Wadsworth African Fellowship 2027 in South Africa – $20,000 Annual Funding

Please note: Having African citizenship alone does not guarantee eligibility. Applicants must also satisfy the programme's academic, institutional and underrepresentation requirements.

What does the fellowship cover?

The annual award of US$20,000 may be used towards:

• Tuition and student fees.
• Travel expenses.
• Accommodation and living expenses.
• Health insurance.
• Books and academic materials.
• Research-related expenditure.
• Relevant taxes and other expenses connected with doctoral training.

The fellowship is intended to contribute towards the cost of doctoral training. Applicants should prepare a realistic budget and demonstrate that they have sufficient additional resources to complete their programme where the award does not cover all their expenses.

Institutional overheads and administrative fees charged by institutions are not covered.

Participating universities and academic supervision

Applicants must secure a suitable South African host university and an academic supervisor who is willing to oversee their doctoral training. The Foundation has previously supported fellows at institutions including the University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Cape Town.

Applicants should contact prospective supervisors before submitting their applications. This is important because the application requires a clear explanation of why the selected university and supervisor are suitable for the applicant's research and training objectives.

A home sponsor from the institution where the applicant previously obtained a degree is also required. Both sponsors must provide letters of support directly to the Foundation.

Required application documents

Applicants should prepare the following:

1. Completed online application form containing personal, educational and institutional information.
2. Responses to three questions covering academic background, proposed doctoral training, research interests and professional goals. Each response has a maximum limit of 1,000 words.
3. A detailed budget showing the expenses for which fellowship funding is requested.
4. Official academic transcripts from the applicant's previous institution. Translations must be provided where necessary.
5. Evidence of language competence where required by the host institution.
6. An academic curriculum vitae for the applicant.
7. A curriculum vitae for the proposed host sponsor.
8. A letter of support from the home sponsor.
9. A letter of support from the host sponsor.

The two sponsor letters must be sent directly to the Foundation by the application deadline. Applicants should share the Foundation's sponsor guidelines with their referees well in advance.

Applications must be completed in English.

How to apply

Interested applicants should:

1. Visit the official Wenner-Gren Foundation Wadsworth African Fellowship page.
2. Carefully review the eligibility requirements before beginning an application.
3. Identify a suitable South African university and contact a potential doctoral supervisor.
4. Arrange a home sponsor and a host sponsor who can provide the required letters of support.
5. Prepare the application essays, academic transcripts, CVs and detailed budget.
6. Complete and submit the online application through the Foundation's application portal.
7. Ensure both sponsor letters reach the Foundation before the deadline.

The application portal opened on 1 November 2026.

Application deadline and selection

The deadline for the 2027 fellowship intake is 15 December 2026. The Foundation indicates that final decisions are normally made by 15 January.

Applicants should not wait until the final days to contact supervisors or request sponsor letters, as these documents must be submitted directly by the relevant academic sponsors.

Additional Guidance for Prospective Applicants

1. Understanding the fellowship's three-year funding structure

Although the fellowship is advertised as an annual award of US$20,000, applicants should understand that it is not automatically a guaranteed three-year scholarship. The initial award covers one year, and fellows may request renewal for up to two additional years. Each renewal depends on satisfactory progress during the preceding year.

Applicants should therefore plan their doctoral studies around a realistic three-year funding period. Discuss the expected duration of coursework, research preparation and other doctoral requirements with the proposed supervisor before preparing the application budget.

It is also important to distinguish between funding for doctoral training and funding exclusively for fieldwork. The Foundation does not accept applications from candidates who only need money to conduct dissertation fieldwork or write up an already completed research project.

2. A useful way to assess whether your research fits

Before contacting a South African university, examine whether your proposed research genuinely contributes to anthropological knowledge.

For example, a project on public health could be relevant if it investigates how communities understand illness, organise healthcare, or respond to changes in health policy. Similarly, environmental research could fit if it examines the relationship between people, culture, livelihoods and environmental change.

However, a project does not become anthropology simply because it involves communities or human participants. Applicants should be able to explain the anthropological questions their research addresses and how the proposed training will strengthen their understanding of the discipline.

This distinction is especially important for applicants whose previous degrees are in related fields rather than anthropology itself.

3. What makes a strong host-supervisor arrangement?

Finding a supervisor should be treated as an important part of preparing the application, not as a formality.

A suitable supervisor should have relevant academic expertise, understand the proposed research and be willing to oversee the applicant's doctoral training. The applicant should discuss:

• Whether the proposed research fits the supervisor's expertise.
• Which courses, seminars or research activities will support the applicant's training.
• What research facilities and academic resources are available.
• How long the doctoral programme is expected to take.
• Whether the university can provide any additional financial assistance.

A useful preparation step is to send a concise academic introduction, an updated CV and a short research concept to prospective supervisors. Applicants should avoid sending identical generic messages to several academics without demonstrating why each person's expertise is relevant.

4. The home sponsor is not simply another referee

The home sponsor has a specific role in this fellowship. This person should be an academic member of the institution where the applicant previously obtained a degree and should be familiar with the applicant's academic background and proposed training.

Where the applicant intends to return to the same institution for doctoral training, the home and host sponsor roles must still be handled appropriately. The Foundation explains that the home sponsor should be a different academic staff member from the host sponsor in such circumstances.

Applicants should not assume that an ordinary recommendation letter will satisfy this requirement. The Foundation provides separate guidance for each sponsor, and both letters must address the information requested.

