Scholarships, grants and fellowships for Ghanaian applicants 2027

Between Monday 5 October and Wednesday 21 October 2026, a total of 25 calls that accept applicants from Ghana reach their closing dates. Three of them name Ghana outright. Five carry the fully funded label. Wherever a funder states a closing hour, this page gives it in Accra time.

What you can apply for from Ghana this October

Behind the 25 calls stand 24 different funders. Fellowships dominate with 13, next to seven scholarships, four grants and a lone training programme. By level, the biggest group is postdoctoral: 10 calls. Master's candidates can try eight, doctoral students seven, and people already in work six. Three calls impose no level condition, and undergraduates appear in exactly one.

The eligibility rule decides who else is in the pile. Ghana is named on three lists: Chevening Scholarships 2027/28: One-Year UK Master's (closed), Mandela Washington Fellowship 2027 for Young African Leaders (closed) and Commonwealth Master's Scholarships 2027/28 for Study in the UK. Any African nationality is welcome at ARC-GSSP Postgraduate Scholarships for African Students (closed) and African Climate Collaborative PhD Fellowships 2027 at UCT (closed). Six others use a regional test, half of them for sub-Saharan Africa and half for developing countries, and Ghana passes both. The remaining 14 accept any nationality, so there you compete with every continent.

Sorted by what the money pays for, the list breaks down like this:

• A degree: Chevening Scholarships 2027/28: One-Year UK Master's (closed), Commonwealth Master's Scholarships 2027/28 for Study in the UK, Knight-Hennessy Scholars 2027: Fully Funded Graduate Study at Stanford (closed) in the United States, ARC-GSSP Postgraduate Scholarships for African Students (closed) at African hosts, African Climate Collaborative PhD Fellowships 2027 at UCT (closed) for a doctorate, and three German master's courses with DAAD EPOS scholarships.
• Paid research time: Cornell Atkinson Postdoctoral Fellowship in Sustainability 2027, IAIFI Postdoctoral Fellowship 2027-2030 at MIT (closed), Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program 2027 in the United States (closed), Bayreuth Academy Fellowships in African Studies, Germany (closed), CEES Fellowship Program Spring 2027: Research Stay in Switzerland (closed), Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship 2027 at CRASSH, Cambridge (closed) and Mohamed Ali Foundation Fellowship 2027 at Durham University. At AIAS Visiting Fellowships 2027: Unsalaried Research Visits in Denmark (closed), your home salary has to travel with you.
• Project money: OpenAI AI and Teen Development Research Grant Program 2026 (closed) awards up to USD 1,000,000 per project from a pool of up to USD 5 million. Digital Science Catalyst Grant 2026 for AI tools that act on research (closed) is worth as much as GBP 25,000, which may be split between winners, and AGNES-BAYER Science Foundation Research Grant 2026 for PhD Students (closed) gives doctoral researchers EUR 7,000 each at most.
• Leadership and professional training: Mandela Washington Fellowship 2027 for Young African Leaders (closed) with 550 places, Leading for Humanity 2027: Tutu Foundation Leadership Programme (closed) in South Africa, Software Sustainability Institute Fellowship Programme 2027 (closed) for 15 months in the UK, and FOR-GHP Fellowship 2027: outbreak readiness for sub-Saharan Africa for health professionals.
• Arts: The Image Centre Research Fellowships 2027 in Toronto for photography research (closed), with six awards, is also the sole call that mentions undergraduates by name.

Fully funded awards, in closing order

On AfriWay, fully funded means tuition and a living allowance are both paid. For grants, paying living costs is enough. Five calls qualify.

Tuesday 6 October brings the first two. Chevening Scholarships 2027/28: One-Year UK Master's (closed) stops taking applications at 11:00 UTC, also 11:00 in Accra. Ghana is on its list, any subject is allowed, and you need two years of work history. Knight-Hennessy Scholars 2027: Fully Funded Graduate Study at Stanford (closed) follows at 20:00 Accra time. Stanford graduate students it selects, in any degree, receive up to three years of support: tuition with its associated fees, a stipend that covers living and academic spending, and an economy-class return ticket every year. The support follows whichever degree you are about to begin when chosen, so fix that choice first.

On Wednesday 7 October at 23:59 GMT, ARC-GSSP Postgraduate Scholarships for African Students (closed) closes. Engineers, mathematicians and students of environment and climate have up to two years of postgraduate tuition paid in full, plus a living stipend, travel help and other eligible costs. Its host countries are Ghana, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire and South Africa. No other fully funded award here could keep you at home.

Friday 16 October, 23:59 GMT, is the cut-off for AGNES Intra-Africa Mobility Grants 2026 for PhD Researchers (closed). It pays doctoral researchers from sub-Saharan Africa at most EUR 2,300 for a month at an institution abroad, or EUR 3,000 if the stay lasts two months, towards travel and subsistence.

Last comes Commonwealth Master's Scholarships 2027/28 for Study in the UK, due at 15:00 Accra time on Tuesday 20 October (16:00 BST). It names Ghana. The commission covers approved tuition in full and an approved return fare, and it pays GBP 1,712 monthly for living costs, rising to GBP 2,000 if your university is in the London metropolitan area.

