AAfrican Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) South Africa, with Google DeepMind
Fully funded
AIMS South Africa AI for Science Master's Scholarship (Google DeepMind Scholars)
African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) South Africa, with Google DeepMind, South Africa
Scholarship overview
The AI for Science Master's is offered by the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) South Africa in Muizenberg, Cape Town, with support from Google DeepMind. Students admitted to the programme are supported as Google DeepMind Scholars.
Forty students are selected for the 2026 intake, and each is supported with a full Google DeepMind scholarship. The scholarship covers flights to and from South Africa, tuition, accommodation, living expenses and medical insurance, as well as the costs of running AI experiments and doing research, with mentoring from Google DeepMind researchers and engineers.
Applicants come from across Africa and hold degrees in physics, mathematics, statistics, computer science, engineering or another discipline with a strong computational and mathematical component. Selection is in two rounds: an online round with documents and a coding problem, then short online interviews. Selection is based on motivation, merit and talent, and recommendation letters are not requested.
Award Information
- Resident in Africa at the time of application (not required for students displaced by war).
- Citizen of any African country.
- Completed a four-year undergraduate degree, or a three-year degree plus an honours year, by August 2025 (December 2025 for southern African applicants). Final-year students whose degree ends later in 2026 may apply with their third-year and current-year transcripts. This is the requirement for enrolling in a Master's in South Africa; the French equivalent is an M1 year.
- Not previously held a scholarship to study at an AIMS centre.
- Undergraduate degree in physics, mathematics, statistics, computer science, engineering or another discipline with a strong computational and mathematical component.
- Full Google DeepMind scholarship covering flights to and from South Africa.
- Tuition.
- Accommodation.
- Living expenses.
- Medical insurance.
- Costs of running AI experiments and doing research.
- Mentoring and support from Google DeepMind researchers and engineers.
For the 2026 intake (2026-27 academic year):
- Applications opened in December 2025.
- Online round: documents uploaded before 11:59 PM on 6 March 2026 (single application window).
- Online interviews: May 2026.
- The fourth edition starts in September 2026; a smaller January 2027 intake exists for South African students, and southern hemisphere applicants may defer to January 2027.
- Check you meet the eligibility requirements, including the degree-length rule.
- Register an account on the AIMS South Africa application portal (apply.aims.ac.za); more information at ai.aims.ac.za/apply.
- Upload your CV, motivation letter, transcripts and the work examples, and complete the coding problem found on the portal, before the deadline. Start early; a full application cannot be completed at the last minute.
- Shortlisted applicants attend a short online interview in May.
Official links
Documents you will need
- Curriculum vitae.
- Motivation letter of around 500 words.
- Academic transcripts.
- Representative examples of your work in the mathematical sciences (via the application site).
- Coding problem (completed on the application site).
How selection works
- Round 1: online application. It is not an exam; the questions show the panel how you approach problems.
- Round 2: short online interviews.
- Selection rests on motivation, merit and talent; recommendation letters are not requested.
- Forty students are selected for the 2026 intake.
