Scholarships, grants and fellowships for Zambian applicants 2027

From Zambia you can send an application to 25 open calls listed on AfriWay, with closing dates running from 5 to 20 October 2026. Four eligibility lists name Zambia, two of them Commonwealth schemes. Six calls meet AfriWay's fully funded test. Every closing hour a funder gives is shown here in Lusaka time.

What Zambians can apply for right now

Fellowships make up 12 of the calls. Next come scholarships (eight), grants (four) and one training programme, from 24 funders, since AGNES appears twice. Many calls accept several levels: postdocs have ten options, master's and PhD applicants eight each, people in employment five. Three calls ignore level entirely, and one mentions undergraduates.

Only four lists spell out Zambia. Chevening Scholarships 2027/28: One-Year UK Master's (closed) and Mandela Washington Fellowship 2027 for Young African Leaders (closed) cover most of Africa, while the Commonwealth schemes are tighter: 21 countries can apply to Commonwealth Master's Scholarships 2027/28 for Study in the UK and 11 to University of Sussex Commonwealth PhD Scholarships 2027. Seven more calls let Zambians in through a rule for the continent, for sub-Saharan Africa or for developing countries. The other 14 take any passport, so there you compete with the world.

Your career stage cuts the list down fast.

Heading for a master's. Two British options, Chevening Scholarships 2027/28: One-Year UK Master's (closed) and Commonwealth Master's Scholarships 2027/28 for Study in the UK, pay for twelve months of study, and Knight-Hennessy Scholars 2027: Fully Funded Graduate Study at Stanford (closed) accepts any graduate programme. Germany adds three DAAD 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).

Doing a PhD. University of Sussex Commonwealth PhD Scholarships 2027 funds a whole doctorate and African Climate Collaborative PhD Fellowships 2027 at UCT (closed) a four-year fellowship, while AGNES-BAYER Science Foundation Research Grant 2026 for PhD Students (closed) and AGNES Intra-Africa Mobility Grants 2026 for PhD Researchers (closed) help with research already under way.

Holding a doctorate. Cornell Atkinson Postdoctoral Fellowship in Sustainability 2027 carries USD 65,000 in salary for each of its three years, plus full staff benefits at Cornell and a yearly USD 12,000 to spend on research and travel. IAIFI Postdoctoral Fellowship 2027-2030 at MIT (closed) pays roughly 15% above the institute's own postdoc minimum, and Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program 2027 in the United States (closed) pays USD 45,000 or more a year, up to USD 65,000, depending on category. For a research visit, look at CEES Fellowship Program Spring 2027: Research Stay in Switzerland (closed) (up to four months), Bayreuth Academy Fellowships in African Studies, Germany (closed) (15 places) and AIAS Visiting Fellowships 2027: Unsalaried Research Visits in Denmark (closed).

In a job. Mandela Washington Fellowship 2027 for Young African Leaders (closed) takes 550 fellows, none older than 35, from business, management and public policy, and Leading for Humanity 2027: Tutu Foundation Leadership Programme (closed) brings its cohort together in South Africa. Software people can weigh Software Sustainability Institute Fellowship Programme 2027 (closed), a 15-month UK fellowship, against Digital Science Catalyst Grant 2026 for AI tools that act on research (closed), worth up to GBP 25,000. Grants from OpenAI AI and Teen Development Research Grant Program 2026 (closed) reach USD 1 million each.

Undergraduates. Their one named option is The Image Centre Research Fellowships 2027 in Toronto for photography research (closed), which has six places.

Fully funded awards, earliest deadline first

AfriWay's test is simple: tuition and living costs for a scholarship or fellowship, living costs alone for a grant. Six calls pass, three of which name Zambia.

First up is Chevening Scholarships 2027/28: One-Year UK Master's (closed), closing at 13:00 Lusaka time on 6 October 2026 (11:00 UTC). Any subject is allowed for its one-year UK master's, as long as you have worked for at least two years.

Knight-Hennessy Scholars 2027: Fully Funded Graduate Study at Stanford (closed) follows that evening at 22:00. Scholars get as long as three years of a Stanford graduate degree covered. Tuition and fees go straight to the university, and each year also brings a living stipend and the fare for one economy-class round trip.

In the small hours of 8 October, at 01:59 Lusaka time, ARC-GSSP Postgraduate Scholarships for African Students (closed) closes. Engineers, mathematicians and students of climate and environment have their fees paid for as long as two years of postgraduate work, plus a living stipend and help with travel. Study takes place in Senegal, South Africa, Ghana or Côte d'Ivoire.

AGNES Intra-Africa Mobility Grants 2026 for PhD Researchers (closed) is the one grant in the group. It pays travel and subsistence for a month or two at an institution beyond your own borders, up to EUR 2,300 or EUR 3,000, and involves no degree.