5. Budget planning: avoid relying on the fellowship alone

The US$20,000 award is a maximum annual amount, not an automatic payment of that amount to every applicant without a budget assessment.

Applicants should prepare a detailed estimate of their actual costs in US dollars. This should be based on realistic expenses at their intended South African university.

Consider the following when preparing the budget:

• Tuition and compulsory university fees.
• Accommodation and everyday living expenses.
• Health insurance.
• Books and research materials.
• Travel to and from the host institution.
• Research-related expenditure.

The Foundation's guidelines also state that research expenses included in the budget are limited to US$20,000 over the full three-year fellowship period. Institutional overheads cannot be charged to the award.

Applicants should identify any additional funding they will need and investigate whether the host institution offers tuition support, accommodation assistance or other forms of financial aid.

6. Preparing the Three Application Essays

The application requires three written responses, each with a maximum of 1,000 words. These essays are an important opportunity to demonstrate academic preparation, a clear research direction and realistic professional plans. Applicants should answer each question directly rather than using the same personal statement for all three sections.

Essay 1: Academic background and proposed study or training

Question: What is your background and what are your plans for study/training?

Use this response to explain your academic journey and why you are prepared to undertake doctoral training in anthropology.

Your response should cover:

• Your academic background, including degrees obtained, institutions attended and relevant experience in anthropology or related disciplines.
• Your personal and academic reasons for pursuing a doctorate in anthropology.
• How your previous education, research or professional experience has prepared you for the proposed training.
• Why you selected the particular South African university and department.
• Why the proposed host supervisor is suitable for your academic development.
• How the planned training will address specific gaps in your existing knowledge or research skills.
• How you meet the fellowship's eligibility requirements, including the relevant underrepresentation criteria.

Practical advice: Avoid simply praising the university for being reputable or internationally recognised. Explain what makes the department and supervisor suitable for your particular research interests. Mention relevant academic expertise, training opportunities, facilities or research resources only where you have verified that they are available.

Essay 2: Research interests

Question: What are your research interests?

This essay should concentrate on the research questions and intellectual interests you intend to develop during your doctoral training.

Consider including:

• The broad area of anthropology that interests you, such as sociocultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, biological anthropology or archaeology.
• The particular questions, communities, cultural practices or social processes you hope to investigate.
• Any previous research experience that has shaped your interests.
• How your proposed research connects with existing anthropological discussions.
• What you hope to learn through doctoral training and how that training will strengthen your research.
• Why the proposed research matters to anthropological knowledge.

Practical advice: Make your research interests specific enough for reviewers to understand what you want to investigate. If your topic relates to public health, environmental sustainability, policy, heritage management or another applied area, explain the anthropological questions behind it. For example, an environmental research project could examine how communities understand environmental change, how livelihoods are affected and how cultural practices influence responses to those changes. Merely describing an environmental problem would not establish its contribution to anthropology.

Where possible, show how your previous academic work has led to your current research interests. A clear connection between past experience and future training can help demonstrate that your proposed doctoral programme is a considered academic progression.

Essay 3: Professional goals and employment prospects in your home country

Question: What are your professional goals and plans, and what are your prospects for employment in your home country after completing your degree?

This response should explain what you intend to do after completing your doctorate and how your training could contribute to anthropology in your home country.

Address the following:

• The academic or professional career you intend to pursue after graduation.
• The universities, research institutions or relevant organisations where you hope to contribute, where identifiable.
• How you intend to use your doctoral training in teaching, research, academic mentorship or other work connected to anthropology.
• The contribution you hope to make to anthropological knowledge and research capacity in your home country.
• Any realistic employment opportunities, professional networks or institutional relationships that support your plans.
• How you intend to maintain research collaborations and contribute to the wider academic community.

Practical advice: Avoid vague statements such as wanting to become a successful academic or help your country develop. Explain the kind of academic work you hope to undertake, the research areas you intend to develop and the contribution you expect to make. Applicants from countries other than South Africa should also address the Foundation's expectation that fellowship recipients return to their home countries after completing their training and pursue careers related to academic anthropology.

How to make the three essays work together

Although the questions are related, each essay serves a different purpose:

• Essay 1 establishes your preparation: Who are you academically, why do you need this training, and why is the proposed university suitable?
• Essay 2 establishes your research direction: What do you want to investigate, what has shaped your interests, and how will the doctoral training advance your research?
• Essay 3 establishes your longer-term contribution: What will you do after graduation, and how will your training benefit your home country's academic and research environment?

A useful way to avoid repetition is to give each essay a distinct focus. Your previous academic experience can appear in the first essay, but the second should explain how that experience shaped your research questions. The third should then focus on how you intend to apply the knowledge and skills gained.

Final checks before submission

1. Keep each response within the 1,000-word limit.
2. Answer the exact question rather than submitting a general personal statement.
3. Use specific examples from your academic and research experience.
4. Explain the connection between your previous training, proposed doctoral programme and future career.
5. Ensure that claims about supervisors, university facilities and employment prospects are accurate and supportable.
6. Check that the three essays complement one another without repeating entire paragraphs.
7. Read the Foundation's guidance on the use of generative AI and answer its application questions about AI use accurately, if applicable.

The strongest application is not necessarily the one with the most elaborate language. It is one in which the applicant presents a clear academic purpose, a well-considered training plan, credible research interests and realistic professional goals.