Applications are now open for the 2025/26 University of Michigan African Presidential Scholars (UMAPS) program Fully Funded to USA

Ednah Carrick August 25, 2024

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Closing Date: 15 October 2024

Applications are now open for the 2025/26 University of Michigan African Presidential Scholars (UMAPS) program Fully Funded to USA

Overview

Strengthening African universities is one of the most effective ways to contribute to the continent’s growth and continued excellence. The University of Michigan African Presidential Scholars (UMAPS) program has helped retain and strengthen faculty members working in African institutions of higher education, and empowered them to contribute to international academic networks and set their own research agendas.

The University of Michigan African Presidential Scholars (UMAPS) program brings early career faculty from African universities to Ann Arbor, Michigan. Scholars are paired with a faculty collaborator during their stay and have full access to the University of Michigan’s (U-M) resources to further their work on a research project, an academic degree, publications, grant proposal, or other relevant activity. The program supports the development of the next generation of African scholars by integrating them into international academic networks, and promotes U-M’s international commitment to research and teaching collaborations across diverse disciplines, from engineering to literature to economics.

Application Info

The University welcome direct applications from faculty members of colleges or universities from Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda, and Zambia. Applicants from other countries in Africa cannot apply directly to UMAPS but need to be nominated by a University of Michigan faculty member with whom they already have an established relationship.

The UMAPS program hosts two cohorts per year—August through December and January through May—with *one* application round for both cohorts. Applicants will have the opportunity to indicate their preference for a particular cohort during the application process, but placement in a particular cohort (upon acceptance into the program) is not guaranteed.

All applicants must:

Be an early career faculty member who has taught in the higher education system for less than ten years and is presently teaching in a college or university in Africa.
Be employed in an ongoing position at a university or college in Africa.
Be able to demonstrate support from a home institution with a letter of recommendation from the head of the department, dean, or vice chancellor.
Please note that applicants will not be able to fully submit their application until the endorsement from their home university has been received.

Be able to remain in residence for five months.

Application Checklist and Timeline

All applicants must:

Complete the online application form » (IN THIS APPLICATION CYCLE, this link can only be used by applicants from the following countries: Angola, Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, and Uganda)

Upload a curriculum vitae using the online application
Upload a scholarly program/research proposal (not to exceed five pages). Applications from a wide range of disciplines and schools are welcome; applications that align with the center’s disciplinary initiatives —AHHI, ASRI, and STEM-Africa—are encouraged
Provide the complete name and contact information of the department head, dean, or vice chancellor at the applicant’s home institution who will be writing their letter of support. This must be submitted before applicants can fully submit and complete their online application.