The University of Michigan African Presidential Scholars (UMAPS) program brings early-career faculty from African universities to Ann Arbor for five months. Each scholar is paired with a University of Michigan (U-M) faculty collaborator, gets full access to campus resources, and works on a concrete scholarly task: advancing research, starting a new project with a return plan, gaining methods, preparing publications, progressing a PhD, or drafting a grant proposal. The African Studies Center (ASC) frames UMAPS as a way to retain and strengthen faculty at African institutions so they can set their own research agendas and join international networks, not relocate careers off the continent.
This guide will not rephrase the InfoReady portal. It helps a faculty member who already has the application open decide lane, fit, covered costs, and process order before investing hours in a five-page proposal. Editors checked ASC’s UMAPS program, Application Info, award-details, letter-of-support, and proposal-guidance pages, plus the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies (CMENAS) 2027-28 note and the live InfoReady competition, on 28 September 2026. No aggregator figures were used. Re-open the live official pages the day you submit.
Fact checked / updated: 28 September 2026 by Scholarship Tally editors.
For readers who already have InfoReady open: Before you start writing, use this guide to check your application route, eligibility, institutional support, award conditions, and proposal requirements. The official portal remains the final source for the live submission requirements and deadline.
Quick fit test (start here before you draft)
Answer honestly. The checks below are Scholarship Tally’s decision framing to help you decide whether to invest time this cycle. They are not an official ASC taxonomy. A single “no” on an ASC application requirement means do not submit this cycle.
Before you invest time: requirements and practical constraints
ASC application requirements
- Are you currently employed in an ongoing teaching position at a college or university in Africa? “Recently taught” or “hoping to be hired” is not enough. (ASC Application Info)
- Have you taught in higher education fewer than 10 years? That is ASC’s early-career definition.
- Can you stay in Ann Arbor for the full five months (August-December or January-May)? Cohort preference is collected; placement is not guaranteed.
- Can a head of department, dean, or vice chancellor write on departmental letterhead, by the deadline, affirming that the home university will continue the scholar’s pay while they are at the University of Michigan? You cannot fully submit without that endorsement. (Letter of support)
- Are you not a previous UMAPS recipient? Prior fellows are ineligible.
Practical constraints to resolve before applying
- Can you do this without a spouse or dependents in Ann Arbor? ASC states that the UMAPS program is unable to accommodate spouses and/or dependents.
ASC does not list “must return home” as an eligibility rule. The program is built to retain faculty at African institutions, and the proposal guidance asks you to say how new work will be completed once you are back at your home university.
Lane check (exactly one path)
Countries currently eligible for direct application (ASC Application Info for this cycle): Botswana, Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda. (ASC Application Info)
All other African countries: apply only with nomination by a U-M faculty member with whom you already have a relationship. ASC will not introduce you and does not recommend cold-contacting faculty. No existing relationship means you are not in this cycle.
2027-28 North Africa arrangement
For the 2027-28 UMAPS cohort, ASC is partnering with CMENAS. For this cycle, faculty teaching in Egypt may apply directly. Faculty teaching in Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Sudan, or Tunisia may apply only if nominated by a U-M faculty member with whom they already have a relationship. These country routes are specific to the 2027-28 cohort and should be rechecked for later cycles.
Soft preferences (not requirements)
Preference language is not identical on both ASC pages: Application Info prefers applicants without extensive international experience outside the continent; award details prefer candidates without significant international experience outside the continent. Same direction; neither is a hard requirement. Selection also weighs academic quality; fit with others in the cycle and with ASC initiatives; equitable representation across African Heritage and Humanities Initiative (AHHI), African Social Research Initiative (ASRI), and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Initiative (STEM-Africa); home-institution support; priority for candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds; and gender equity in the class and in the African academy.
If every ASC application requirement above is yes and you are in a real lane, keep reading. Otherwise use the next section.
Who should wait (or not apply this cycle)
Skip or wait if:
- You do not hold an ongoing faculty teaching post at an African college or university. A student, postdoc, or staff title alone is not enough. If you already hold that faculty post, using the five months to move a PhD forward is a use ASC’s proposal page allows.
- You already have ten or more years of higher-education teaching.
- You already held a UMAPS fellowship.
- You need family to accompany you. Free housing is described as a private room and bath in a suite setting; the UMAPS program is unable to accommodate spouses and/or dependents.
- You are outside the direct-application countries listed above and lack an existing U-M faculty relationship that can produce a nomination (mentor for the residency, meet regularly, and if possible provide office space).
- Your head of department, dean, or vice chancellor will not continue the scholar’s pay while they are at U-M.
- You cannot be away for five continuous months, or you need a specific semester the program cannot promise.
- The plan is only “be in the US” or pad a CV, not a concrete scholarly project with goals for the five months.