Three more come close without the label. FOR-GHP Fellowship 2027: outbreak readiness for sub-Saharan Africa charges no tuition and pays flights, visas, lodging and daily meals for the three workshops, though it pays no per diems. Mohamed Ali Foundation Fellowship 2027 at Durham University houses and feeds its fellows, adds a research travel grant and pays an honorarium on completion. Leading for Humanity 2027: Tutu Foundation Leadership Programme (closed) carries programme costs, lodging and meals, while the flights to South Africa are yours to arrange.

Regional calls that include Ghana

Nothing here is reserved for Ghana, and West Africa has no call of its own. Eight calls use a regional or economic rule instead. The region shows up most clearly among the hosts of ARC-GSSP Postgraduate Scholarships for African Students (closed), where three of the four host countries are West African.

All of Africa. Beside ARC-GSSP Postgraduate Scholarships for African Students (closed), this group holds African Climate Collaborative PhD Fellowships 2027 at UCT (closed), with 12 doctoral places lasting four years in climate, environment or social science.

Sub-Saharan Africa. Both AGNES calls, AGNES-BAYER Science Foundation Research Grant 2026 for PhD Students (closed) and AGNES Intra-Africa Mobility Grants 2026 for PhD Researchers (closed), want applications written in English and filed online by 23:59 GMT on 16 October. The third is FOR-GHP Fellowship 2027: outbreak readiness for sub-Saharan Africa, an 18-month course for health professionals that lasts from 1 December 2026 until 7 July 2028, with Uganda, Ghana and Germany named as hosts.

Developing countries. The German EPOS trio closes on Thursday 15 October with no hour stated. ISATEC (MSc Marine Biology), University of Bremen: DAAD EPOS 2027 (closed) belongs to the natural sciences. Sustainable Renewable Energy Technologies MSc, Oldenburg: EPOS 2027 (closed) is an engineering degree of 24 months that takes applications a year before entry, and International Health MSc, Charité Berlin: DAAD EPOS Scholarship 2027 (closed) admits its students in September 2027.

Every deadline in Accra time, earliest first

Accra keeps GMT all year and never changes its clocks, so a cut-off in GMT or UTC needs no conversion. Britain and central Europe run one and two hours ahead until late October, and North American cut-offs land in your evening or after midnight.

• Monday 5 October, 16:00: Digital Science Catalyst Grant 2026 for AI tools that act on research (closed) (17:00 BST).
• Monday 5 October, 21:59: Bayreuth Academy Fellowships in African Studies, Germany (closed) (23:59 CEST). Software Sustainability Institute Fellowship Programme 2027 (closed) closes the same day, hour not stated.
• Tuesday 6 October, 10:00: AIAS Visiting Fellowships 2027: Unsalaried Research Visits in Denmark (closed) (noon in Copenhagen).
• Tuesday 6 October, 11:00: Chevening Scholarships 2027/28: One-Year UK Master's (closed) (11:00 UTC).
• Tuesday 6 October, 20:00: Knight-Hennessy Scholars 2027: Fully Funded Graduate Study at Stanford (closed) (13:00 Pacific Time).
• Wednesday 7 October, 6:59 am: OpenAI AI and Teen Development Research Grant Program 2026 (closed) (11:59 pm PDT on the Tuesday).
• Wednesday 7 October, 23:59: ARC-GSSP Postgraduate Scholarships for African Students (closed) (GMT). IAIFI Postdoctoral Fellowship 2027-2030 at MIT (closed) closes that Wednesday too, hour unstated.
• Monday 12 to Wednesday 14 October: one call a day with no hour given, first CEES Fellowship Program Spring 2027: Research Stay in Switzerland (closed), then Mandela Washington Fellowship 2027 for Young African Leaders (closed), then Leading for Humanity 2027: Tutu Foundation Leadership Programme (closed).
• Thursday 15 October: African Climate Collaborative PhD Fellowships 2027 at UCT (closed) at 21:00 (23:00 SAST). The EPOS courses 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) give a date only.
• Friday 16 October, 3:59 am: Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program 2027 in the United States (closed) (11:59 pm ET on the Thursday).
• Friday 16 October, 11:00: Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship 2027 at CRASSH, Cambridge (closed), at noon with no zone named, read here as Cambridge time.
• Friday 16 October, 23:59: AGNES-BAYER Science Foundation Research Grant 2026 for PhD Students (closed) and AGNES Intra-Africa Mobility Grants 2026 for PhD Researchers (closed) (GMT).
• Monday 19 October, small hours: The Image Centre Research Fellowships 2027 in Toronto for photography research (closed) (11:59 pm EST on Sunday 18 October in Toronto). Email it on the Sunday.
• Tuesday 20 October, 15:00: Commonwealth Master's Scholarships 2027/28 for Study in the UK (16:00 BST). Mohamed Ali Foundation Fellowship 2027 at Durham University must be received that day, hour not stated.
• Tuesday 20 October, 21:00: Cornell Atkinson Postdoctoral Fellowship in Sustainability 2027 (5 p.m. Eastern Time).
• Wednesday 21 October, midnight CET: FOR-GHP Fellowship 2027: outbreak readiness for sub-Saharan Africa. If that midnight opens the day, the cut-off falls on the evening of 20 October in Accra, so treat the 20th as final.

