Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship 2027/28 for South Africans

Written by Keagan HendricksStaff Writer (Unisa Alumnus)

Reviewed & verified by Naledi KhumaloSenior Admissions and Bursaries EditorVerified

The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Programme sends mid-career professionals to the United States for roughly ten months of non-degree study, leadership training and hands-on work with an American organisation. The U.S. Department of State funds it as part of the Fulbright family of exchanges, and the Institute of International Education (IIE) runs it. South Africans apply through the U.S. Mission in South Africa, and the call also appears on the international scholarships portal run by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET).

The South African call for the 2027/28 fellowship year closed on 2 August 2026. Fellows chosen from that round would start in the United States in August 2027 and finish around June 2028.

A fellowship for people already five years into a career

Humphrey is not a Master’s scholarship and does not lead to a degree. The Humphrey FAQ states plainly that fellows cannot switch from non-degree to degree status. The programme is built for professionals who already hold responsible positions and want a year to update their knowledge, build networks and return home to lead. The U.S. Embassy’s eligibility list for the 2027/28 call asks for:

• at least a four-year undergraduate qualification, such as a four-year Bachelor’s degree, a BTech, or a Bachelor’s degree followed by Honours;
• a minimum of five years of full-time professional work after the first degree, counted up to August 2026;
• proven leadership, meaning positions of significant responsibility at national, regional or local level and clear promise of more;
• a record of public or community service, which the embassy defines broadly to include the public, NGO and private sectors;
• for university lecturers, evidence of management or policy responsibility.

The embassy rules out recent graduates even when they hold senior jobs, lecturers and researchers with no management role, anyone with U.S. citizenship or a U.S. green card, and applicants who cannot hold a passport of the country they apply from. DHET adds that Humphrey does not fund doctoral dissertation research, postdoctoral research straight after a PhD, or general professional travel. The FAQ also warns that part-time work experience may not count towards the five years.

Six impact areas for the 2027/28 cohort

Candidates must work in one of the six fields the programme names. The embassy describes each field with example roles, which helps candidates judge whether their own job fits:

Seven host campuses and a six-week work placement

Fellows do not pick their university. IIE places them in groups of 13 to 15 at whichever host best matches their field. The Humphrey website lists seven hosts: American University (law and human rights), Arizona State University (communication and journalism), Emory University (public health), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (urban planning), Syracuse University (public policy), the University of California, Davis (natural resources and environmental policy) and the University of Minnesota (public policy and human rights).

The year has three parts. Fellows take graduate courses of their choosing without degree requirements; they attend the compulsory Humphrey Seminar on leadership, American society and networking, where each fellow sets a personal plan; and they spend six weeks on a Professional Affiliation with a U.S. organisation in their field. The FAQ describes the schedule as demanding and unlike ordinary student life.

What the U.S. government pays for

• tuition and fees at the assigned host university;
• a monthly living allowance and a once-off settling-in allowance;
• accident and sickness cover;
• a book allowance and a once-off computer subsidy;
• return international flights and domestic travel to required programme events;
• a professional development allowance for conferences, field trips and professional visits.

None of the official pages publish rand or dollar amounts for the allowances. Families are the fellow’s own cost: the FAQ says there is no extra allowance for dependants, and a fellow who wants a spouse or children to follow must prove funding, insurance that meets State Department rules, and childcare plans before they can apply for J-2 visas.

The South African route into the programme

Applications go through the IIE online portal at apply.iie.org/huberthhumphrey, with the U.S. Mission in South Africa handling the local nomination. The Humphrey FAQ explains the sequence: each embassy sets its own internal deadline, embassies send their nominations to IIE in Washington by mid-September, fellows are announced the following March, and the programme starts in August or September. Applicants may submit IELTS or the Duolingo English Test in place of TOEFL. Candidates who are not chosen may generally apply again, subject to the embassy’s own guidelines.

The embassy gives fpsa@state.gov for the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, and lists the public affairs sections of the consulates in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town for enquiries. The details for this round are on the U.S. Embassy’s Humphrey page and the DHET listing. DHET notes that it does not offer the fellowship and adds no funding of its own.

Younger graduates who want a full American degree should look at the Fulbright Foreign Student Program instead, which funds Master’s and PhD study. For funding closer to home, the site keeps a list of postgraduate bursaries, and the Gates Cambridge Scholarship is another fully funded option for study abroad.

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