besides IELTS 6.0 or TOEFL iBT 79-80, it accepts native speakers and written proof that you completed higher education in English. Sustainable Renewable Energy Technologies MSc, Oldenburg: EPOS 2027 (closed) takes TOEFL iBT, IELTS, Cambridge, PTE Academic, TOEIC, telc or UNIcert at level B2. ISATEC (MSc Marine Biology), University of Bremen: DAAD EPOS 2027 (closed) asks for C1 unless English is your native language or your last study was taught completely in English. Mandela Washington Fellowship 2027 for Young African Leaders (closed) expects proficient reading, writing and speaking.

Paperwork takes longer than writing. Everything for CEES Fellowship Program Spring 2027: Research Stay in Switzerland (closed) goes in English, in one PDF file. Referees for IAIFI Postdoctoral Fellowship 2027-2030 at MIT (closed) have to deliver by 7 October, because their letters count as part of the application, and The Image Centre Research Fellowships 2027 in Toronto for photography research (closed) expects letters of reference in the same email as the application. At Bayreuth Academy Fellowships in African Studies, Germany (closed), the EUR 2,500 monthly rate for fellows without pay from home depends on a confirmation from your home institution or your last funding organisation. Ask for such letters this week.

Some costs stay with you. At Leading for Humanity 2027: Tutu Foundation Leadership Programme (closed), the Foundation pays for the programme, accommodation and meals, while travel to and from South Africa falls on participants or their sponsors. The CAD 10,000 from The Image Centre Research Fellowships 2027 in Toronto for photography research (closed) is all you get for travel, research and related costs, with no separate allowance for travel or housing.

Submit a day early. Six of the stated closing hours fall between midnight and 03:00 in Addis Ababa, when a failed upload leaves no time for a second try.

Frequently asked questions

Which calls in this guide name Ethiopia?

Chevening Scholarships 2027/28: One-Year UK Master's (closed) and Mandela Washington Fellowship 2027 for Young African Leaders (closed). Eight more accept Ethiopians through a wider group: every African country, Sub-Saharan Africa or developing countries.

Which fully funded master's awards are open to Ethiopians?

Chevening Scholarships 2027/28: One-Year UK Master's (closed), which names Ethiopia, covers a one-year master's in the United Kingdom. Knight-Hennessy Scholars 2027: Fully Funded Graduate Study at Stanford (closed) funds up to three years of graduate study at Stanford, and ARC-GSSP Postgraduate Scholarships for African Students (closed) pays for up to two years of postgraduate study in one of four African host countries.

Can I apply without an IELTS score?

Yes, for FOR-GHP Fellowship 2027: outbreak readiness for sub-Saharan Africa, which also accepts written proof of a degree completed in English.

What can undergraduates apply for?

Only The Image Centre Research Fellowships 2027 in Toronto for photography research (closed) lists undergraduates among its levels. Two calls, Digital Science Catalyst Grant 2026 for AI tools that act on research (closed) and Leading for Humanity 2027: Tutu Foundation Leadership Programme (closed), state no level at all.