Tuesday 20 October brings both Commonwealth awards. Commonwealth Master's Scholarships 2027/28 for Study in the UK settles the approved fees in full with the university, pays for an approved return flight and adds a living allowance of GBP 1,712 a month. Scholars placed in the London metropolitan area get GBP 2,000 instead. University of Sussex Commonwealth PhD Scholarships 2027 pays overseas-rate PhD fees in full and a stipend, flies you to the UK and back, and adds a Research Training Support Grant plus fieldwork costs.

Mohamed Ali Foundation Fellowship 2027 at Durham University misses the label, yet its fellows get free board and lodging, a research travel grant and a closing honorarium.

Southern Africa, the continent and developing countries

Zambia has no call to itself, and neither does southern Africa as a region. Seven calls apply a broader rule that Zambia satisfies.

The whole continent. ARC-GSSP Postgraduate Scholarships for African Students (closed) is one. The University of Cape Town runs the other, African Climate Collaborative PhD Fellowships 2027 at UCT (closed), a four-year doctoral programme with 12 places for research on climate, the environment or society. Because South Africa and Zambia keep the same time, its 23:00 SAST cut-off on 15 October means 23:00 in Lusaka.

Sub-Saharan Africa. AGNES runs both calls, and both must be submitted in English. AGNES-BAYER Science Foundation Research Grant 2026 for PhD Students (closed) gives doctoral researchers in agriculture, climate or the environment up to EUR 7,000 apiece. AGNES Intra-Africa Mobility Grants 2026 for PhD Researchers (closed) pays for the short stays described above.

Developing countries. DAAD EPOS money supports three German master's courses, each closing on 15 October 2026 and each asking for two years in work. ISATEC (MSc Marine Biology), University of Bremen: DAAD EPOS 2027 (closed) trains marine biologists, Sustainable Renewable Energy Technologies MSc, Oldenburg: EPOS 2027 (closed) covers renewable energy over 24 months, and International Health MSc, Charité Berlin: DAAD EPOS Scholarship 2027 (closed) takes its next students in September 2027.

Zambia's neighbours do not all share these lists. Chevening Scholarships 2027/28: One-Year UK Master's (closed) and Mandela Washington Fellowship 2027 for Young African Leaders (closed) name every one of the eight. Commonwealth Master's Scholarships 2027/28 for Study in the UK includes Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia and Tanzania but omits Angola, DR Congo and Zimbabwe, and University of Sussex Commonwealth PhD Scholarships 2027 keeps just Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. Two programmes bring you south rather than overseas: Leading for Humanity 2027: Tutu Foundation Leadership Programme (closed) meets in South Africa, and South Africa is also on the host list of ARC-GSSP Postgraduate Scholarships for African Students (closed).

Closing dates in Lusaka time (CAT, UTC+2)

Zambia keeps Central Africa Time, UTC plus two hours, all year. Every European deadline below falls before Europe's clocks go back, so hours set in Germany, Denmark or South Africa need no conversion. Add an hour to London times and two to GMT. North American cut-offs fall between 22:00 and 09:00. Lusaka time comes first.

• Monday 5 October. Software Sustainability Institute Fellowship Programme 2027 (closed) gives no hour. Digital Science Catalyst Grant 2026 for AI tools that act on research (closed) shuts at 18:00 (17:00 BST) and Bayreuth Academy Fellowships in African Studies, Germany (closed) at 23:59 (23:59 CEST).
• Tuesday 6 October. AIAS Visiting Fellowships 2027: Unsalaried Research Visits in Denmark (closed) at 12:00 (noon in Copenhagen, though its page says CET, which would mean 13:00). Chevening Scholarships 2027/28: One-Year UK Master's (closed) at 13:00 (11:00 UTC). Knight-Hennessy Scholars 2027: Fully Funded Graduate Study at Stanford (closed) at 22:00 (1:00 pm Pacific Time).
• Wednesday 7 October. OpenAI AI and Teen Development Research Grant Program 2026 (closed) closes at 08:59 (11:59 pm PDT on 6 October). IAIFI Postdoctoral Fellowship 2027-2030 at MIT (closed) gives no hour, and references are part of the file.
• Thursday 8 October. ARC-GSSP Postgraduate Scholarships for African Students (closed) at 01:59 (11:59 pm GMT the night before).
• Monday 12, Tuesday 13, Wednesday 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) respectively, with dates but no hours.
• Thursday 15 October. African Climate Collaborative PhD Fellowships 2027 at UCT (closed) at 23:00 (23:00 SAST). No hour for the three EPOS courses.
• Friday 16 October. Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program 2027 in the United States (closed) closes at 05:59 (11:59 pm ET on the 15th). Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship 2027 at CRASSH, Cambridge (closed) closes at noon with no zone named, 13:00 in Lusaka if Cambridge means UK time.
• Saturday 17 October. AGNES-BAYER Science Foundation Research Grant 2026 for PhD Students (closed) and AGNES Intra-Africa Mobility Grants 2026 for PhD Researchers (closed) at 01:59 (23:59 GMT on the 16th).
• Monday 19 October. The Image Centre Research Fellowships 2027 in Toronto for photography research (closed) closes at 05:59. Its page says 11:59 pm EST on Sunday the 18th, but Toronto is still on daylight time then.
• Tuesday 20 October. Commonwealth Master's Scholarships 2027/28 for Study in the UK at 17:00 (16:00 BST) and University of Sussex Commonwealth PhD Scholarships 2027 at 18:00 (4 pm GMT, though 17:00 is safer if UK time is meant). Cornell Atkinson Postdoctoral Fellowship in Sustainability 2027 at 23:00 (5 pm ET). Mohamed Ali Foundation Fellowship 2027 at Durham University must receive your file on the day, hour unstated.

