Scholarships, grants and fellowships for South Sudanese applicants 2027

Applicants from South Sudan can apply for regional, African and international scholarships, fellowships, grants, competitions and training programmes with deadlines from 10 September to 1 December 2026. Strong matches include funded master’s study in East Africa, professional fellowships, health research, climate storytelling and migration training.

Key facts

• Inter-University Council for East Africa Master’s Scholarships accepts applicants from South Sudan for a 24-month master’s scholarship hosted in Kenya, Rwanda or Tanzania.
• WomenLift Health Eastern Africa Fellowship Opportunity is open to professionals from South Sudan with at least 10 years of experience and covers programme costs, travel and lodging.
• Africa No Filter Climate Justice Storytelling Grants accepts South Sudanese climate storytellers and offers grants of up to USD 4,000 within a 12-month programme.
• UNESCO/Japan Young Researchers’ Fellowship Programme includes South Sudan among its eligible countries and does not require IELTS, although you must show enough proficiency in the language used by the Japanese host institution.
• UNU-MERIT Migration Management Diploma Training Programme covers flights, accommodation, visa fees, meals, daily living expenses, health insurance and field trips for eligible South Sudanese professionals.
• Wageningen University & Research Masters Scholarship offers a 24-month master’s scholarship in Netherlands with tuition, living costs, travel, visa costs and health insurance covered.
• The earliest listed deadline is 10 September 2026, while the latest is 1 December 2026.

Which scholarships are best suited to South Sudanese applicants?

Your first filter should be nationality. Several opportunities list South Sudan directly, while others accept applicants from all African countries, all nationalities or developing countries. You should still check the official page for academic, professional, residence and host-institution conditions before preparing a full application.

For master’s study, Inter-University Council for East Africa Master’s Scholarships is a strong regional option because South Sudan is expressly eligible and the study countries are in East Africa. It covers tuition, travel, insurance and accommodation, and provides a monthly stipend of EUR 380. The package also includes an arrival allowance of EUR 200, study materials support of EUR 650 and a one-time study and research allowance of EUR 1,500.

The scholarship lasts 24 months and is limited to mathematics, engineering, computer science and IT, natural sciences, and business and management. Applications must be submitted in English. The maximum age is 35, and the deadline is 10 September 2026 at 17:00 EAT. Do not wait until the closing hour, particularly if you are applying from a different time zone or need documents from another institution.

For a master’s programme in Europe, Wageningen University & Research Masters Scholarship matters because it covers tuition fees, living costs for the programme, travel to and from Netherlands, visa costs and health insurance. It is open to students from all African countries. You must first submit a complete application for one of the university’s MSc programmes and meet the English language requirements before 1 December 2026.

The available information does not specify the academic qualification, transcript format or English test accepted for every opportunity. Check the official page rather than assuming that a degree, certificate or test result will be accepted.

Which professional fellowships accept South Sudanese applicants?

Experienced professionals have several relevant routes. WomenLift Health Eastern Africa Fellowship Opportunity is designed for professionals in Eastern Africa working in health and medicine, environment and climate, agriculture, education or economics. It includes South Sudan among the eligible countries, requires at least 10 years of experience and runs for 12 months. Written and spoken English fluency is required, while travel and lodging are covered.

This is not a graduate scholarship. Your application should therefore make your professional record easy to assess. State your sector, years of experience and responsibilities plainly, then connect your proposed contribution to one of the listed fields. The official page must be checked for the required supporting documents and selection process.

Women working in cybersecurity can consider CyberSafe Foundation Fellowship for African Women in Cybersecurity, which matters because it is open to women from all African countries and is delivered remotely. Applicants must currently reside in an African country, speak English and have at least three years of experience. Tuition is fully funded through training and certification provided as an in-kind contribution.

The programme runs from 26 October 2026 to 30 July 2027. Its closing time is 12:00 WAT on 10 September 2026. WAT is not the same as EAT, UK time or North American time, so record the deadline in the time zone shown by the provider.

Professionals in land restoration and biosphere-reserve work can review UNESCO AfriMAB GRÓ-LRT Land Restoration Fellowship. It matters because it accepts applicants from all African countries, requires at least one year of experience, has a maximum age of 40 and requires communication in English. The six-month fellowship is fully funded, including tuition, academic expenses, travel, health insurance and living costs. Check the official page for the host-country and travel arrangements.

Which South Sudan opportunities focus on health, climate and agriculture?