What wait can mean: next year’s mid-August to mid-October window; time to build a real U-M collaboration before asking for a nomination; or time to get pay-continuation in writing.
What the five months are actually for
UMAPS is a five-month residency with a collaborator and campus resources. It is not University of Michigan degree admission and not a family relocation package. ASC does list work on an academic degree as one valid use of the time, alongside research, publications, and grant proposals.
ASC allows scholars to use the time to continue or complete research already underway; start a new project with a post-return plan; gain methods or skills; prepare publications (name the number and nature); or progress a PhD (state current status and what five months will change). Each scholar is matched with a faculty collaborator, gets full U-M resource access, office or lab space, and a chance to present to the campus community.
Applications from all disciplines are welcome. Alignment with ASC initiatives is encouraged: AHHI (arts, humanities, interpretive social sciences), ASRI (democratic governance and distributive politics; income dynamics and poverty; gender, health, and development), and STEM-Africa (science, technology, engineering, mathematics). A strong proposal should make its methods, milestones, five-month goals, expected outcomes, and post-return plan concrete rather than relying on generic statements about library access or networking. (Guidance on the research proposal)
What the award covers vs what it does not
Official pages publish no dollar figures for stipend or research allowance. Do not invent amounts or trust aggregators. Benefits below follow ASC’s award details page.
Covered if admitted: five-month residency in Ann Arbor; faculty collaborator and full university resource access; round-trip airfare from the home country; free housing (private room and bath in a suite setting); medical insurance; a research allowance; a modest stipend to cover living; office or laboratory space; opportunity to present research to the U-M community.
Not covered / not available: spouses or dependents (ASC is unable to accommodate spouses and/or dependents); a guaranteed August-December or January-May slot; published cash amounts for stipend or research allowance; salary replacement (the institutional support letter must affirm that the home university will continue the scholar’s pay while they are at the University of Michigan); an ASC-made introduction to a U-M nominator; a second UMAPS award later; email or postal submission.
Budget around a modest stipend to cover living plus continued home salary, and five months away from family. Ask ASC about costs the pages do not list rather than trusting aggregators.
Contacts: [email protected], [email protected]. Phones: 734.615.3027 and 734.763.4765.
Two country lanes, one deadline, two possible calendars
One application round covers both cohorts: August-December and January-May. You may indicate a preference; placement is not guaranteed.
Direct-application countries are those listed above under ASC Application Info for this cycle. Everyone else needs a nomination. Enter the U-M faculty person as nominator in InfoReady so the system requests their letter. They must also upload an endorsement that they will mentor for the residency, meet regularly, and if possible provide office space. Missing that letter by the deadline makes the file incomplete.
2027-28 window: The ASC lists 15 October 2026 as the application deadline. The live InfoReady competition displays the submission cutoff time (currently shown as 11:59 p.m. ET that day); check the portal before submitting. ASC Application Info describes the annual window as 15 August through 15 October; InfoReady lists this cycle as opening 15 August 2026, 11:00 a.m. ET. Institutional endorsement is due by that close. Review starts after 15 October. Incomplete applications are not processed. Only applications submitted through the online application system will be considered; email and regular-mail submissions are not accepted.
Process order (for someone who already has InfoReady open)
Order matters because you cannot fully submit until the home endorsement is in. Incomplete applications are not processed.
Before typing in the portal
- Confirm lane: direct-application country or an existing U-M faculty relationship. (ASC Application Info)
- Speak to your head of department, dean, or vice chancellor in person if possible. The letter must be signed, on departmental letterhead, comment on strengths and merits, explain how the residency serves the home university’s central needs, and affirm that the home university will continue the scholar’s pay while they are at the University of Michigan. Deadline: 15 October 2026 (confirm the cutoff clock on InfoReady). (Letter of support)
- If nomination-lane: confirm the U-M colleague will accept the InfoReady request and write the mentor letter. ASC will not chase them.
- Watch the official how-to-apply webinar or recording linked from ASC Application Info.
Then in InfoReady (this order)
- Open the 2027-28 UMAPS competition file.
- Enter the home endorser’s full name and contact immediately so the letter request goes out.
- If required, add the U-M nominator the same day.
- Upload your curriculum vitae (CV).
- Upload the scholarly program or research proposal (at most five pages, excluding references). (Guidance on the research proposal) Email and paper are not accepted.
- Complete remaining fields, including cohort preference (not a placement contract).
- Treat the file as unfinished until the home-institution endorsement is in. If you are outside the direct-application countries, the U-M nomination letter must also be in by the close. Direct-apply applicants do not add a U-M nominator.
After 15 October: review happens after the close. The pages cited here do not publish a rolling decision date. Ask ASC by email for timeline questions.