Five of these land after midnight and before 06:00 in Lusaka. For those, and for every date without an hour, make the previous evening your real deadline.

Preparing an application from Zambia

Check the fixed rules first. Chevening Scholarships 2027/28: One-Year UK Master's (closed) and the three EPOS courses want two years in employment, AIAS Visiting Fellowships 2027: Unsalaried Research Visits in Denmark (closed) wants four, and Mandela Washington Fellowship 2027 for Young African Leaders (closed) stops at 35.

English is the working language of nearly every call, and no listing waives IELTS. University of Sussex Commonwealth PhD Scholarships 2027 requires a valid IELTS certificate, so if you have none, book a test before anything else. At Sustainable Renewable Energy Technologies MSc, Oldenburg: EPOS 2027 (closed), a B2 result from any of seven named tests is enough, IELTS and TOEFL iBT included. ISATEC (MSc Marine Biology), University of Bremen: DAAD EPOS 2027 (closed) wants proof at C1 from everyone except native English speakers whose most recent studies ran entirely in English, so an English-medium degree alone is not enough.

Letters from other people take longest. IAIFI Postdoctoral Fellowship 2027-2030 at MIT (closed) wants every reference letter in hand by 7 October, and The Image Centre Research Fellowships 2027 in Toronto for photography research (closed) expects them inside the same email as your application. Quote each referee the cut-off in their local time, not yours.

Two calls depend on your institution. Fellows at Bayreuth Academy Fellowships in African Studies, Germany (closed) with no income from home receive EUR 2,500 monthly, provided their home institution or latest funder confirms it. At AIAS Visiting Fellowships 2027: Unsalaried Research Visits in Denmark (closed) your employer must go on paying your salary during the visit, so get that commitment in writing now.

Finally, cost the gaps. Flights between Lusaka and South Africa for Leading for Humanity 2027: Tutu Foundation Leadership Programme (closed) fall to you or a sponsor. At The Image Centre Research Fellowships 2027 in Toronto for photography research (closed), a stipend of up to CAD 10,000 must also pay for the flight to Toronto. Commonwealth Master's Scholarships 2027/28 for Study in the UK pays nothing towards a dependant's fare, and nothing for any trip you make ahead of confirmation of the award.

Questions Zambian applicants ask

Which calls list Zambia by name?

Chevening Scholarships 2027/28: One-Year UK Master's (closed), Mandela Washington Fellowship 2027 for Young African Leaders (closed), Commonwealth Master's Scholarships 2027/28 for Study in the UK and University of Sussex Commonwealth PhD Scholarships 2027. Seven others admit Zambians through a continental, sub-Saharan or developing-country rule.

Which fully funded master's options are open to Zambians?

Both British awards that name Zambia, Chevening Scholarships 2027/28: One-Year UK Master's (closed) and Commonwealth Master's Scholarships 2027/28 for Study in the UK, pay for a one-year master's. Beyond Britain, Knight-Hennessy Scholars 2027: Fully Funded Graduate Study at Stanford (closed) covers up to three years, while ARC-GSSP Postgraduate Scholarships for African Students (closed) offers up to two years of postgraduate study without leaving Africa.

Will I need an IELTS certificate?

At University of Sussex Commonwealth PhD Scholarships 2027, yes. Sustainable Renewable Energy Technologies MSc, Oldenburg: EPOS 2027 (closed) lists IELTS among seven acceptable tests. Only nine listings state any language rule, so read the official page of every other call before you pay a test fee.

What is open to undergraduates?

The Image Centre Research Fellowships 2027 in Toronto for photography research (closed) names them outright. Digital Science Catalyst Grant 2026 for AI tools that act on research (closed) and Leading for Humanity 2027: Tutu Foundation Leadership Programme (closed) place no restriction on level.