Health professionals and researchers should separate professional development from doctoral study. Mastercard Foundation Doctor of Public Health Scholarship and Mastercard Foundation PhD Scholarship at University of Toronto are doctoral health opportunities in Canada for applicants from all African countries. Each provides full support for tuition, travel, housing, food, books and other expenses for the duration of the professional programme, with seven awards stated for each opportunity.

The available information does not provide the academic background, research topic, work experience or language-test rules for these doctoral scholarships. Do not submit based only on the health field. Check the official page for doctoral admission requirements and the documents needed by the university and funder.

Climate-focused applicants from South Sudan can consider Africa No Filter Climate Justice Storytelling Grants, which matters because South Sudan is expressly listed as eligible. The 12-month programme supports storytellers with training, mentorship, content amplification and grants of up to USD 4,000. Content may be delivered in English or French.

A strong application should explain the climate justice issue, identify the community or public audience involved and show what story or reporting project you will produce. These points help present a clear proposal, but they do not replace the provider’s instructions. The official page remains the authority for format, attachments and selection criteria.

Agricultural scientists, extension specialists and educators can review APNI African Plant Nutrition Outreach Fellowship Competition. It matters because it is open to all African countries, accepts applications in English or French and offers USD 5,000 awards for education, training and communication programmes related to improving the use and efficiency of plant nutrients in African agro-ecosystems. The opportunity is not described as a degree scholarship, so applicants should present a defined outreach or education activity rather than a general study plan.

Which options suit applicants without IELTS?

Only one listed opportunity explicitly states that IELTS is not required. UNESCO/Japan Young Researchers’ Fellowship Programme is open to eligible South Sudanese applicants at master’s or PhD level, depending on the approved research placement, and may provide a grant of up to USD 10,000. The grant can support international and domestic travel, accommodation, medical insurance, subsistence and other research-related expenses.

The grant does not cover tuition, equipment such as computers, publication costs or conference participation unless conference attendance is clearly justified as an integral part of the research. You must show sufficient reading and writing proficiency in the language of instruction or supervision at the proposed host institution in Japan. IELTS is not required, but that does not remove the language requirement.

Other opportunities require English in specific ways. Inter-University Council for East Africa Master’s Scholarships requires applications in English. WomenLift Health Eastern Africa Fellowship Opportunity asks for confidence and fluency in written and verbal English. World Bank GovTech AI Training Programme conducts sessions in English with interpretation support. Leading Russian Universities Open Doors Scholarship may offer programmes in Russian or English, depending on the institution, and students must cover transport, food, accommodation, communication and medical insurance themselves.

Do not treat English ability as proof that a particular university will accept your previous qualification or language evidence. Confirm the host institution’s rule before paying for a test or submitting an incomplete application.

What should South Sudanese professionals know about funded training?

UNU-MERIT Migration Management Diploma Training Programme is a three-month migration management diploma training programme in Netherlands. It matters because South Sudan is included in the eligible-country list and the scholarship covers flights, accommodation, visa fees, meals, daily living expenses, health insurance and field trip costs.

The programme is for professionals and accepts applicants from a wide range of fields. Its event dates are 5 April 2027 to 24 June 2027, and the deadline is 1 October 2026 at 23:59 CEST. Because the programme covers visa fees and travel, you should check passport validity, travel-document rules and the provider’s required evidence early rather than waiting for an offer.

Applicants working in public administration can consider World Bank GovTech AI Training Programme, which matters because it provides international travel and accommodation for two selected team members from developing countries. The five-day bootcamp in South Korea focuses on artificial intelligence for governance and public administration. All sessions are in English with interpretation support.

This opportunity is team-based. The available information does not state how teams must be formed or which institutional documents are required. Check the official page for the team structure, eligibility interpretation and submission process before choosing colleagues.

How should you plan applications between September and December?

The deadlines are concentrated in a short period. On 10 September 2026, Inter-University Council for East Africa Master’s Scholarships, UNESCO AfriMAB GRÓ-LRT Land Restoration Fellowship and CyberSafe Foundation Fellowship for African Women in Cybersecurity close, each with a different time rule. The next deadlines include The Abebi AfroNonfiction Foundation Fellowship Opportunity on 12 September, ERA Cambridge AI Fellowship Opportunity for Professionals on 13 September and several opportunities on 15 September. Later deadlines continue through October, November and 1 December.

