Scholarships and programmes in the United States for Africans 2027

What is hosted in the United States?

AfriWay tracks 5 open programmes hosted in the United States, and every one of them is a fellowship. There are no undergraduate scholarships on this list and no tuition waivers. That is the first thing to understand about American funding for Africans on this site: what is open right now pays people to do research or journalism, not to enrol in a degree.

All 5 come from different funders. Two are university research centres, one is a business school, one is a private research programme and one is a company. Four are open to any level of seniority within their own definition, and each sets its own field.

How much these pay

The sums are large by the standards of anything else on this site, because these are salaries and stipends rather than study grants.

Hoover Fellow Position 2027 at Stanford's Hoover Institution for early-career scholars from the Hoover Institution at Stanford University pays a 12-month base salary between USD 169,950 and USD 230,000, plus a housing allowance of USD 20,000 a year. It is a full research position for someone who holds a doctorate or expects to finish one in time.

Transfyr AI Fellowship for Researchers, Remote Option from Transfyr pays USD 125,000 a year plus benefits across 12 months, and it is the only entry here that can be done remotely.

The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies Fellowship (closed) from The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies pays USD 80,000 a year for a two-year in-residence appointment, with research support of USD 6,000 a year on top. Five or six scholars are named each year, and the two years have to be completed inside a three-year window.

Chicago Booth Journalists in Residence Program Fellowship (closed) from Chicago Booth is shorter and smaller: a stipend of USD 14,000 across a 12-week programme, with economy airfare to Chicago reimbursed, visa and SEVIS fees covered and health insurance provided through the university plan.

MATS Residency 2027 Winter Intake for AI safety researchers from MATS does not publish a figure on its page. It funds people to work on artificial intelligence safety and provides visa support for those relocating, and it runs in the United Kingdom as well as in the United States.

Who can apply

Every one of the 5 is open to all nationalities, which is unusual and worth repeating. None of them restricts itself to citizens or residents, and none requires an existing visa. What they restrict instead is your stage and your field.

Three want a doctorate. The Harvard appointment takes recent PhDs and postdoctoral researchers in the social sciences. The Stanford position expects a PhD in economics, the humanities, public policy or the social sciences. Transfyr accepts Masters, PhD and postdoctoral candidates in computing, engineering, mathematics or the natural sciences.

One wants working experience instead. The Chicago programme is for journalists with some years behind them, proficient English and an interest in political economy, and it runs from 15 March 2027 to 31 May 2027.

One asks for neither. The AI safety residency judges applications on the quality and seriousness of the work rather than on credentials, so a strong portfolio counts more than a degree certificate.

The one remote and rolling option

Four of these five have a fixed date and require you to move to the United States. The exception matters if relocation is your obstacle.

Transfyr AI Fellowship for Researchers, Remote Option is remote and reviewed on a rolling basis, which means there is no cliff edge to miss and no visa application to lose. If you work in machine learning, engineering or a quantitative science and cannot leave your country this year, this is the entry to read first. Rolling review also rewards applying early, because places fill as strong candidates arrive rather than after a single closing date.

The deadline calendar

Four fixed deadlines spread across two months, plus one that never closes.

• 18 September 2026 at 23:59 for the Harvard academy fellowship, The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies Fellowship (closed), with recommendation letters accepted until 28 September 2026
• 20 September 2026 at 23:59 Chicago time for the journalism residency, Chicago Booth Journalists in Residence Program Fellowship (closed)
• 31 October 2026 for the AI safety residency, MATS Residency 2027 Winter Intake for AI safety researchers, counted anywhere on earth
• 17 November 2026 at 23:59 Pacific time for the Stanford research position, Hoover Fellow Position 2027 at Stanford's Hoover Institution for early-career scholars
• rolling, with no closing date, for the AI fellowship at Transfyr, Transfyr AI Fellowship for Researchers, Remote Option

Note the time zones. Three of the four fixed deadlines are stated in a specific American zone, and one is counted anywhere on earth, which gives you almost a full extra day compared with a local reading.

How to prepare an application in this cycle

Reference letters are the item that sinks these applications. Harvard accepts letters until ten days after the main deadline, which sounds generous until you realise that your referees also need to be told, reminded and given something to write from. Ask them in August, not in September.

Write for the reader you actually have. Academic fellowships here are judged by scholars in your discipline, so the research statement carries the weight. The journalism residency is judged on your reporting and your interest in political economy. The AI residency asks for a work sample and short written answers, and states that disclosed use of AI tools in preparing the application is allowed.

Budget for the gap between award and arrival. None of these 5 is described as fully funded in the sense of covering everything, and the amounts differ in what they include. The Chicago programme reimburses airfare and pays visa fees. The Stanford position adds housing money to a salary. The Harvard appointment gives a stipend and research support but says nothing about flights.

Finally, check the start dates before you apply. The Harvard appointment begins on 1 August 2027, the Chicago residency in March 2027 and the Stanford post in 2027, which means an application submitted this autumn commits a year of your life that begins well after you send it.