Scholarships, grants and fellowships for South African applicants 2027

This guide covers 25 open calls that accept applicants from South Africa, with deadlines between 5 and 20 October 2026. Five of them name South Africa on their country list. Five carry AfriWay's fully funded label, and two of those name South Africa too. For several calls, the real test is not the date but a rule you cannot change this month, such as years of experience, an age limit or a language certificate.

What South Africans can apply for before 20 October

The 25 calls are 12 fellowships, eight scholarships, four grants and one training programme, from 24 funders. Master's applicants and postdocs have nine calls each. PhD candidates have eight, working professionals six, and three calls set no level at all. One names undergraduates.

South Africa appears by name on five country lists: Chevening Scholarships 2027/28: One-Year UK Master's (closed), France-South Africa Scholarship Programme 2027 for Graduates (closed), Mandela Washington Fellowship 2027 for Young African Leaders (closed), CFJ Fellowship 2027 for Early-Career Women Lawyers and Commonwealth Master's Scholarships 2027/28 for Study in the UK. Two further calls accept every African country, two are for Sub-Saharan Africa and three target developing countries. Any nationality can apply to the remaining 13.

Fully funded awards follow in the next section. Other calls sort by profile.

Master's and PhD applicants. France-South Africa Scholarship Programme 2027 for Graduates (closed) is for master's or doctoral study in France, in any field. Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program 2027 in the United States (closed) pays master's, PhD and postdoctoral researchers in the sciences, humanities and arts between USD 45,000 and USD 65,000 a year, depending on the category. Doctoral researchers can also weigh Bayreuth Academy Fellowships in African Studies, Germany (closed), where fellows with no pay from home get EUR 2,500 a month.

Postdocs. Four postdocs will join Cornell Atkinson Postdoctoral Fellowship in Sustainability 2027 on a salary of USD 65,000 a year for three years, with another USD 12,000 a year for research and travel. At IAIFI Postdoctoral Fellowship 2027-2030 at MIT (closed), the salary is currently around 15% above the minimum postdoc salary at MIT. Humanities and social science researchers can look at Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship 2027 at CRASSH, Cambridge (closed) and CEES Fellowship Program Spring 2027: Research Stay in Switzerland (closed). AIAS Visiting Fellowships 2027: Unsalaried Research Visits in Denmark (closed) pays no salary, so you bring your own from your home institution.

Professionals. CFJ Fellowship 2027 for Early-Career Women Lawyers has ten places for 12 months. Host organisations in South Africa, Kenya, Malawi and Gambia pay each fellow the local-currency equivalent of a competitive gross annual salary. 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) offers professionals in computer science and IT 15 months in the United Kingdom. Leading for Humanity 2027: Tutu Foundation Leadership Programme (closed) is held in South Africa and covers programme costs, accommodation and meals, while participants or their sponsors pay for travel.

Undergraduates and research grants. Undergraduates have one option, The Image Centre Research Fellowships 2027 in Toronto for photography research (closed), with six places across all levels. OpenAI AI and Teen Development Research Grant Program 2026 (closed) makes individual grants of up to USD 1 million to postdocs and professionals. Digital Science Catalyst Grant 2026 for AI tools that act on research (closed) offers up to GBP 25,000, which can be split between recipients, with no level requirement.

Fully funded options in deadline order

AfriWay counts a scholarship or fellowship as fully funded only when it pays tuition and a living stipend. A grant qualifies with a stipend alone. Five calls here meet that standard.

Earliest is Chevening Scholarships 2027/28: One-Year UK Master's (closed), due at 11:00 UTC on 6 October 2026, or 13:00 on a Johannesburg clock. A one-year master's in the United Kingdom, in any subject, comes with tuition and a living stipend, provided you have two or more years of work experience.

Nine hours later, at 22:00 South African time, Knight-Hennessy Scholars 2027: Fully Funded Graduate Study at Stanford (closed) closes. Scholars are funded for up to three years of any graduate degree at Stanford, from tuition and associated fees to a living and academic stipend and a yearly economy-class trip.

ARC-GSSP Postgraduate Scholarships for African Students (closed) runs until 01:59 on 8 October, Johannesburg time, and takes applicants from every African country. For up to two years of postgraduate work in mathematics, engineering or environment and climate, it pays full tuition along with a living stipend and travel support. South Africa is one of the four host countries, with Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal and Ghana.

