Sawiris Arts & Culture Scholarship (SACS)

Higher Education Scholarships

This is an opportunity for future artists and professionals seeking quality education (Bachelor’s, Master’s, Residency Programs and Apprenticeships) to enrich their talents in the vast field of arts and culture. The Sawiris Arts and Culture Scholarship program targets highly motivated, talented and socially engaged applicants, who are aware of the important role art plays in a flourishing and developing society. It aims at fostering talents until they themselves are effective artists in the scene, who in return enrich their country and society with their acquired knowledge in their designated fields.

Sawiris Foundation has always prided itself with ensuring quality education, both traditional and nontraditional, is accessible to everyone. One of our goals is to ensure all students have an accessible and inclusive environment to learn.

Fields of Study

Performing Arts: This field includes: Theatre, Drama, Dance, Musical Theatre, Folklore, Acting, Directing, Play Writing, Spoken Word.

Music: This field includes: Music, Singing, Songwriting, Music Production.

Visual Arts: This field includes: Fine Arts, Sculpture, Photography, Video Art, Print Making, Performance Arts, Installation.

Film Studies: This field includes: Filmmaking, Script Writing, Film Production, Directing, Post Production, Editing, Cinematography.

Where to Study?

For bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, kindly check the list of pre-approved universities by the scholarship (will be published once the scholarship application is open for 2025).
For residency/apprenticeship programs, you don’t have to abide by the previous list. You can apply to any prominent program of your choice and this will be evaluated by a panel of experts.

Funding Period

Up to 4 years for bachelor’s degree
Up to 2 years for master’s degree
Maximum one year of funding for art residency

Scholarship Benefits

The scholarship covers the following:

Tuition Fees
Learning materials (depending on the university reference)
Accommodation (student dorms/housing are mandatory unless unavailable)
Living allowance (depending on the government and university reference)
Airfare
Transportation
Health insurance (depending on the government and university reference)

Kindly be advised any additional costs will not be covered by the foundation.

Eligibility Criteria

Conditional admission in one of the approved universities in your targeted field for bachelor’s or a master’s degree.
To be an Egyptian national residing in Egypt (preference will not be given to dual nationality holders).
Demonstrated social and community engagement.
Preference will be given to applicants that have not lived abroad for more than three years.
Be committed to coming back to Egypt for 2 to 3 years directly after the successful completion of their degree or residency.

Additional Eligibility Criteria for Music and Performing Arts:

Music students should have obtained a level 5 in the Trinity College London theory examination or in the Royal Schools of Music. (Both available in Egypt).
Performing arts applicants must send at least 5 performances.
Music student applicants must send at least 5 solo performances in different genres.

Additional Eligibility Criteria for Residency/Apprenticeship programs:

To be a professional artist, with previous work experience in a related field. (Residency/ apprenticeship applications will be evaluated by our panel of experts).
Received acceptance to a prominent residency/apprenticeship program. (The residency/apprenticeship programs will be assessed by our panel of experts).

Required Documents

Please note this year we are accepting applications through our online portal therefore the following documents will be required for a successful application submission:

Proof of conditional admission
Artistic/cultural detailed portfolio
Solo performances for music/performing arts applicants
Copy of valid passport ID page
One recent personal photo on a white background
High school certificate
All undergraduate transcripts and certificates in case of applying for a master’s degree
Two references in case of applying for a master’s degree; and one reference in case of bachelors
Proof of employment – if applicable
Full program costs, please provide official references for: tuition fees, accommodation, living allowance, books and equipment, health insurance, transportation and airfare.

For Inquiries

If you have inquiries, kindly check first this document of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)(Will be available once the application is open). Then, if you still have questions, please contact us on: sacs@sawirisfoundation.org

Selection Committee

An external selection committee, consisting of prominent experts in the field of arts and culture in addition to representatives from Sawiris Foundation for Social Development will evaluate all complete applications.