Can Pakistanis Get the SI Scholarship 2027? No, Pakistan Is Not on Sweden's 34-Country List
Pakistan is not among the 34 countries eligible for Sweden's SI Scholarship 2027/2028. See the country list, what it pays, the dates and awards that do fit.
No. Pakistan is not one of the 34 countries eligible for the Swedish Institute Scholarships for Global Professionals (SISGP) 2027/2028. A Pakistani citizen cannot win this award, however strong the application. You can still study a master's in Sweden, but you will need another way to pay for it.
This matters now because the Swedish university round is open. Applications to Swedish master's programmes run from 16 October 2026 to 15 January 2027. Many students apply to a Swedish university expecting to add the SI Scholarship in February, and find out too late that their country is not listed.
We read the Swedish Institute's own scholarship page for 2027/2028 on si.se. It names the 34 countries and gives the dates and benefits below.
Pakistan is not on the 2027/2028 country list
The Swedish Institute (SI) is a Swedish government agency. Its page says the scholarship is "available for 34 countries". Pakistan is not among them. Bangladesh is the only South Asian country on the list.
| Region | Eligible countries for SISGP 2027/2028 |
|---|---|
| South and Southeast Asia | Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam |
| Central Asia, Caucasus and Eastern Europe | Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Uzbekistan |
| Middle East and North Africa | Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia |
| Latin America | Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru |
The grouping by region is ours, to make the list easier to scan. The country names are exactly those on si.se. SI says you must be a citizen of a listed country, though you need not live there. So living or working in one of them does not make a Pakistani eligible. For applicants whose country is missing, SI itself suggests searching the scholarship database on Study in Sweden.
What the SI Scholarship pays to eligible students
For students from the listed countries, the award is generous. It covers full tuition, paid by SI straight to the Swedish university each semester. It also pays SEK 12,000 a month for living costs and a one-time travel grant of SEK 15,000, and it includes insurance.
| Benefit | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition | Full fee, paid by SI to the university |
| Living allowance | SEK 12,000 a month |
| Travel grant | SEK 15,000, one time |
| Insurance | Included |
Applicants from most listed countries also need at least 3,000 hours of work experience before February 2027, from no more than three employers. SI also looks for leadership experience, with no minimum number of hours.
That work rule shows who the award is meant for, as its name says: global professionals. It suits people already in work, not students coming straight from a bachelor's degree. Even with a second nationality, a fresh graduate from a listed country would fall short of 3,000 hours.
The 2027 dates, in case your country changes
The list can change from one year to the next. If you hold a second nationality from one of the 34 countries, these are the dates that apply to you.
- 16 October 2026 to 15 January 2027: apply to Swedish master's programmes on universityadmissions.se.
- 13 November 2026: SI publishes the list of master's programmes eligible for the scholarship.
- 8 to 24 February 2027: the SI Scholarship portal is open. It closes at 14:59 CET on 24 February.
- By the end of April 2027: SI emails its decisions.
SI says that if you miss the University Admissions deadline or fail to follow its steps, you cannot get the scholarship. Our guide on applying to a Swedish university from Pakistan walks through that first round.
Where Pakistani students can look instead
A Swedish master's is still open to you as a fee-paying student, but SISGP will not pay for it. Before you pay a Swedish application fee, check whether your chosen university offers its own scholarship to non-EU students, on that university's own website.
Several full or partial awards outside Sweden do accept Pakistanis, and some close soon. The Commonwealth Shared Scholarship closes on 8 December 2026. The Eiffel Scholarship for France has a 6 January 2027 deadline. The NL Scholarship for the Netherlands pays EUR 5,000 and closes at Groningen on 1 February 2027.
| Award | Country | Pakistan eligible |
|---|---|---|
| SI Scholarship (SISGP) | Sweden | No |
| Commonwealth Shared | United Kingdom | Yes |
| Eiffel | France | Yes |
| NL Scholarship | Netherlands | Yes |
| Stipendium Hungaricum | Hungary | Yes |
Do not trust any agent who says they can get a Pakistani student an SI Scholarship. Under SI's own 2027/2028 rules, that is not possible. More options, with dates, are in our admission and scholarship last dates list and our Stipendium Hungaricum guide.
Common questions
Can Pakistani students apply for the SI Scholarship 2027?
No. Pakistan is not among the 34 eligible countries for the SI Scholarships for Global Professionals 2027/2028.
Which South Asian country is eligible for the SI Scholarship?
Only Bangladesh, on the 2027/2028 list.
Can I still study in Sweden without the SI Scholarship?
Yes, as a fee-paying student. Apply on universityadmissions.se by 15 January 2027 and check your university for its own awards.
How much does the SI Scholarship pay?
Full tuition, SEK 12,000 a month for living costs, a SEK 15,000 travel grant and insurance, for eligible nationalities only.
When does the SI Scholarship 2027 portal open?
From 8 to 24 February 2027, closing at 14:59 CET on the last day.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked on 5 November 2026. We read the Swedish Institute's page for the SI Scholarships for Global Professionals 2027/2028, including its country list, benefits, eligibility and dates. The Pakistan eligibility of the other awards comes from our own guides to each, linked above.
About the author
Public Services and Education Journalist
Fajr Riaz is a journalist and content writer at Pakistan Era, based in Lahore. She covers the questions people meet in everyday life in Pakistan: how a public service works, what a change in the rules means, and where to find a reliable answer.