A date with no hour is no licence to work late. Finish in office hours the day before, while there is still time to write to the funder if the portal fails.

Preparing your application in Ghana

Check the fixed conditions first. Two years of work experience is required by Chevening Scholarships 2027/28: One-Year UK Master's (closed), by FOR-GHP Fellowship 2027: outbreak readiness for sub-Saharan Africa and by all three EPOS courses. AIAS Visiting Fellowships 2027: Unsalaried Research Visits in Denmark (closed) wants four. Mandela Washington Fellowship 2027 for Young African Leaders (closed) stops at age 35.

Almost every call runs in English, but the evidence differs. Only FOR-GHP Fellowship 2027: outbreak readiness for sub-Saharan Africa says outright that it does not require IELTS. It accepts native speakers, IELTS 6.0, TOEFL iBT results of 79–80 or a completed English-medium degree with written proof. ISATEC (MSc Marine Biology), University of Bremen: DAAD EPOS 2027 (closed) requires C1 evidence, except from native English speakers and graduates whose latest degree was taught wholly in English. Sustainable Renewable Energy Technologies MSc, Oldenburg: EPOS 2027 (closed) sets the level at B2 and recognises seven tests, from IELTS and TOEFL iBT to telc and UNIcert. If your degree was taught in English, ask your registrar this week for a signed letter confirming it. CEES Fellowship Program Spring 2027: Research Stay in Switzerland (closed) wants everything in English as one PDF, and at Mohamed Ali Foundation Fellowship 2027 at Durham University you need to read English, French, Arabic and Ottoman Turkish well.

Anything that needs another person's signature takes longest. IAIFI Postdoctoral Fellowship 2027-2030 at MIT (closed) must have your referees' letters by 7 October. The Image Centre Research Fellowships 2027 in Toronto for photography research (closed) expects them attached to the email you send. The EUR 2,500 that Bayreuth Academy Fellowships in African Studies, Germany (closed) pays each month to fellows with no income from home depends on written confirmation from the home institution or the last funder. For AIAS Visiting Fellowships 2027: Unsalaried Research Visits in Denmark (closed), get your employer's promise to keep paying you in writing.

Budget for the gaps. The Toronto stipend (CAD 2,500 up to CAD 10,000) must cover flights, research and everything else. Commonwealth Master's Scholarships 2027/28 for Study in the UK pays no fares for dependants and will not refund any trip made before the award is confirmed.

FAQ for applicants from Ghana

Which calls on this page name Ghana?

Chevening Scholarships 2027/28: One-Year UK Master's (closed), Mandela Washington Fellowship 2027 for Young African Leaders (closed) and Commonwealth Master's Scholarships 2027/28 for Study in the UK. ARC-GSSP Postgraduate Scholarships for African Students (closed) and FOR-GHP Fellowship 2027: outbreak readiness for sub-Saharan Africa also list Ghana as a host country.

Which fully funded master's options suit Ghanaians?

Chevening Scholarships 2027/28: One-Year UK Master's (closed) and Commonwealth Master's Scholarships 2027/28 for Study in the UK both name Ghana and fund a year of master's study in the UK. Knight-Hennessy Scholars 2027: Fully Funded Graduate Study at Stanford (closed) is open to every nationality, and ARC-GSSP Postgraduate Scholarships for African Students (closed) keeps you on the continent for up to two years.

Will I have to sit IELTS?

Not for FOR-GHP Fellowship 2027: outbreak readiness for sub-Saharan Africa, which accepts other evidence. At Sustainable Renewable Energy Technologies MSc, Oldenburg: EPOS 2027 (closed), IELTS is one of seven approved tests. Elsewhere the expected English is described in words, not as a band score.

Is anything open to undergraduates?

Only The Image Centre Research Fellowships 2027 in Toronto for photography research (closed) names them. Neither Digital Science Catalyst Grant 2026 for AI tools that act on research (closed) nor Leading for Humanity 2027: Tutu Foundation Leadership Programme (closed) limits applicants by level.

What do the postdoctoral fellowships pay?

Cornell Atkinson Postdoctoral Fellowship in Sustainability 2027 and the Earth and planetary sciences stream of Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program 2027 in the United States (closed) both reach USD 65,000 a year. Other senior and postdoctoral fellows at the Smithsonian receive USD 60,000, and Cornell adds a research and travel budget of USD 12,000 yearly. At IAIFI Postdoctoral Fellowship 2027-2030 at MIT (closed), pay runs about 15% above the MIT postdoc minimum. Bayreuth Academy Fellowships in African Studies, Germany (closed) pays EUR 2,500 monthly to fellows without income from home, and EUR 1,000 when the fellow is on paid sabbatical.