USA Scholarships
UMAPS Fellowship 2027 - African Faculty at Michigan
The UMAPS Fellowship, formally the University of Michigan African Presidential Scholars program, gives early-career faculty teaching at African colleges and universities five months in Ann Arbor to move a research project, publication, grant proposal or degree forward. The African Studies Center pays for the residency, which its own funding documents describe as travel, housing and a stipend, and pairs every scholar with a U-M faculty host. Applications for the 2027-2028 cohorts run from 15 August to 15 October 2026, and one round feeds two cohorts: August to December 2027 and January to May 2028. Faculty in 11 listed countries apply directly, and anyone else in Africa needs a nomination from a U-M professor.
What is the UMAPS Fellowship?
The UMAPS Fellowship is the University of Michigan's answer to a problem African universities know well: talented young lecturers are often buried in teaching loads, short of research time, and cut off from the networks that lead to publications and grants. Since 2008 the African Studies Center has brought early-career faculty to Ann Arbor for a funded semester to fix some of that. It started as a presidential initiative under Mary Sue Coleman, which is where the "Presidential Scholars" name comes from.
What you get is time and access. For five months you have a U-M faculty host, a library card that opens one of the largest academic collections in the US, and a cohort of peers from across the continent. The Center pays for the travel, the housing and a stipend, and in return you work on something concrete. That might be a paper you have been unable to finish, a grant proposal to a US funder, or chapters of your own PhD. Scholars also present in the UMAPS Research Colloquium Series, and recent cohorts have taken their work into local schools and colleges.
The 2027-2028 round is open now and closes on 15 October 2026. One application covers both cohorts, August to December 2027 and January to May 2028, and you can say which you prefer. The direct-entry list changes from year to year. This cycle adds Egypt through a new North Africa partnership, and some countries on last year's list, such as Nigeria, now appear only in a separate note on the portal. Read the official page for your own country before you write anything, and email [email protected] if the lists do not agree.
Two things decide most applications before the proposal is read. First, the endorsement from your own dean or vice chancellor has to arrive before the portal will let you submit, so chase it in August rather than October. Second, the five-page proposal is the only place you explain what five months in Michigan will change for you, so make the output specific and the plan realistic. A reviewer should be able to picture what you will carry home in May.
Eligibility
-
✓Teaching at an African college or universityYou must be teaching right now at a college or university in Africa, and the post has to be an ongoing position rather than a short-term contract. UMAPS is designed to send scholars back to strengthen their home institutions.
-
✓Fewer than ten years in higher educationThe UMAPS Fellowship is for early-career faculty, which the African Studies Center defines as fewer than ten years of teaching in higher education. Its funding documents describe scholars as PhD students or junior faculty at their home institution, so a finished doctorate is not a stated requirement.
-
✓A direct-entry country, or a U-M nominationFaculty at institutions in Botswana, Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda can apply directly for 2027-2028. Faculty anywhere else in Africa can apply only if a University of Michigan faculty member who already knows their work nominates them.
-
✓Endorsement from your home institutionYour head of department, dean or vice chancellor must write a letter of support. The online system will not let you complete your application until that endorsement has been received.
-
✓Five months in residence in Ann ArborYou must be able to leave your teaching duties and live in Ann Arbor, Michigan, for the whole five-month cohort. Arrange cover or leave with your department before you apply.
-
✓No previous UMAPS awardPast UMAPS fellows cannot apply again. The Center also gives preference to applicants who have not had extensive international experience outside the African continent.
Benefits
- Travel to and from Ann Arbor Covered
- Housing during the residency Covered
- UMAPS Fellowship stipend Provided, amount not published
- U-M faculty host Paired for the full stay
- Access to U-M libraries, labs and resources Full access
- Stay beyond five months Not offered
- Residency length Five months
- Fall cohort August to December 2027
- Winter cohort January to May 2028
- Choice of cohort Preference noted, not guaranteed
- Scholars per year Around 20 to 24
- Location Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Disciplines All fields, AHHI, ASRI and STEM-Africa encouraged
Document checklist
-
✓Online application formCompleted through the UMAPS portal linked from the Application Info page. Only applications submitted through that system are considered.
-
✓Curriculum vitaeUploaded through the online application. List your current appointment, the year you started teaching in higher education, your degrees, publications and grants.
-
✓Scholarly programme or research proposalNo more than five pages. Explain what you will work on in Ann Arbor, why U-M is the right place for it, and what you will take home. Projects in any discipline are welcome.
-
✓Letter of support from your home institutionYou supply the full name and contact details of your department head, dean or vice chancellor, who then submits the letter. It must arrive before you can fully submit.
-
✓U-M faculty nomination (nominated applicants only)If your country is not on the direct list, a U-M faculty member completes the pre-application form and uploads an endorsement committing to mentor you, meet regularly and, where possible, provide office space. You then receive an emailed invitation to a separate portal.
How to apply
Deadline and timeline
FAQ
What is the UMAPS Fellowship?
The UMAPS Fellowship is the University of Michigan African Presidential Scholars program, run by the African Studies Center in Ann Arbor since 2008. It brings early-career faculty from African colleges and universities to U-M for a five-month residency, pairs each of them with a faculty collaborator, and gives them full use of the university to work on research, publications, grant proposals or a degree.
Is the UMAPS Fellowship fully funded?
Yes. The African Studies Center describes the cost of each residency as travel, housing and a stipend, and it covers those for every scholar. It does not publish the stipend figure, so if you need the exact amount to plan leave from your job, email [email protected].
When is the UMAPS deadline for 2027?
The application cycle for the 2027-2028 cohorts runs from 15 August to 15 October 2026. UMAPS opens on the same dates every year, so if you miss this round, the next one should open in August 2027.
Which countries are eligible for UMAPS 2027-2028?
Faculty at colleges and universities in Botswana, Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda can apply directly. Egypt is new this year through a partnership with the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies. The portal note on the same page also mentions Benin, Burundi, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, so if you teach in one of those, confirm your route with the Center before you start.
Can I apply for UMAPS if my country is not on the list?
Only through a nomination. A University of Michigan faculty member who already has an established relationship with you completes a pre-application form and uploads a letter agreeing to mentor you. Once that is verified, the Center emails you a link to the nominated applicants portal. The Center does not broker introductions and advises against cold-emailing faculty.
Do I need a PhD to apply for UMAPS?
No finished doctorate is required. The rules ask for early-career faculty with fewer than ten years of teaching in higher education and an ongoing position at an African institution. The Center's funding documents describe scholars as PhD students or junior faculty, and some use the residency to advance their own degree work.
How long is the UMAPS residency at the University of Michigan?
Five months. There are two cohorts a year, August to December and January to May, filled from one application round. You state a preference when you apply, but placement in a particular cohort is not guaranteed.
How many UMAPS scholars are selected each year?
The African Studies Center says an average cohort is 20 to 24 scholars a year, split across the fall and winter residencies. Past scholars have come from countries including Ghana, South Africa, Liberia, Uganda, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Tanzania and Zambia.
Scholarship Union
More in-depth scholarship guides curated by experts.
Related guides
Always verify scholarship details on the official source before applying. Information on this page may change.
Visit official website