Fully funded

Google DeepMind Scholarship at AIMS South Africa (AI for Science Master's)

African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) South Africa, South Africa

Scholarship overview

The AI for Science Master's is a stream of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) South Africa Structured Master's programme in Muizenberg, Cape Town, funded by a Google DeepMind scholarship. Forty students are selected for the 2026 intake, the fourth edition of the programme, which runs on the September-start northern hemisphere academic calendar.

Southern-hemisphere applicants who are on a January-to-December undergraduate cycle may be able to defer and start with the review-courses block in January 2027 if the admissions team is confident they can manage it; they then complete the foundational-courses block after their dissertation and join a smaller January intake for South African students.

Selection is run in two rounds: an online selection round based on submitted documents, followed by short online interviews for shortlisted candidates in May. AIMS describes the online round's coding problem and work sample as a way to see how an applicant approaches problems, not as a pass/fail exam. Scholars also get access to mentoring and support from Google DeepMind researchers and engineers during the programme.

Award Information

  • Citizen of an African country.
  • Resident in Africa at the time of application (waived for applicants displaced by war).
  • Holds a four-year undergraduate degree, or a three-year degree plus an honours year, completed by August 2025 (December 2025 for southern African applicants); final-year applicants may apply using third-year transcripts plus current-year transcripts.
  • Degree in any field with a strong computational and mathematical component, such as physics, mathematics, statistics, computer science or engineering.
  • Has not previously held a scholarship to study at an AIMS centre.
  • Return flights to and from South Africa, and airport transfers.
  • Tuition and research fees.
  • On-site accommodation at AIMS in Muizenberg, Cape Town.
  • Three meals a day at the AIMS canteen.
  • Monthly stipend of R2,200, paid into a South African bank account.
  • Medical insurance.
  • Costs of running AI experiments and doing research.
  • Mentoring from Google DeepMind researchers and engineers.
  • Applications for the 2026 intake opened December 2025.
  • Online selection round closed at 11:59 PM on 6 March 2026; there is a single application window.
  • Final online interviews: May 2026.
  • Programme start: September 2026 (with a possible deferred January 2027 start for qualifying southern-hemisphere applicants, as described above).
  1. Register on the AIMS application portal and select the AI for Science stream.
  2. Upload a CV, a motivation letter of about 500 words, undergraduate and postgraduate academic transcripts, representative examples of mathematical-sciences work, and a coding problem completed on the application site, before 11:59 PM on 6 March 2026.
  3. Start the application well ahead of the deadline; it cannot be completed at the last minute.
  4. If shortlisted, attend a short online interview in May 2026.
  5. Direct admissions questions to [email protected].

Official links

Documents you will need

  • Curriculum vitae
  • Motivation letter (about 500 words)
  • Academic transcripts (fourth-year applicants submit third-year transcripts plus current-year results)
  • Examples of work in the mathematical sciences
  • Completed coding problem

Recommendation letters are not requested.

How selection works

  1. Round 1: online selection based on the submitted CV, motivation letter, transcripts, work samples and coding problem.
  2. Round 2: short online interviews in May 2026 for shortlisted candidates.
  3. Forty students are selected for the 2026 intake; selection is based on motivation, merit and talent.

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