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One of the best ways to help the development and progress of Africa is to invest in its colleges. The University of Michigan’s African Presidential Scholars (UMAPS) program has enabled African university professors to stay in their positions, grow their institutions, and become active participants in global academic networks and in the development of their own research agendas.nYoung academics from African colleges are invited to spend a year in Michigan thanks to the UMAPS Program. During their time at U-M, scholars work closely with a faculty mentor and have access to all of the university’s resources to advance their research, studies, publications, grant proposals, or other relevant endeavors.

The program promotes U-M’s international commitment to research and teaching partnerships across multiple fields, from engineering to literature to economics, and aids the next generation of African academics by connecting them to international academic networks. There is only *one* application period per year for the two UMAPS cohorts (August–December and January–May). Applicants will be able to select their preferred cohort throughout the application process, but doing so is no guarantee of placement in that cohort should they be accepted into the program.

About the Scholarship Provider:

Michigan State University, or MSU, is a public research university with its main campus in East Lansing. It was started in 1855. When President Abraham Lincoln passed the Morrill Act into law in 1862, Michigan State University became the first land-grant university in the United States. In the land-grant university system, MSU was the first of its kind. Michigan State University (MSU) got its current name in 1964. Before that, it was known as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan. (MSU). The Michigan State University we know today is the result of 165 years of study and teaching aimed at making education better. The Times Higher Education (THE) World University Ranking for 2022 placed Michigan State University at number 93. QS’s list of the best universities in the world for 2023 ranks Michigan State University 159th.

The University of Michigan always ranks high on lists of the best schools in the world. Michigan State University has more than 100 different research departments and centers. This makes it a possible candidate for the best undergraduate research program in the country. Research at Michigan State University cost $713 million for the 2019-2020 school year, and the federal government gave $329 million of that amount.  At Michigan State University, there are more than 900 student groups that students can join. There are more than 200 different ways to get a higher education at one of the 17 schools and universities that give degrees. The University of Michigan, which is based at Michigan Stadium, is one of the biggest college campuses in the country. It has more than 50,000 students, and 14% of them aren’t from the U.S

People often call the sports teams at Michigan State University “the Spartans.” As soon as a student walks into the MSU, they can use one of four different indoor spaces. There are many sports and recreation facilities on campus, such as a group exercise studio, a turf field, two cycling studios, racquetball/squash courts, two indoor pools, basketball/volleyball courts, a ballroom, and an indoor roller rink.  Students can also use the two 18-hole golf courses, soccer field, flag football field, sand volleyball courts, tennis courts, and outdoor pool. They can also sail on Lake Lansing. About 150 events are held at Michigan State University each school year. On these shows, well-known bands like Panic! at the Disco and other large groups have also played. No matter how busy a student’s schedule is, they can always try out for one of the many student groups that are available. The Spartan Marching Band is one of the seven groups and six bands at the school. There are also three jazz bands, Musique 21, two symphony orchestras, two operas, and a string trio.

On-campus living is important because it makes students more motivated to learn and helps them bond with each other. There are 27 dorms in all, and they are spread out over five places. On campus, more than thirty places to eat accept student food cards. These places could be anything from fast food chains to fancy restaurants to food halls. Nobel Prize winners Stanley Cohen (physiology) and Robert Shiller (economics), NBA executive WYC Grousebeck, Heisman Trophy winner Tom Harmon, NASA Geophysicist Award winner Claudia Alexander, and Heisman Trophy winner Edgar Ted Codd are all famous graduates.

SeNSS is one of only 14 Doctoral Training Partnerships in the United Kingdom that is sponsored by the ESRC, and they will be offering a handful of fully-funded ESRC doctoral studentships beginning in September 2023. SeNSS is one of the only 14 Doctoral Training Partnerships in the United Kingdom that is sponsored by the ESRC.

