Scholarships and funding

| February 3, 2011 | MSPI Info | No Comments

Tuition to study in Sweden has until recently been free – even for foreigners – and thus it is not common for universities to offer scholarships directly . The cost of living in Sweden is high in comparison to many countries around the world, but there are many sources of funding that you can investigate to support you during your studies. However, this requires you plan ahead and be persistent in your investigations. In many cases, you can apply for scholarships without yet being officially accepted – ask the organisation you are applying to if this is possible.

Contents

Does BTH offer any scholarships?

Yes, there will be a number of scholarships available from BTH covering the tuition fee or part of the tuition fee. Find out more at this link.

A number of scholarships for studies in Sweden are administered by the Swedish Institute, please see http://www.studyinsweden.se/Scholarships/ for more information regarding these. Among these there is a scholarship programme financed by the Swedish Government for students from 12 developing countries: Bangladesh, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, but there are other programmes too. (More information on this is below.)

You should also consider bilateral agreements between Sweden and your home country. We recommend you also seek funds from current or prospective employers, as a Master’s degree in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability is of high value to any employer. You can read more about this option below. You should also be aware that sometimes scholarships must be applied for well in advance of your application to study (up to one year in advance).

All information on this page is given to the best of our knowledge . However, sometimes changes occur so you are advised to see the respective scholarship’s website for the full, complete and most up-to -date information.

General scholarship and funding information

On www.studyinsweden.se you will find information on the Swedish Institute scholarships, bilateral scholarships and other scholarship programmes.

Scholarships offered by the Swedish Institute

(Please note: In the past, for these scholarships, you apply when you fill in the application form for admission to your programmes of choice. You will then be considered by the programme management appropriate for the scholarship(s). See more information at the Swedish Institute’s hompage. There are very few SI Scholarships available and there is a lot of competition.)

Scholarships

  • Visby Program – The Visby Program serves to connect participants in order to strengthen Sweden´s presence and promote education, research and innovation in the Baltic region. The program is open to universities and university colleges as well as high schools and institutions for adult education, and encompasses every field of study. Priority is given to collaboration with Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.
  • Swedish – Turkish Scholarship Program – This is a program for citizens of Turkey. Its purpose is to support master’s level or advanced level studies within selected subject areas at a Swedish Institution of higher education.
  • Scholarships for East Europe – The scholarships are intended for guest students from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, Serbia for full time temporary studies in Sweden. There is no age limit for scholarship holders.
  • The Swedish Institute Study Scholarships– The program is available to citizens of the following countries: Bangladesh, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
  • Bilateral scholarships– Sweden has bilateral exchange programs with the following countries: China, Italy, and Japan. The application procedure differs for each country.

Other scholarship programmes and information

(Please note: For these scholarships, you apply independently. BTH is not responsible for the contents or information on linked pages provided).

Scholarships for students from different countries

  • The Institute of International Education provides a listing of various scholarships, searchable by your home country. Note: not everything here is open to Master’s level study. Search the database here.
  • The Swedish Institute provides a separate list of non-SI Scholarship options (click here).
  • Eurodesk European Info Centre has a large number of links for funding opportunities, primarily for young people.
  • Open Society Institute & Soros Foundation Network
  • The Rotary Foundation Programme – The Rotary Foundation offers more than 1,200 grants annually for students to study abroad. The Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship aims to assist international understanding and friendly relations among people of different countries. Applicants must be a citizen of a country in which there is a Rotary club. Applicants should contact their local Rotary.
  • Global Grant is a large international database for scholarships and grants.

Scholarships for Turkish students

Scholarships for Canadian students

Scholarships for U.S. students

  • The American – Scandinavian Foundation (ASF): offers fellowships (up to $23,000) and grants (normally $5,000) to individuals to pursue research or study in one or more Scandinavian country for up to one year. If you don´t have your acceptance letter from MSPI yet, you can still apply for this scholarship.  You need to note in your application that the acceptance is pending.
  • The Fulbright Program.
  • Grants for Individuals: Graduate scholarships, fellowships and loans – Here you can find a large number of scholarships and grants for U.S. graduate students.