Create a separate file for each application. Record the closing date, time zone, level, field, country eligibility, language rule, funding limits and host country. This prevents a common error: applying because an opportunity is open to Africans while overlooking a professional-experience, age, field or residence condition.

Use the deadline exactly as published. Chicago Booth Journalists in Residence Program Fellowship closes at 23:59 Chicago time, The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies Fellowship uses 11:59 EDT for most materials and has a later deadline for recommendation letters, and Mastercard Foundation PhD Scholarship at University of Toronto and Mastercard Foundation Doctor of Public Health Scholarship close at 23:59 EST in Toronto. UNESCO/Japan Young Researchers’ Fellowship Programme closes at midnight Paris time, while ICANN Fellowship Program: Travel-Supported Opportunity closes at 23:59 UTC.

A complete application is safer than an early but missing submission. For Wageningen University & Research Masters Scholarship, the master’s application must be complete before the stated deadline. For The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies Fellowship, all materials except recommendation letters must arrive by 18 September 2026 at 11:59 PM EDT, while letters must arrive no later than 28 September 2026 at 11:59 PM EDT. Ask referees early and confirm that they understand the separate closing time.

What funding limits should you check before accepting an award?

“Funded” does not always mean every cost is paid. Leading Russian Universities Open Doors Scholarship covers tuition and provides a monthly stipend, but the student pays transportation, food, accommodation, communication services and medical insurance. UNESCO/Japan Young Researchers’ Fellowship Programme provides a lump-sum research grant but excludes tuition and several research-related costs.

By contrast, Inter-University Council for East Africa Master’s Scholarships lists tuition, stipend, travel, insurance and accommodation, with additional allowances described in the funding package. UNU-MERIT Migration Management Diploma Training Programme lists flights, accommodation, visa fees, meals, living costs, health insurance and field trips. Read each funding section line by line and separate direct payments, allowances, reimbursements and costs left to you.

Currency also matters. Inter-University Council for East Africa Master’s Scholarships states its stipend and allowances in euros and encourages, where feasible, a euro-denominated bank account to reduce losses from exchange fluctuations and conversion charges. Do not convert the figures into South Sudanese pounds when assessing affordability without checking the exchange rate and the provider’s payment method.

Frequently asked questions about South Sudan scholarships

Can South Sudanese apply for scholarships in East Africa?

Yes. Inter-University Council for East Africa Master’s Scholarships specifically includes South Sudan and hosts master’s students in Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania. Applications must be in English, the award lasts 24 months and the maximum age is 35.

Which opportunity covers a full training stay in the Netherlands?

UNU-MERIT Migration Management Diploma Training Programme covers flights, accommodation, visa fees, meals, daily living expenses, health insurance and field trip costs. It is a three-month professional training programme, and South Sudan appears in its eligible-country list.

Is IELTS required for every listed opportunity?

No. UNESCO/Japan Young Researchers’ Fellowship Programme explicitly says IELTS is not required, but applicants must show sufficient proficiency in the language used for instruction or supervision in Japan. Other opportunities have their own English rules, so check each official page separately.

Which opportunity supports climate storytelling from South Sudan?

Africa No Filter Climate Justice Storytelling Grants lists South Sudan as eligible and supports a 12-month climate justice storytelling programme. It provides training, mentorship, content amplification and grants of up to USD 4,000, with content delivered in English or French.

Can South Sudanese applicants apply for doctoral health scholarships in Canada?

Yes. Mastercard Foundation PhD Scholarship at University of Toronto and Mastercard Foundation Doctor of Public Health Scholarship are open to applicants from all African countries and are hosted in Canada. Both describe full support for tuition, travel, housing, food, books and other expenses, but you must check the official page for doctoral admission requirements.

What should you do next?

Start with the opportunities that match your level, field and experience, not the largest stated award. If you are a South Sudanese master’s applicant aged 35 or younger, check Inter-University Council for East Africa Master’s Scholarships first. If you are an experienced regional health, agriculture, education, environment or economics professional, examine WomenLift Health Eastern Africa Fellowship Opportunity. If your work is climate storytelling, review Africa No Filter Climate Justice Storytelling Grants.

Then open the official page for every serious option and verify the required documents, academic qualifications, language evidence, visa conditions and submission method. Prepare English-language materials where required, brief referees about separate letter deadlines and submit before the stated time-zone cutoff. Keep proof of submission and review funding exclusions before accepting an offer.