Scholarship Sponsor(s):  University of Michigan

Scholarship Country: United States of America

Scholarship Worth: Fully Funded

Study Level:  Postgraduate

Nationality: International Students

Scholarship Offer:

• Those that are accepted into the UMAPS Program will be given the following:
• Between four and six months of residency at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in the United States, where the student will be matched with a faculty mentor and have full access to the university’s resources during their time there.
• flight one-way from their native country to Ann Arbor, Michigan, and back is included.
• Free accommodation as well as a modest stipend to help pay living, medical, and research expenditures while attending the University of Michigan. The UMAPS program does not have the capacity to accept dependents or spouses as participants. 
• Office and laboratory space available.
• Possibility to present research to the community at the University of Michigan

The Gustafsson & Skrondal Visiting Scholarship is administered by the University of Oslo’s Centre for Educational Measurement (CEMO). As part of the visiting scholar program, CEMO and the University of Oslo host a number of young researchers from Norway and elsewhere each year.

Eligibility for Scholarship.

• No one who has previously been awarded the UMAPS fellowship should apply. Applicants with limited or no international experience outside of the continent will be given priority.
• Be a junior professor, someone who has been teaching at the university level for less than ten years, and someone who is currently employed at a higher education institution in Africa.
• Maintain a steady job at a prestigious African academic institution.
• Possess a letter of recommendation from your department head, dean, or vice chancellor at your own university to show institutional backing.
• Have a five-month residency permit
• Candidates will be evaluated and chosen by a faculty panel from a variety of academic disciplines at the University of Michigan.

Criteria for making the final cut are as follows:

• Excellence in the candidate’s academic record and the scholarship program;
• The degree to which the candidate’s academic interests and those of the other cycle’s picks align;
• in addition to having the backing of the candidate’s home institution.
• We place a premium on hiring people from underrepresented groups.
• Equal representation of women and men in the African academic community will be prioritized.
• Applicants with extensive prior international experience will not be given preference for this program.

Candidates are required to:

• Put in your application online « (ONLY APPLICANTS FROM ANgola, Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, and Uganda MAY USE THIS LINK FOR THIS APPLICATION CYCLE.) 
• Please use the online application to submit your resume.
• Please submit a research or academic program proposal (no more than five pages in length). Applications from any academic field or institution are encouraged, especially those that address the center’s disciplinary priorities.
• —STEM-Africa, ASRI, and AHHI—are supported.
• Before an application may be fully completed online, the applicant must provide the full name and contact information of the department head, dean, or vice chancellor at their home institution who will be drafting the letter of support.

Nationality

The University Of Michigan 2024-2025 African Presidential Scholars Programme (UMAPS)  is open to all international students.

If a student enrolls in one of the degree programs offered by SOAS University of London, they may be eligible to receive a fee waiver award in the amount of £5,000. This award is available to students who are interested in receiving a degree from SOAS University of London.

Application Procedure

• Are you interested, and do you qualify? To apply for the Nomination Process, go to the University of Michigan’s website at webapps.lsa.umich.edu.
• Applicants coming from countries other than Angola, Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, or Uganda are needed to submit a nomination, which must be submitted by a faculty member at the University of Michigan who is familiar with the work of the potential applicant. The faculty responsible for nominations must:
• Complete the online nomination form (access to which requires a U-M login; it is only available to faculty members of the University of Michigan).
• Send in or upload a letter of recommendation that states that they are willing to act as a mentor for the duration of the residency, that they will commit to meeting on a regular basis, and that they will, if at all possible, provide office space for the potential participant.
• We will send the nominated candidate an email invitation with a link to the application site for nominated candidates as soon as we receive the completed nomination form and letter of support; we ask that you refrain from using the standard application portal in the meantime
• Following the application deadline on October 15, we will review all of the submissions. Applications that are missing required information will not be processed. 
• The application process will only take into consideration those that are completed and submitted via the online method. 

Application Deadline

The application deadline for the University Of Michigan 2024-2025 African Presidential Scholars Programme (UMAPS) is October 15, 2023.