Scholarships for Latin American students

  • GuateFuturo (only for Guatemalans): offers a credit-grant mechanism which consists of a credit for up to 25,000 USD per year (up to two years) and at the end of the studies, GuateFuturo may award with 50% of that credit as a grant if the student fulfills the requirements.
  • CONICYT -Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (only for Chileans): offers scholarships for students that want to do a postgraduate programme in another country. Travel expenses, tuition fee, insurance are covered.

Scholarships for African students

  • Currently we are not aware of any programs. Please email us if you have suggestions for this site.

Scholarships for students at Kunmung University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China

  • BTH has a bilateral exchange of students and researchers with our partner university, Kunming University of Science and Technology (KUST), which is part of the Linnaeus-Palme Exchange Programme to strength cooperation between Sweden and industrialising countries. Eligible KUST students are able to particpate in the exchange and sometime scholarship funding is available. For more information click here.

Scholarships for Spanish students

  • The Swedish-Spanish Foundation for the Promotion of Education and Studies: The scholarship may be applied for by Spanish students for studies in Sweden (not older than 30 years of age).

Scholarships for Dutch students

  • VSB Fonds offers scholarships for Dutch students who recently graduated. The VSB, each year a large number of scholarships available for enthusiastic and motivated students who would like to further develop.

Seeking sponsorship from an organization or employer

In past years a number of students have been successful in obtaining funds from their employer or other organizations in their home countries. Allowing an employee to study in Sweden and return with new sustainability expertise can be very valuable for an organization, so you shouldn’t be afraid of inquiring with your current employer.

An alternative approach is to find an organization that could benefit from sustainability advice or your assistance on a limited-term basis in exchange for funds to study in Sweden. For example, sometimes course work of the MSPI programme provides the possibility of working directly with an external organization on a Strategic Planning for Sustainability project. Industry Collaboration during thesis projects is also an opportunity where you can combine your studies with direct tangible benefits that an organization may be willing to pay you for.

Please note: These arrangements are your personal responsibility and you should be careful not to promise more than you can deliver. Please read our Programme Content to familiarize yourself with the Academic Requirements of the programme.

Student loans

You may be eligible to apply for a student loan if such schemes exist within your country. Unfortunately, we have limited information about such schemes and you should investigates the options that exist in your country. We endeavour to provide Information on schemes which we know about.

For Canadian Students, you should check with your provincial student loan body to see if BTH is registered, as past students initiated this process in certains provinces. If you intend to register BTH in your Province, be aware that this process takes considerable time. Note: As far as we know, BTH is approved within BC, Alberta, Ontario and New Brunswick. BTH’s institutional code when applying is QUXG.

For UK Students, we are registered with The Yound People ‘s Learning Agency. Professional and Career Development Loans are loans that can be used to help pay for work related learning. You can borrow between £300 and £10,000 to help support the cost of up to two years of learning (or three years if it includes one year’ s relevant unpaid practical work). The Young People’s Learning Agency will pay the interest on the loan while you are learning and for one month afterwards. The loan can be used to pay course fees or other costs such as travel and living expenses. You can also use the loan to supplement other forms of support such as grants or bursaries. Because the Professional and Career Development Loan is a commercial loan product, they should be considered as an option only once all other student funding options have been investigated. For further information on financial assistance to support your learning, please visit www.direct.gov.uk/adultlearning or contact Careers Advice on 0800 100 900. Our learning provider registration number is 20179.

For American (U.S.) students: As of March 2011, BTH is no longer pursuing the application for accreditation with the US government, due to legal reasons. Sorry for this, but we understand that it applies to all public Swedish institutions.

For Mexican students, The Mexican National Bank-Fund for Human Resources Development (Banco de México- FIDERH) provides special loans for students that want to do a postgraduate programme in another country. You can borrow up to 200,000 pesos per year to study abroad.  The loan can be used to pay course fees or other costs such as travel and living expenses. FIDERH opens several calls each year.  For further information on financial assistance to support your learning, please visit http://www.fiderh.org.mx/.

For Colombian students, ICETEC (Instituto Colombiano de Crédito Educativo y Estudios Técnicos en el Exterior) provides loans for students that want to do a postgraduate programme in another country. You can borrow up to US$16,000 to study abroad. Please visit http://www.icetex.gov.co.

Tags:, ,