AGNES Intra-Africa Mobility Grants 2026 for PhD Researchers (closed) is the only grant among the five. It pays EUR 2,300 to EUR 3,000 for one to two months of research outside South Africa, covering travel and subsistence, and closes at 01:59 on 17 October.

Commonwealth Master's Scholarships 2027/28 for Study in the UK closes last, at 16:00 BST on 20 October, or 17:00 in Johannesburg. It names South Africa among 21 eligible countries. For a one-year master's in the United Kingdom, it covers approved tuition fees in full, an approved return airfare and a stipend of GBP 1,712 a month, or GBP 2,000 a month at universities in the London metropolitan area.

Short country lists, and calls for Africa or developing countries

Two of the five named lists are very short. France-South Africa Scholarship Programme 2027 for Graduates (closed) is open only to South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi. CFJ Fellowship 2027 for Early-Career Women Lawyers is open only to South Africa, Kenya, Malawi and Gambia. Commonwealth Master's Scholarships 2027/28 for Study in the UK covers 21 countries and Mandela Washington Fellowship 2027 for Young African Leaders (closed) covers 49 African countries.

Beyond ARC-GSSP Postgraduate Scholarships for African Students (closed), the one other call open to all of Africa comes from close to home: African Climate Collaborative PhD Fellowships 2027 at UCT (closed), run by the University of Cape Town, with 12 PhD fellowships lasting 48 months in environment, climate and social science.

South Africa lies within Sub-Saharan Africa, so both AGNES grants for PhD students are open to you. AGNES-BAYER Science Foundation Research Grant 2026 for PhD Students (closed) awards up to EUR 7,000 per successful applicant for research in environment, climate or agriculture. AGNES Intra-Africa Mobility Grants 2026 for PhD Researchers (closed) funds a research stay abroad in any field. Both applications must be written in English.

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). Their listings speak of developing countries without naming them. Confirm on each official page that South Africa is on the list the programme uses before you start. Each also asks for at least two years of experience.

Deadlines closest first, in Johannesburg time

South Africa keeps South African Standard Time (SAST), two hours ahead of UTC, all year. In October, until Europe turns its clocks back, SAST equals Central European Summer Time, so a 23:59 CEST deadline is also 23:59 in Johannesburg. Deadlines set in GMT fall two hours later on your clock, and American evening deadlines fall the next morning.

• 5 October: Digital Science Catalyst Grant 2026 for AI tools that act on research (closed) at 17:00 BST (18:00 in Johannesburg), Bayreuth Academy Fellowships in African Studies, Germany (closed) at 23:59 CEST (23:59 in Johannesburg too) and Software Sustainability Institute Fellowship Programme 2027 (closed) with no hour given.
• 6 October: AIAS Visiting Fellowships 2027: Unsalaried Research Visits in Denmark (closed) at noon Copenhagen time (also noon in Johannesburg), Chevening Scholarships 2027/28: One-Year UK Master's (closed) at 11:00 UTC (13:00) and Knight-Hennessy Scholars 2027: Fully Funded Graduate Study at Stanford (closed) at 1:00 pm Pacific Time (22:00).
• 08:59 on 7 October in Johannesburg: OpenAI AI and Teen Development Research Grant Program 2026 (closed), which closes at 23:59 Pacific Time on 6 October.
• 7 October: IAIFI Postdoctoral Fellowship 2027-2030 at MIT (closed), with all materials, reference letters included, due that day, and ARC-GSSP Postgraduate Scholarships for African Students (closed) at 23:59 GMT (01:59 on 8 October).
• 8 October: France-South Africa Scholarship Programme 2027 for Graduates (closed) at 23:59 South African time.
• 12, 13 and 14 October: 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, with no hour given.
• 15 October: the three EPOS programmes at an unstated hour, African Climate Collaborative PhD Fellowships 2027 at UCT (closed) at 23:00 local time, and Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program 2027 in the United States (closed) at 23:59 Eastern Time, which is 05:59 on 16 October here.
• 16 October: Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship 2027 at CRASSH, Cambridge (closed) at noon with no time zone stated (13:00 in Johannesburg if it means UK time), then AGNES-BAYER Science Foundation Research Grant 2026 for PhD Students (closed) and AGNES Intra-Africa Mobility Grants 2026 for PhD Researchers (closed) at 23:59 GMT (01:59 on 17 October).
• 18 October: The Image Centre Research Fellowships 2027 in Toronto for photography research (closed) at 23:59 EST. Toronto is six hours behind Johannesburg in October, so treat 05:59 on 19 October as your limit.
• 20 October: CFJ Fellowship 2027 for Early-Career Women Lawyers at noon South African time, Commonwealth Master's Scholarships 2027/28 for Study in the UK at 16:00 BST (17:00) and Cornell Atkinson Postdoctoral Fellowship in Sustainability 2027 at 17:00 Eastern Time (23:00).