How to use the five proposal pages
This is the part of the application where you explain the proposed scholarly program the committee will evaluate. Use ASC’s required questions, not generic statement advice. (Guidance on the research proposal)
Make clear regardless of field: specific goals for the five months; what you hope to gain; named outcomes; if new work, how much you can finish at U-M and how you will complete it after return; if publications, number and nature; if PhD, current progress and what five months changes.
ASC expects most files to include: (1) general background in the literature or field; (2) problem or topic; (3) methodology clear enough for a multidisciplinary committee; (4) milestones with target dates inside the five-month window.
Cut any paragraph that would read the same for a different US campus. The committee reads for academic quality and fit with this class and ASC’s initiatives.
How the committee says it will read the file
A multidisciplinary U-M faculty committee selects using published criteria (no invented weights): academic quality of candidate and proposed program; academic fit with others that cycle and with stated areas of interest (ASC hopes to build scholarly networks); equitable representation across ASC’s three initiatives; home-institution support; priority for candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds; priority for gender equity in the class and in the African academy; preference for limited international experience outside the continent. (Selection criteria and award details)
Home-institution support is one of the published selection criteria. The required letter is how that support is shown. ASC’s proposal page also asks how new work will be completed after you are back at your home institution.
Practical constraints to settle before you submit
- Five months away from teaching and family is the job.
- Suite housing is individual, not family housing; ASC is unable to accommodate spouses and/or dependents.
- Home salary should continue; the modest stipend to cover living is not a second full salary (no published dollar amount).
- Cohort preference is not a contract.
- Only applications submitted through the online application system will be considered; email and regular-mail submissions are not accepted.
- Eligibility edge cases: [email protected]. General inquiries: [email protected]. Phones: 734.615.3027 / 734.763.4765.
If you decide not to apply
Stay on the official ASC page for the next mid-August to mid-October cycle. Build a real U-M relationship through ordinary scholarly contact, not a mass email. Pay continuation is a home-campus conversation; no ASC waiver is published.
FAQ
Can I apply from Nigeria, Tanzania, Côte d’Ivoire, Algeria, or another country not on the direct-application list?
Yes only with a nomination from a U-M faculty member with whom you already have a relationship. ASC will not introduce you. (ASC Application Info)
Is Egypt direct-apply for 2027-28?
Yes. Under ASC’s CMENAS partnership note for the 2027-28 UMAPS cohort, Egypt is on the direct-application list. Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Sudan, and Tunisia remain nomination-only. These country routes are specific to the 2027-28 cohort and should be rechecked for later cycles.
When is the deadline?
The ASC lists 15 October 2026 as the application deadline for the application and the institutional endorsement (and nomination letter if needed). The live InfoReady competition displays the submission cutoff time; check the portal before submitting. ASC Application Info describes the annual window as 15 August through 15 October.
Can I email my PDF?
No. Only applications submitted through the online application system will be considered; email and regular-mail submissions are not accepted.
I already did UMAPS. Can I come back?
No. Previous recipients are ineligible.
Can my family live with me?
No. The UMAPS program is unable to accommodate spouses and/or dependents.
Will I get the semester I request?
You may state a preference. Placement is not guaranteed.
Does U-M replace my home-university salary?
No. The award includes airfare, suite housing, medical insurance, a research allowance, and a modest stipend to cover living. The institutional support letter must affirm that the home university will continue the scholar’s pay while they are at the University of Michigan. (Letter of support; award details)
How large is the stipend?
Official pages say a “modest stipend to cover living” and do not publish a number.
Who writes the home letter, and what must it say?
Head of department, dean, or vice chancellor; signed; departmental letterhead; strengths and merits; how the residency serves the home university’s central needs; affirmation that the home university will continue the scholar’s pay while they are at the University of Michigan. Upload by 15 October 2026. (Letter of support)
What goes in the proposal?
At most five pages excluding references; five-month goals; outcomes; return or completion plan; plus background, problem, methods, and dated milestones. (Guidance on the research proposal)
Who selects?
A multidisciplinary U-M faculty committee, using criteria on ASC’s award-details page.
Where do I ask an eligibility edge case?
[email protected]. Other inquiries: [email protected].
Before you submit
If the ASC application requirements above are yes, start the endorser and (if needed) the nominator today, then write the five pages around a project with clear five-month goals and, for new work, a completion plan at your home institution. If an ASC application requirement is no, closing the tab is a useful outcome of this page.
Official sources
- UMAPS program (ASC)
- Application Info
- Selection criteria and award details
- Letter of support requirements
- Guidance on the research proposal
- InfoReady application portal (2027-28)
Scholarship Tally explainer checked 28 September 2026. Not a University of Michigan or ASC page. Always prefer the live official URLs for deadlines, eligibility, and award rules.