When a listing names no hour, count the day before as your deadline.

How to prepare from South Africa in the time left

Settle eligibility before you write a word. Two years of experience is the floor for Chevening Scholarships 2027/28: One-Year UK Master's (closed) and the three EPOS programmes, and four years for AIAS Visiting Fellowships 2027: Unsalaried Research Visits in Denmark (closed). Mandela Washington Fellowship 2027 for Young African Leaders (closed) takes applicants up to age 35. CFJ Fellowship 2027 for Early-Career Women Lawyers is written for early-career women lawyers.

None of the 25 listings says that IELTS is waived, so plan your English evidence now. Sustainable Renewable Energy Technologies MSc, Oldenburg: EPOS 2027 (closed) accepts TOEFL iBT, IELTS, Cambridge, PTE Academic, TOEIC, telc or UNIcert at level B2. ISATEC (MSc Marine Biology), University of Bremen: DAAD EPOS 2027 (closed) wants C1 proof only from applicants whose native language is not English or whose last study was not completely taught in English. If your last degree was taught entirely in English, check what evidence of that the programme accepts. CFJ Fellowship 2027 for Early-Career Women Lawyers requires fluent English and prefers other working languages used where its host organisations are based.

Line up letters this week. For IAIFI Postdoctoral Fellowship 2027-2030 at MIT (closed), your referees' letters belong to the file and must be in by 7 October. The Image Centre Research Fellowships 2027 in Toronto for photography research (closed) wants letters of reference to travel with the application, by email. CEES Fellowship Program Spring 2027: Research Stay in Switzerland (closed) needs every document in English, bundled as one PDF. At Bayreuth Academy Fellowships in African Studies, Germany (closed), the EUR 2,500 monthly rate depends on a confirmation from your home institution or last funding organisation.

Watch the costs that stay with you. Under Commonwealth Master's Scholarships 2027/28 for Study in the UK, the Commission will not reimburse fares for dependants or journeys made before the award is confirmed, so book nothing early. The Image Centre Research Fellowships 2027 in Toronto for photography research (closed) pays a CAD 10,000 stipend that must cover travel, research and related expenses.

Submit a day early. Five of the stated closing hours fall between midnight and 06:00 in Johannesburg, when a failed upload leaves no time to try again.

Frequently asked questions

Which calls in this guide name South Africa?

Chevening Scholarships 2027/28: One-Year UK Master's (closed), France-South Africa Scholarship Programme 2027 for Graduates (closed), Mandela Washington Fellowship 2027 for Young African Leaders (closed), CFJ Fellowship 2027 for Early-Career Women Lawyers and Commonwealth Master's Scholarships 2027/28 for Study in the UK. Four more accept every African country or Sub-Saharan Africa, and three are aimed at developing countries.

Can a South African get a fully funded master's from this list?

Yes, through Chevening Scholarships 2027/28: One-Year UK Master's (closed) or Commonwealth Master's Scholarships 2027/28 for Study in the UK, which both name South Africa and pay tuition plus a living stipend for a one-year master's in the United Kingdom. Knight-Hennessy Scholars 2027: Fully Funded Graduate Study at Stanford (closed) covers up to three years of graduate study at Stanford.

Do I need an IELTS score?

None of the listings waives it. If you prefer another test, Sustainable Renewable Energy Technologies MSc, Oldenburg: EPOS 2027 (closed) accepts six alternatives to IELTS at level B2.

Is there anything for lawyers?

CFJ Fellowship 2027 for Early-Career Women Lawyers is the only law call in this guide. It names South Africa and offers ten fellowships of 12 months.

What can undergraduates apply for?

The Image Centre Research Fellowships 2027 in Toronto for photography research (closed) is the one call that includes undergraduates. Digital Science Catalyst Grant 2026 for AI tools that act on research (closed) and Leading for Humanity 2027: Tutu Foundation Leadership Programme (closed) are open at any level.